Local dad offers no-Wynne proposition

Why is Ward 6 Councillor Ross (Rosario) Romano running for the provincial Progressive Conservatives?

Well, here's the short answer, provided by Romano as he was announced Friday night as his party's first candidate in the 2018 provincial election:

• hydro rates
• significant shortfalls in our education system
• mismanagement of the manufacturing sector
• a $308 billion debt load costing us $1 billion a month in interest payments
• provincial credit downgrades
• cuts to health care.

Actually, that's just Romano getting warmed up on the subject of why he dislikes the Wynne Liberals and needs to run against them here in Sault Ste. Marie.

There's more. A lot more.

"Simply put, life is harder under the Wynne Liberals," says the lawyer and father to three young boys.

"This is a tired and self-interested government that has lost its way. Whether it's the gas plants scandal, five OPP investigations, or only listening to Ontarians when they're willing to cut a cheque, the Liberal ethical lapses just keep piling up."

"I could continue on and on," Romano says in what could turn out to be the truest promise in the entire 2018 provincial campaign.

He totally can.

"We have not even touched on the excess red tape to business in Ontario that make it so difficult for them to realize goals and see projects reach completion in a timely fashion," he continued before 56 people gathered Friday night at the Days Inn, 322 Bay Street.

"We have not touched on all of the various cuts to health care or the privatisation of Hydro One that has the potential of creating an even greater detrimental burden on our hydro rates due to the lack of any government oversight."

Continuing on and on, Romano then commented that "we have not touched on all the Liberal scandals and mismanagement, via the Sudbury byelection scandal, deleted emails, the Ornge scandal, the Trillium Power Corp., the gas plants scandal, electricity rates, Pan-Am Games scandal, teachers unions payouts, the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan or the fundraising scandal."

In a sublime demonstration of forbearance to his audience, the Ward 6 councillor then refrained from further Wynne-whacking.

"Perhaps we should leave some discussion for another day as it is getting late and I have already taken up a great deal of your time on a Friday night," said the ever-merciful politician.

Ross Romano was called to the Ontario Bar in 2005, after graduating in 2001 from Algoma University College (bachelor of arts)  here in Sault Ste. Marie, and from the University of Windsor Law School in 2004.

Returning to the Sault, he worked as in-house duty counsel at the Sault Ste. Marie Courthouse, progressing to assistant Crown attorney and city prosecutor before joining the Bisceglia Dumanski law firm in 2008.

In June of 2014, Mr. Romano joined the law firm of O'Neill DeLorenzi Mendes.

He was elected Ward 6 Councillor in October 2014 and a year later became interim chair of the Queenstown Business Improvement Area, leading that organization through a difficult restructuring.

Romano volunteers as a coach in the Sault Youth Soccer Association.

What are Romano's plans regarding his Ward 6 City Council seat as he seeks election to higher office?

"I will not be stepping down from my seat on council," he told SooToday early Sunday morning.

"We need a strong presence now more than ever and I still aim to fulfil my elected responsibilities. I hope this new role will not take anything away from that in the eyes of our community."

Following are the full text of statements from Ontario PC party leader Patrick Brown and Sault Ste. Marie candidate Ross Romano:

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Statement from Ontario PC Leader Patrick Brown on the nomination of Ross Romano as the Ontario PC candidate in Sault Ste. Marie

I congratulate Ross Romano on being nominated by the Ontario PC members of Sault Ste. Marie as our newest and first candidate for the 2018 general election.

I am very confident that Ross will be a strong voice for the Ontario PC Party’s positive message of change, and a great standard bearer as we strive to present a party that is modern, inclusive, and pragmatic.

An experienced lawyer, Ross has been active in the Sault Ste. Marie community for years.

He has served as a city councillor since 2014, and has volunteered extensively with community organizations like the Rotary Club and the Sault Youth Soccer Association.

Quite frankly, after 13 years in power, life is harder under the Liberals.

Skyrocketing hydro rates have driven Ontarians into energy poverty, and we continue to see cut after cut to essential health care services.

Once the driving force behind Confederation, Liberal scandal after Liberal scandal means that Ontario now lags behind other provinces.

Plain and simple.

Enough is enough.

It’s time for a change in Ontario.

It’s time for a government that puts the people first, not political self-interests.  Let’s send Ross Romano to Queen’s Park in 2018.

Statement from Ross Romano on being nominated as the Ontario PC candidate in Sault Ste. Marie:

I am humbled and honoured to join Patrick Brown’s Ontario PC team as the Sault Ste. Marie candidate in the upcoming election.

I have watched the Wynne Liberals as they have torn our once-great province down brick by brick to the shell of the place it once was, and I’m tired of it. 

For years I’ve watched as the Kathleen Wynne Liberals have made life harder for the people of Northern Ontario. 

Our region has been nothing but an afterthought to an out-of-touch government only interested in their own political survival.

I can no longer sit idly by.

That’s why I’m running to be Sault Ste. Marie’s next MPP.

I’m running to send a message to Kathleen Wynne, we in Northern Ontario will not be ignored any longer. 

Patrick Brown has made Northern Ontario a priority.

He has visited the North more than 20 times, including five visits to Sault Ste. Marie in the last two years.

He understands what our region is capable of, and he has been the only one standing up for us at Queen’s Park.

I love Sault Ste. Marie.

I have been honoured to serve my community for the past two years as a city councillor.

I hope to bring my experience and my passion to the table, serving as a strong voice for our city and community at Queen’s Park.

I can’t wait to get to work, meeting as many voters as possible, and spreading the Ontario PC Party’s message of positive change for our province.

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