Joe Virdiramo wants four more years to continue making improvements in the ward he has called home for the past 20 years.
First elected in 2003, the veteran incumbent is seeking his fourth consecutive term as the Westfort representative in city council chambers.
“I’m proud of what has happened in the ward,” Virdiramo said. “A lot of things have happened in Westfort and I really believe I put Westfort on the Thunder Bay map.”
Two significant achievements he lists are the construction of the new Mary J.L. Black Public Library and the George Jeffrey Children’s Centre.
He also said significant infrastructure improvements are ongoing in Westfort, as evidenced by the number of roads, sewer and water projects that were undertaken this summer.
Virdiramo wants to continue making the ward an attractive place for families and is hoping to have a splash pad located at the Heath Park pool and continue to augment recreation facilities and parks.
The retired educator, who spent time as a teacher, principal and superintendent, is the current chair of the Thunder Bay Police Services Board.
While Virdiramo acknowledged there has been a high number of murders this year, violent crime has generally been trending downward and police have been able to identify and arrest suspects in the majority of the cases.
Virdiramo is a proponent of the event centre project, provided both the federal and provincial governments provide the funding the city is seeking to make it a reality. He is adamant that is the only way it can happen.
Viewing the reports from the expert consultants convince him it will likely boost the local economy.
“I regard it as a potential economic driver for this city,” he said. “The jobs it’s going to create for running the facility, the events that we’re going to have are going to bring people in from the region and they’re going to stay in hotels and shopping in Thunder Bay as well as people from outside.”
