THUNDER BAY – The race to fill five at-large seats on Thunder Bay’s city council just got a bit more competitive.
Two candidates with name recognition in the community, Jim Mauro and Stephen Margarit, announced their intention to run in the Oct. 26 election on Thursday.
Both previously competed in municipal elections, failing to win but garnering significant vote hauls.
Mauro placed third in a 2014 run in the Northwood Ward, collecting 1,184 votes, compared to victor Shelby Ch’ng’s 2,157 votes.
In a statement, Mauro pointed to past governance experience as head of the Thunder Bay Police Association and on the boards of the regional hospital and United Way.
His platform is expected to focus on crime, infrastructure, and affordability.
“We are facing several difficult challenges in our community that have become worse over the past 20 years,” he said. “One area is public safety that is often connected to issues that police are not equipped to handle. Tackling these issues needs to be at the forefront of any plans moving forward.”
Mauro is the brother of current mayor Bill Mauro, who announced last month he would not seek a second term.
He also brings his share of past controversies to the campaign. He was found guilty of discreditable conduct in a Police Services Act hearing in 2012, and settled a lawsuit against the police association in 2013.
He was also disciplined with a four-day suspension in 2008 after he “placed a prank 911 call while on duty, imitating a First Nations woman,” according to Murray Sinclair’s 2018 report into the police force.
Margarit finished 12th in the 2018 at-large race, with 6,098 votes – about 5,000 shy of what he would have needed to secure one of five at-large seats.
At 32, Margarit would add a dash of youth to council, with all but two current councillors over 40, and one of them – Coun. Cody Fraser – not running for re-election.
Margarit, currently a coordinator at the Bombardier Labour Action Centre, formerly worked for Bombardier and as a constituency assistant to Liberal MPP Michael Gravelle.
He is also known for his work with the Fort William Rotary Club, and currently chairs the Downtown Fort William Revitalization Committee.
