Tamara Johnson is taking one last crack at politics.
A candidate for the Libertarian Party in Thunder Bay-Superior North in June’s provincial election, Johnson came in fifth in the riding, but still had supporters asking her to run municipally and be their voice in the community.
So the 41-year-old mother of one threw her name into the at-large race, hoping to win a seat at the council table on Oct. 27.
One of the issues that tops her list of priorities is crime prevention, particularly with city police investigating nine homicides this year.
“I also think we need to be fiscally conservative,” she said, adding high property taxes is also a concern, along with wasteful spending and transparency.
The number of closed-door meetings at city hall is confusing, said Johnson.
“They can exercise that right; they’re allowed to, but it seems a little uncommon. I don’t know why they feel the need,” she said.
“I think there is a sense of grandeur on city council and I think they’ve pretty much forgotten that they’re supposed to be representing the people that put them there.”
Johnson, a Lakehead University graduate who has called Thunder Bay home for most of her life, has always been against the proposed event centre.
She’s concerned the city wants to use tax dollars to fund the project.
“What if the federal and provincial funding falls through? Then they’re going to use city money we don’t have to pay for it?” she said, adding if it really is a winning formula, there should be private investors stepping forward.
“I’ve never seen a council wanting to push something so much,” Johnson said, adding she finds it odd there was never a plebiscite on the issue.
Johnson worked in the hospitality and tourism industry for 26 years, owning her own business for 10 of those years. She recently sold her business and is now working in the private sector.
