THUNDER BAY – From 1981 to 2000, Dick Waddington was a city council stalwart.
Elected seven straight times – six in Current River and once in an at-large bid, it took a sweeping call for change in the 2000 municipal election to end his rein.
A legend of the local sports scene, Waddington has since had a park named in his honour, recognizing years of volunteer service in just about every athletic endeavour imaginable.
He used that popularity to win back the Current River seat in 2003, after a tumultuous term of council, but lost it again in 2006.
He tried for an at-large berth in 2010 then attempted to topple Andrew Foulds in Current River in 2014, but to no avail.
At 73 and just as determined as ever, he’s put his name back into the ward race, running for city council for the 11th time.
He simply doesn’t like what he sees watching from afar.
“I was really disgusted with the way this past council has been working the last 10 years. People have asked me to get back in a straighten it out and stop spending their money like drunken sailors,” Waddington said in his no-nonsense manner.
He’s still upset at the millions the city spent chasing an event centre, the key issue in the 2014 campaign.
There are a lot more important places for the city to spend taxpayer dollars starting with roads and infrastructure, he said.
“There’s away a pothole problem and that’s something I don’t know if we can ever correct, but they should be spending money on it. I’d like to see Boulevard Lake cleaned up and the dam fixed,” Waddington said.
Council once again put off repairs to the dam in 2018, using the money instead to repair the Main Street bridge.
“It keeps getting cancelled and the money reallocated to something else.”
Looking ahead, Waddington is concerned about the state of the economy, pointing out that the grain elevator and paper mill industries are a fraction of what they used to be and Bombardier faces its own set of issues.
He think council can help repair the economy by tackling social issues and getting its debt in order.
“I think (we need) good infrastructure and a sound financial basis. We can’t keep borrowing from our grandchildren,” Waddington said.
