THUNDER BAY – Jamie Cressman brings a unique perspective to the Current River Ward race.
The 49-year-old spent a dozen years working on the administrative side of municipal government, including serving time as chief administrative officer in nearby Oliver Paipoonge.
Other roles he filled included town clerk and overseeing the community’s hockey rinks, landfill and cemeteries.
It gave him a taste for local government, one of the main reasons he decided to join the four-candidate Current River competition in 2018.
“I think really what it was, was the councillor side was more of the decision-making role of setting policy and direction for administration to move forward and implement plans and ideas for the city to advance and move forward,” Cressman said.
“I really like that aspect of it. The other thing is you’re working for the people and bring the concerns of the people forward to try to make the city a better place to live.”
An entrepreneur who runs his own business, Cressman said the issues being discussed at Current River doors while canvassing are wide-ranging.
Bike lanes are near the top.
“They have some concerns in the area with parking with the bike lanes. There’s not a lot of parking around the North End Community Centre and some of those areas. There have been some issues with ticketing this year
Another area he’d like to work on if he’s elected on Oct. 22 are the ward’s playgrounds. They’re in serious need of updates, he said.
“I know growing up in that area 40 years ago, the playgrounds are the same, the tennis courts are virtually the same. I think it’s a valuable asset to our city, so it would be nice to see some upgrades there,” he said, adding the Current River Arena parking lot is in desperate need of resurfacing.
“It’s in pretty rough shape and could use some work.”
Cressman said he’d also like to see the return of community policing, to help quell what residents feel is a growing wave of crime in the city.
“I think our police force needs some help,” Cressman said. “They’re strapped. I’ve talked to some officers in my business and a lot of it is reactive policing where they’re going from call to call. They’re not able to get in touch with the people and to patrol and to do the things they need to do to make (people) safer. I think they can use some extra resources.”
