MARATHON — Rick Dumas doesn't have to spend election night waiting to see if he'll serve four more years as mayor.
The long-time Marathon mayor was acclaimed for a fifth term when the municipal election nomination period came and went without anybody else filing to run against him.
Dumas, who was first elected mayor in 2006 and has now been acclaimed in three straight elections, said he views this as a strong vote of confidence not just from the community, but also from his council members.
'There are a couple of parts when you look at an acclamation," he said. "Your fellow councillors respect the fact that you are doing a good job as mayor. Typically, if members of council think otherwise, they will say so and some may choose to run against you in the next election.”
“The community supports me and supports me as a whole, because they believe that I have been doing a good job.”
While Dumas was acclaimed, council positions remained up for grabs in Monday's vote. The four elected councillors are Zackary Souckey, Gregory Vallance, Ray Lake, and Todd Wheeler.
Dumas said he has watched the campaign over the past few weeks and listened to the candidates running for council, and felt that no one is presenting their argument in terms of any negativity towards the present council.
“I feel that these council candidates are pleased with the present strategic plan that we have put in place four years ago for Marathon,” he said. “Most of the items in our strategic plan have been completed, but I see myself working with these new candidates who get voted onto council, on our strategic plan as we move forward in the next four years."
Dumas expressed optimism that he can work with any of the candidates who are elected to council on Monday.
One of the first steps for the next council is to discuss and review their strategic plan, he added.
"We need to identify the items that we have not completed. The port authority project needs a business model so we need to highlight this and make sure it is a profitable business," Dumas said. "Generation Mine will be a priority, especially now, because in November the government will be reviewing the environmental assessment report, and needs to approve it."
Dumas also identified health care challenges faced not only by the province but also by Marathon. He recently had a meeting with Adam Brown, the CEO of North of Superior Healthcare Group (NOSH), who gave a presentation about the issues and specifically concerns with staffing.
“We all know we have an issue in terms of support staff and I will bring his concerns forward to the provincial level, especially his concern with the freeze on wages and its impact on staffing,” Dumas said.
He also sees his role on the Association of Municipalities of Ontario board as one that allows him to bring important issues relevant to not only Marathon, but the region, to the provincial table.
