I’ve thrown my hat in the ring for the North Bay City Council municipal election scheduled for Oct. 26 and the number of people offering encouragement has been inspirational.
Voters are telling me they want representatives who can work through their differences (so fewer tax dollars are lost to investigations and legal bills), with the added benefit of an improved city reputation as we try to attract businesses and residents. They also demand easier access to public information and improved consultation before project decisions are made. And they want councilors who will stand up for what is right and be accountable when things go wrong.
I can deliver that and more, including fresh ideas and willingness to hear all sides of an issue before taking a position.
My campaign officially kicked off June 14 at Moose’s Cookhouse where 50 people gathered to hear my first political speech and celebrate my 61st birthday…a full 40 years after arriving in North Bay to begin my career as a Print Journalism student at Canadore College.
Please see my campaign website davedalenorthbay.ca where a growing collection of testimonials describe how my character, political knowledge and communication skills gives them confidence I can be a positive force for the community. The endorsements come from a variety of people, including former councillor and veteran broadcaster Peter Handley, retired chief administrative officer Dave Linkie, my first professor and long-time friend Don Curry, well-respected community leader Hariett Madigan, retired assistant to several city mayors Nancy Avery and Pat Madill Stamp, a pottery teacher and columnist.
The latest testimonial not yet listed on the website comes from a former managing editor at The Nugget who oversaw my news reporting and column-writing while covering city issues, while also dealing with me as the North Bay Newspaper Guild president.
North Bay Nugget Staff in 2008
“North Bay needs city councilors who listen, ask hard questions and realize local government is about people, not reports and meetings,” writes Steve Hardy, who guided the Nugget newsroom from 2007 to 2012. “More than anyone else, Dave helped me understand my new home.
“We spent many hours discussing his column, which always brought fresh insight to issues that mattered to people living and working in the city. Dave has spent decades attending meetings, knocking on doors and most importantly – listening. He understands the politics of North Bay from a unique perspective. That perspective will bring transparency, integrity and an unwavering commitment to North Bay’s future.
Below is a background article that framed the June 14 speech and is my “Dave Story” on the website. The next event is an early-bird candidate event July 25, with details to be announced.
North Bay requires more than new faces in the council chamber to achieve our potential — we need a new approach to how this community deals with its most pressing issues. As a candidate in the Oct. 26 municipal election, I’m not merely pointing out the problems — that’s easy — I’m bringing fresh ideas to the table and anticipate a healthy public debate about how we can best move forward together.
But first, who is Dave Dale and what makes him a solid candidate for North Bay City Council? It begins with vision.
I picked North Bay and area to be my home 40 years ago and it was the best decision of my life. It gave me a place to study, build a career, raise a child and have the lifestyle options Northern Ontario residents appreciate — all in my own backyard. You have to love when a plan comes together and I’m grateful to be here.
As a journalist covering municipal, provincial and federal politics for decades, I understand the relationships and mandates of the various levels of government. Knowing who does what and why is key to addressing the challenges we face. I’m also clear on why we require bureaucracy and why it’s a priority to eliminate as much of it as possible.
If successful at the polls, I’ll be walking into familiar territory at City Hall. I know North Bay like the back of my hand. My first jobs were on Main Street and over the years have rented apartments and homes on Tackaberry, Chippewa, Fifth, Fourth, Second, Gore and Bell before buying my first home on Rancier from 1996 to 2002.
For most of the past seven years, I’ve worked out of the former Tweedsmuir Elementary School on Gertrude in West Ferris that has been redeveloped as a co-working complex with dozens of companies and individuals renting offices and desks. And every three months, I have personally delivered thousands of magazines to subscribers living in every corner of the city and district, often having the opportunity to talk to people about their trials and tribulations.
For two years, I worked in Pinewood on McIntyre Street West at the Clarke Communications as a podcast content director, documenting the lives and observations shared by hundreds of guests.
Most of all, I’ve been blessed to meet, interview and befriend many of the people who are involved in community-building, from service clubs to businesses, and organizations promoting sports, arts and culture. I see what it takes to make North Bay great and they come in all shapes, ages and colours — definitely a team effort.
I’m also uniquely qualified to endure the negativity and stress that conflict, crisis and chaos create. As a news columnist, my job was to spark debate by voicing what others could not — which tends to attract fierce scrutiny, backlash and critique. I have my eyes wide open when it comes to social media and will use it to help explain the issues and options for addressing them.
It feels as if my career and public service go hand-in-hand. I can’t think of a better way to invest in North Bay than work with other community leaders to make it better.
Residents who have invested their future in the Gateway of the North — and those who are considering the city as their new home — want municipal leaders who can resolve conflicts and work together to find affordable solutions. I hear it every day. They want to be proud of where they live and feel confident that their tax dollars are respected and making North Bay stronger and more united to face the economic headwinds of the future.
The bottom line: We need to face challenges in a practical and pragmatic way while having genuine respect for public input.
Please read the ‘conversation starters’ that make up the beginning of my platform, which will be under construction this summer and ready to roll out in September when the campaign hits high gear.
Writer, photographer and proud father. My mom's family is from the Soo with its Algoma Highlands, dad hailed from Cobden in the Ottawa Valley and I spent my teen years in Capreol. Summers were at the beach on the Vermillion River and winters at 'The Rink.' Born in East York but Toronto never was my thing. Ever since a kid looking out the window on long trips, I imagined living on the highway in a little house with a big yard and trees growing all around me.
