THUNDER BAY – It was an empassioned Bill Mauro who spoke Thursday evening to a full house at The Davinci Center, asking voters to simply compare and contrast the past three governments of Ontario, the NDP, the Progressive Conservatives and the Liberals. Mauro who stated in his acceptance speech that he is going to start talking more about what he will do over the next four years, says that the next steps should include having full cardiac care at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
Mauro’s nomination was seconded by his father, who is counting on his son and the Premier to win the next election so that “It will be Premier McGuinty’s signature on the scroll from the province,” stated the MPP’s brother, who was the master of ceremonies for the evening. The Premier was in attendance for the meeting after a full day of activities in the city.
McGuinty spoke of how having “People like Bill Mauro on his team make his job easier”. McGuinty touted Mauro’s integrity and hard work.
The Thunder Bay Atikokan MPP shared with the audience that in 2003 when he made the decision to go into provincial politics he wasn’t sure if he would be fully accepted by the people. “I’m not the kind of politician who goes into a room and shakes everyone’s hand, or kisses all the babies,” stated Mauro.
As he warmed into his speech, Mauro stated “That given the choice of having people’s respect or their admiration, he would choose having their respect”.
He shared the fight, “six years of slugging it out”, to finally make sure that the OPG Coal-Fired Generation plant in Atikokan would stay in operation, saving hundreds of jobs in the community. Mauro recounted a meeting six years ago, just after he was elected in 2003, where about 200 people in Atikokan turned out “literally looking for my head… with people yelling and very angry”.
Mauro stated that “it was finally making sure that plant would be operating into the future, saving those jobs that make public service so special”.
The two time MPP says that “It is time to start sharing the story, and telling the people of Thunder Bay how much has been done”.
Mauro shared with the audience that while some of the decisions made by the McGuinty government have not been easy, they have being in his view important to do and needed to be done.
There is an old adage in politics, “No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care”.
Tonight, Bill Mauro shared with his Liberal audience how much he cares, if he continues that approach, this fall’s election in Thunder Bay Atikokan will be a hard fought battle.
The provincial election will be on October 6th, 2011. The NDP and the Progressive Conservatives have not completed their nomination processes.