THUNDER BAY – Mayor Keith Hobbs has made it official. The Mayor will not seek a third term.
The Mayor says that it is under his leadership that the City of Thunder Bay has made progress on a number of areas. First, Hobbs tells NetNewsLedger that for the past eight years there have been no labour issues, no strikes with city workers. “We have fantastic employees,” says the Mayor. “They often don’t get enough credit for all the hard work they do”.
Hobbs points to progress on the financial side pointing out that Thunder Bay now has a Standard and Poors rating of AA + which is a major improvement from when he took office. While some in the city say we have a massive debt, the Mayor says that Thunder Bay is in far better shape than any of the more negative people in our city might claim. “We don’t have the largest debt, and we sure don’t have the highest taxes,” states Hobbs.
There has been much-needed progress on building stronger relations with First Nations over the past eight years. While the Mayor isn’t trying to say the work is done, Hobbs says, “We have formed historic agreements with Fort William First Nation, we hold joint council meetings, and we continue to make progress”.
A Legacy worth Leaving
The Mayor also states that at least 40% of his efforts have been on the Indigenous file, and points out his first trips on being elected were to First Nations communities.
“No other Mayor in this city has done what I have done on this file,” states Hobbs.
There are many areas where Hobbs states we are making serious progress under his leadership. This includes getting through the major flood that hit the city, having years with record building permits, and having all the work completed and ongoing on infrastructure.
Hobbs says that Thunder Bay Tourism is reporting our city has one of the highest occupancy rates for local hotels and motels. That with several new hotels having been built and more on the way.
