Photo supplied by Griffith Slaughter
Six candidates are competing for the position of mayor in Pembroke, and Grffith Slaugther says he’s all about “selling the beauty to increase what the city offers.”
Slaugther says he has considered running for office during the last two elections – but didn’t feel he was qualified – however, this term he wants to make a lasting change in Pembroke.
“I’ve always been politically minded, I quite enjoy being able to offer a difference – a change – to the community,” he says. “I would like to see a mayor steering council to increase business and make things better.”
Commerce in the downtown needs to be improved; and according to Slaughter increasing the size of business in core would provide more of a revenue stream and help address affordability.
“The downtown could be bustling like it is in the other small communities in the valley,” he says. “I’d like to increase tourism as much as we can, so we can bring more people here.”
While the city has potential, Slaughter recognizes Pembroke has its challenges and that includes the amount of addiction and homelessness.
He says there isn’t a clear solution to solve this growing concern, but he has ideas to help reduce it over time.
“We need a place to make these people better, to help them get off the addiction and have work,” he says. “There’s always talk of the methadone clinic – and the people around it in the downtown area – maybe we should look at repositioning that.”
He also says to help address issues there needs to be a strong working relationship with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and other service providers to make sure the city grows and is safe.
Slaughter was born in the Toronto area, travelled across Canada until he came back in 2005 after attending university.
Voting day is Oct. 26, with advance polls starting on Oct. 16.
