By Chris Lewis | July 29, 2021
With municipal elections set for Sept. 28, Mount Pearl Mayor Dave Aker is hoping to see himself reinstated for a fourth term on council and second as mayor.
With 12-years on council under his belt, Aker said he is pleased with the work he has seen accomplished in Mount Pearl, and eager to see it continue.
Aker said he does not see the City as having unfinished business, but is instead looking forward to Mount Pearl’s continued improvement.
Aker’s four years as mayor have been challenging at times. His term included the record-setting snowfall the province was faced with in 2019, and of course the COVID-19 pandemic that changed the way we live as a whole. Aker also inherited what became a challenging situation in the decision by a committee of the previous council to hire former MHA and councillor Steve Kent to the role of Chief Administrative Officer of the City. Kent and the City eventually parted ways in a messy firing-cum-resignation that also cost the chamber two councillors, who were accused of breaking conflict of interest rules in their communications with Kent.
Aker has spent the interim period managing a smaller council and working to show council business is still being done in the wake of the controversy involving Kent.
While not eager to revisit the turmoil of those months, Aker has no trouble talking about the city’s other challenges, such as Snowmageddon and Covid.
“Our residents were kept safe during those times, and we’ve had to work closely with our staff and employees throughout,” he said. “We’re coming out of it all now, and I do truly believe the future is bright in the City of Mount Pearl. We’re not tired or fatigued. When we look at what we’ve accomplished during the most challenging of times, we’re looking forward to what we’ll be able to do now once the pandemic and everything else is behind us. But if not, we’ll be ready in case it breaks out again.”
He is hopeful that residents will see a return to normalcy as early as late 2021 or early 2022.
“We’ll hopefully see things like the Frosty Festival return, along with City Days and other celebrations like that,” Aker noted. “For example, our Summit Centre. We’ll see restrictions lifted and more people will be able to go swimming. With that, day camps should also be back, as well.”
Meanwhile, maintaining a line on taxes will continue to be a priority. “There’s not a thirst in our city for an increase in taxes, certainly, so the best thing we can do is hold the line, especially coming out of the pandemic,” he said. “We want residents to have a chance for their incomes to rebound. We’ll do that by keeping a tight control over our expenditures.”
Aker said the time has come to focus on dealing with demographic challenges that come with an aging population.
“We intend to do that using some of the funding we can leverage from the provincial and federal governments, as well as some of the City’s money,” he said.
If re-elected, Aker also intends to maintain his support for development of the arts, and economic development.
“I’ve got to be honest, we’re really focused on making sure we keep our momentum on economic development. We’re focusing on attracting new businesses, and I think that’s a part of the key to our success in the long run,” he said.
Looking back over his past 12 years on council, Aker said there has been a development towards all municipalities in the region acting more cooperatively and cohesively. Still, his focus, he said, will always be on the people living in Mount Pearl.
“We love welcoming people from outside of the city, but we want to make sure we serve our residents first with the same high quality services that we’ve established here,” said Aker. “At the end of the day, growth in the Avalon is probably going to be low going forward, but Mount Pearl has plenty of opportunities for growth. I’ll continue to push for that in areas like Northlands and the Kenmount Road lands. You have to be true to your residents, and make sure they’re getting the value and services they deserve. That’s the experience I bring to the table.”
