By Mark Squibb
Mount Pearl Mayor Dave Aker is hoping for a third term as mayor of the Avalon’s second City.
“Our City is evolving, and circumstances are always changing, but I will always be that mayor who is about community first,” said Aker. “We’ve got a great team of people and a great team on council, and the environment is ever changing. What the City has done in the last four years is— through strategic planning and budgeting—position the city for something new… and I’m offering my leadership in managing that change. Nothing ever remains the same. I think any politician will tell you that there are always new challenges. Some will say that municipalities are never perfect, and that’s true you know. Look at the budget requests that come in every year from staff, and its council’s job to pare them down. But I remain really enthusiastic, and I think I’m well-suited to take on the next four years.”
In recent years, the City has shown an appetite for growth, whether by paving the way for suburbs to come in the Northlands or partnering with the federal government to offer incentives to encourage housing construction.
While Aker has committed to encouraging growth if re-elected, the retired accountant, who noted more development is coming, especially in the Northlands and Masonic Park area, cautioned that “growth for the sake of growth” without proper infrastructure to match it leads to big problems.
“You have to have the infrastructure in place to take away stormwater, to bring water in, to bring sewer out,” said Aker. “It’s a bit of a complicated piece, but you need to have responsible and smart development, and what we’re doing right now throughout the city, whether it’s upgrading pipes for example to meet new density goals we have, or dealing out new lands in the Northlands, you have to right-size it first before you just start approving subdivisions.”
Looking ahead Aker, said council, under his leadership, would continue to focus on keeping Mount Pearl affordable for all residents.
“I think one of the most important things on people’s minds is affordability,” said Aker, adding the City will continue to focus on affordable housing and improving public transportation.
Aker is also hoping to be around the council table when the new 24,500 square-foot community centre opens its doors in 2026.
First announced in 2021, the centre will replace the aging Park Place facility and will boast a splash pad that can be converted to an ice surface during the winter months.
Aker said sports and recreation within the City is at an all time high, and that once the new community centre is up and running, the Reid Centre will be used solely as a sports facility while community events will be held at the new community centre.
Meanwhile, the City’s debt remains low said Aker, noting his decades of experience in financial management, and promising to “always have the taxpayers pocketbooks in mind.”
“The mayor doesn’t make all the decisions,” said Aker. “The mayor is not the boss. The mayor works with council, and we all have our different viewpoints and agendas in terms of how we want to see the City grow. By working with staff through good, sound strategic planning this term is my resumé for the next term. That’s the way that I, as a leader, can do my best for the residents of the City. We’ll always put our residents first, and we’ll always manage the City responsibly under my leadership.”
No other candidate has, as of print deadline, stepped forward to challenge Aker’s bid for the mayor’s chair. If Aker were to be acclaimed, it would be a first for the long serving mayor.
Aker bested mayoral candidate Roy Locke in the 2021 election and Travis Faulkner in the 2017 election.
Prior to serving as mayor, Aker served for a number of years as a councillor.
squibb@theshoreline.ca
