Cambridge, Ont. mayoral candidate under investigation for fixing pothole
· Toronto Sun
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When you’ve got a problematic pothole, you usually call the city to fix it, right?
In the case of Cambridge, Ont., mayoral candidate Ryan Bolender, he did what the city allegedly had not, and may very well end up paying the price because of his actions.
Bolender says he was inspired to act when he was out door-knocking in August and met a woman who requires an electric mobility scooter to get around.
“When I asked how the city could do better, among many other things, she pointed to the pothole at the end of her driveway,” said Bolender in a statement to the Sun .
“She said she’d been asking the city to fix it for years. With no sidewalk in front of her home, she has to cross that pothole every time she leaves, creating a major tipping hazard.”
So what did Bolender, the owner of a construction company, do?
He fixed it himself and posted a video of him doing so last week on his campaign page, which the city asked him to take down and he did so 24 hours later.
Candidate says his pothole fix was temporary
“This was a temporary fix, done to keep her safe, not a substitute for the permanent repair that should have been made long ago,” Bolender said in his statement to the Sun .
“I put this squarely at the feet of city leadership. City staff are doing their best with the leadership they have.”
Now Bolender is facing a possible fine for violating a city bylaw and campaign rules.
“The city says that the incident is currently under review,” he told the Sun in a statement. “If I am fined, residents in Cambridge need to rightfully ask what it says about city leadership’s priorities if they can level a fine against me faster than they fill a pothole.”
Cambridge city clerk Jennifer Shaw said in a statement to the Sun : “As city clerk, it is my responsibility to investigate these matters. At this time, the city cannot comment further while the investigation remains ongoing.”
Bolender added to the Sun : “Right now, city leadership have two options: spend resources going after someone who filled a pothole for a women who requires a mobility scooter on a quiet, dead-end street, or spend those same resources actually fixing it. Quite frankly, if it takes a fine against me to finally get that pothole properly repaired and her safety secured, it’ll be worth every cent.”
Bolender is one of six people vying to become Cambridge’s next mayor including Tony Chaves, councillor Scott Hamilton, Ihtsham Haq, incumbent mayor Jan Liggett and Ken Roche.
Election day is Monday, Oct. 26.