The 2018 Barrie municipal election will take place Oct. 22 and with city wards seeing many candidates jockeying for position, the top council race is a two-person sprint.
Current mayor Jeff Lehman and mayoral hopeful Ram Faerber are in the midst of their campaign to sit at the head of the table as the mayor for the next four years.
Faerber comes to the mayoral election with no sitting-term political background, but says he has a wealth of experience in every aspect of life.
“I came to Canada 35 years ago and I followed politics all that time,” Faerber told BarrieToday. “Four years ago, I ran for mayor as a rookie. I really didn’t understand much about politics at the time.
"But in the last four years, I ran for MPP and MP and the reason I did that was so that, as an independent candidate, I could understand federal and provincial politics," he added. "Now that I know the differences of the three levels, I think municipal politics is the most important for the people.”
Faerber believes he knows the main concern of Barrie residents as the city gets closer to the municipal election and also feels he knows how and why he will get the problem fixed.
“The No. 1 thing and major concern for the people of Barrie are property taxes, they are too high,” he said. “In my platform, I will run with a zero per cent increase on property taxes for the next four years.
"If I win on that promise, you better know it is going to happen, because Barrie city councillors will know that is what Ram Faerber ran on and won the election on, so we better give him what he wants."
Another hot topic in the city is the increasing homelessness situation. While the current council has several plans underway and currently activated to assist in the problem, Faerber thinks it is taking too long and he wants action now.
“The homelessness problem in Barrie is worse now than ever before and I see it every day at my business on Vespra Street,” Faerber said. “They walk by there every day and I can tell who is new and who is not because the guys that are not new will not come on the property and steal from me; but the new guys will steal because they don’t know who I am, the other guys know me.
"The Barrie Food Bank is right there and that’s where they go," he added. "I would stop talking about the problem and get aggressive about it.”
Faerber says that while he doesn’t agree that carding is the right way to go with crime and homelessness, he believes in a system that is very similar and believes in a more aggressive call to action.
“Who are these people is what we have to find out,” Faerber said. “What is your name, who are you, where are you coming from? We need to have a profile on them, let’s say. So, when we see them on the street and the cops see them on the street they know that’s John or James or Jimmy and we know who he is and we can find out what the problems are.
"Why are they homeless? Are they on medication? Are they on social assistance? And we can ask them if they want to get off the street," he added. "If they do, we will find them help and not just say we will find you help and see you later, we will take them by the hand and there are enough services around Barrie and the area.
"That is what they need, very aggressive help.”
Faerber also believes the housing crisis in Barrie needs to be sped up and not considered only a long-term solution.
“Lack of housing is a major problem in Barrie and I have short-term solution, not 840 units over 10 years from now solution,” said Faerber. “I have a plan, there are a lot of people in Barrie who are struggling to pay property taxes who wish they could have a second income. We will find money some where some how, be it publicly or privately, to fund these people to fix up their basement apartments or convert their houses to duplexes if possible.
"This would only be for live-in dwellers, not for absentee landlords. That destroys neighbourhoods.”
The south end’s annexed land has become a huge issue for debate for all current council members as the possibilities are fruitful when thinking of attracting industry and population growth. Faerber knows Barrie's south end is the next crucial step in the city’s growth, but says it can’t be taken lightly.
“I believe in the development of the south end, but let’s do it right the first time,” Faerber said. “We know we have the annexed lands in the south end, yet we have not prepared Mapleview Drive and the congestion there.”
Four years ago, Faerber ran for mayor against Lehman and lost by an overwhelming margin. And while many may feel the odds are once again against him, Faerber disagrees.
“I will win this election and I will be the next mayor of Barrie and a lot of people are going to be very surprised,” Faerber said. “Its time for a change and I believe the people of Barrie want change.”
