Doug Jeffrey has been living in Prince George for about 60 years, and has coached in the Special Olympics on a national level.
“My most recent project that I worked on was I got a federal grant and Rick Hanson grant and a regional grant put in a wheelchair lift for a public hall,” Jeffrey said.
He’s also the president of a community association that puts on recreational programs, and has been involved with several nonprofits.
“I ran once 25 years ago, being my dad was a City Manager, we would talk about the issues in the city, and it gets in your blood, I learned a lot about city government from him” he said.
“I think the biggest thing that got me interested in running was what I considered to be overspending on some recent capital projects, and what’s happening in our downtown, and it’s most definitely spreading beyond the downtown is, is tragic, sad for the business owners, is tragic and sad for people who have mental illness and drug addictions.”
He adds he wants to see more infrastructure for active transportation.
“There’s a city called Northern Thompson in Manitoba, and they got large infrastructure grants from the federal government to build three meter-wide multi-use paths for things like electric mobility, scooters, bikes, family trikes, walkers, roller blades,” he explained.
“We all went through Covid and, one of the ways we could retreat was to get outside. I’d like to make it easier for people to get into the downtown and be able to travel around on their bicycles in a safe way.”
Jeffrey said he would also like to improve accessibility in the city.
“I’d like to see some awards for local buildings for improved ramp access, something like that would be helpful for seniors and getting around the community,” he said.
“Right now if you’re in a mobility scooter or wheelchair, some of our sidewalks are just in dreadful condition.
He also wants to make sure the city spend their money wisely.
The municipal election will take place on October 15th.