Fiscal problems are a 'bullseye' for St. John's Ward 4's newest councillor Tom Davis
After a second time running for a spot on St. John's city council, Tom Davis has been elected as Ward 4's newest councillor in Tuesday's byelection. (Submitted by Tom Davis)
St. John's Ward 4's newest councillor Tom Davis says his priority from Day 1 will be tackling fiscal problems facing constituents.
Davis won Tuesday's byelection, beating out three other candidates vying for the seat: Myles Russell, Greg Smith and Nicholas Hillier.
"There are a lot of people in this city and in Ward 4 who are really, really struggling. And the perception of being — of the tone deafness of council and of the City of St. John's in particular — was palpable," Davis told CBC News.
"And I will put a bullseye right on that subject, right now, because that's going to be priority No. 1."
Davis said Ward 4 residents are frustrated with the way that council has run the city, pointing to a recent 13 per cent average property tax increase.
Votes counted
In the city's unofficial results released Tuesday night, it said Davis received 1,211 votes — beating out his closest rivals by a wide margin of more than 550 votes.
Russell came closest with 657 votes, with Greg Smith behind him at 650 votes. Hillier came in at a distant fourth place with 272 votes.
The official count will be released Wednesday by the city clerk.
Davis said the other candidates spoke about snow clearing, buses and housing, which he said are important issues, but he felt his message of financial responsibility resonated with voters and prompted his sweeping victory.
Ward 4 covers the north-central area of the city, including Kenmount Terrace and Memorial University.
The seat had been vacated by Ian Froude in December, who cited a lack of motivation for the work. Froude had represented Ward 4 since 2017 and was re-elected by acclamation in 2021.
This was Davis's second time running for council, having run in the 2021 St. John's municipal election as an at-large candidate.
"There's a lot I need to learn," Davis said. "I don't even know how much I don't know. But learning and getting into the fiscal side of it's going to be where I'm really, really focused."
Tackling snow clearing
While financial problems are at the forefront, Davis said he made note of other concerns raised by constituents, including snow clearing.
He says he wants to look into preparedness when it comes to heavy amounts of snowfall, saying the city can't be paralyzed for more than a week like it was in January 2020's Snowmageddon.
He suggested working with the city's public works department on an "aggressive" plan, which could include private contractors to create a reserve group of plows the city can call on.
"That to me right now — because of the time of year — it's going to be something I'm going to dive into right away," he said.
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