A motion by Saint John deputy mayor Shirley McAlary to have Tucker Park removed from the city’s Roadmap for Smart Growth was shot down, but prompted a long discussion, punctuated by moments of tension, among members of the growth committee.
McAlary said that she doesn’t feel it’s necessary to try and develop Tucker Park and pointed to a lack of buy-in from the public and made the motion to remove it, though it was ultimately defeated.
Mayor Don Darling shared that he absolutely is not supportive of stopping now when it comes to the exploration of potential options for the future of Tucker Park.
“If we never do anything at Tucker Park, I’m okay with that,” mayor Darling told CHSJ News, “but only after we’ve presented real options to people and they’ve given us their feedback against a broader context.”
At the meeting, Darling pointed to the city’s grim financial outlook, a $4.4-million budget shortfall, and he says they need to explore every option they have otherwise they will be raising taxes. Darling says he is appealing for Saint Johners to get highly engaged in the future of their city right now.
“I don’t support raising people’s taxes, I think we are tapped out, I will fight against it, I dont’ support it. Because I think we already have the highest taxes in the region and I think people cannot pay any more in taxes,” says Darling.
He had introduced a tabling motion during the discussion but that was defeated.
