A longtime Saint John councillor is looking to make the move from the council chambers to the Legislature.
John MacKenzie is now officially the Liberal candidate for the riding of Portland-Simonds after an uncontested nomination meeting at the Nick Nicolle Community Centre tonight where attendees included provincial politicians and his council colleagues.
CHSJ News spoke to the Ward 2 councillor who says one of the biggest things he wants to do is grow Saint John’s economy.
“I want to improve the condition of the north end and other areas of the city that need to be rebuilt,” says MacKenzie. “I want to reduce poverty, I want to eradicate poverty in Saint John. That’s huge.”
Premier Brian Gallant spoke at the nomination meeting and called MacKenzie a fantastic candidate who understands Saint John.
“Somebody that lives and breathes it every day, somebody that has been a member of council doing effective work knowing how to get things done,” says Gallant.
MacKenzie’s fellow councillor Gerry Lowe is running for the Liberals in the riding of Saint John Harbour.
The Portland-Simonds riding is currently held by PC MLA Trevor Holder.
