Host (Tom Ayers)
All this week, we have interviews with the people who are running for mayor in CBRM. Altogether, there are nine people in the race. Donnie Basic is a longtime resident of the area. He is a well known local businessman, and he spoke with me, Tom Ayers.

Tom Ayers
Why do you want to run for mayor?

Donnie Basic
Well, I want to run for mayor, and it's not because of the paycheck. Because, just to put it bluntly, running for mayor would put me in such a high bracket because I'm basically. I don't have to work, but it would put me in a 53 or 54% tax bracket, which means that I'd only be working for half of the amount of money. Plus, in my investments, I would also lose 53 or 54%. So it's not for the paycheck, but it's to change things that have never been addressed since amalgamation.

Tom Ayers
And so what sorts of things?

Donnie Basic
Number one is basically lower residential taxes with rebates of up to almost $1,000 in my first budget in 2005 if I were elected 2025. Secondly, remove or lower the waste water tax. And the reason for that is people pay for the water coming into their house. Now they got to pay for it to go out of their house. Does it make sense? Hire needed police officers. Badly needed. Okay. People are calling in, and sometimes they can't get a police officer to come, whatever the problem, to satisfy or come and visit the problem. Number four, no more sudden special assessments. As you know, there was a special assessment this year because they didn't allow for enough money to pay the debt. The interest that was on that accumulated on the debt for the year. And it's just. They don't do. It wasn't proper planning. Number five, municipal permits for parking. I'm going to have parking permits. Number six, reduce our outstanding debt. Okay? Number seven, we're going to put an end to the heyday waste along with the old boys club. That's got to be changed. Number eight, assist all walks of life to have help, to be able to obtain a valid mortgage and to build or buy a home, especially our young people. Number nine. In number nine, what I'd like to do is at the graduation year for all high school students, we would like to make possibility an award, if they're going to university, and give out awards to the students who really, really are going to be able to go, and maybe they can't go because financially they can't. So we're going to steer them in the right direction and help them to be able to get into university.

Tom Ayers
And one other question. That I've been asking. What do you think about a field of nine candidates? There's a lot of interest in the mayor's job this time around. Is that a good thing?

Donnie Basic
Like I said, I'm not there for the paycheck. That's all I can tell you about that. People that are running. I would probably say that. There's things I probably wouldn't say because you're going to print it, but at the end of the day is there's things over the years that just, for example, expenses for a mayor. All right, I think Amanda's was $74,000. I don't know what Cecil's was, but it was high too, when he was mayor. And, you know, there's another candidate or two there that, to me, I don't know what they would do with that much money on their expenses other than be personally involved to. The fact is that they're creating that expense. So I'm not that type of person. In fact, if I were elected as mayor, I don't even need a. I don't even need a. An account for expenditures not to be taken, money from the taxpayers.

Host (Tom Ayers)
And that's Donnie Basic, longtime resident of Cape Breton, a local businessman, and he spoke with Tom Ayers. He's one of nine people running for mayor of the CBRM. And that concludes our introduction to those nine candidates. And of course, here on CBC Cape Breton, we will continue to meet others who are running for office on this island. I.