Brian Bigger says dealing with people needs 'balance'

Morning North9:00Sudbury mayoral candidate Brian Biggar

We present a conversation with another one of the 10 candidates running for the position of mayor of Greater Sudbury. The CBC's Erik White prepared a profile of the man many polls are pegging as the front runner... Brian Biggar.

Brian Bigger says he believes he can work with council and staff at Sudbury city hall despite some of the friction over his work as auditor general.

Bigger, who is one of 10 people running for mayor, made the comments in an interview with CBC Sudbury.

During his four years as auditor, he has had many public battles with council — and private ones with staff — over how he did his work as auditor.

But Bigger said he believes that won't stand in his way as mayor.

"It was all about how they responded to recommendations from myself, from the public,” he said.

“They're responding to what the citizens want."

Bigger grew up in Sudbury and moved back five years ago to take the job as the city's first auditor general, a job from which he is on leave during the campaign.

Because of his work as auditor general and promises to freeze taxes in the first year of his term, Bigger has been painted by some as a cost-cutting conservative.

But he said that's too simple a picture.

"I definitely am not a hard, hard right position on these things. We're dealing with people. And there has to be a balance.”

Bigger has said he believes that freezing taxes next year, and cutting millions out of the city budget, can be done without layoffs or affecting services.