A politician who kept his promise: North Bay's Fedeli gives up the mayor's chair this fall.

• Author: Ross, Ian
• Position: NORTH BAY

Vic Fedeli had no intention of being North Bay's mayor-for-life.

He has made good on one of his first promises when elected mayor of the Gateway City in 2003, that he was a two-term guy.

After seven years in office, Fedeli announced Feb. 1 he will not be running in the Oct. 25 municipal election.

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"I genuinely believe there should be term limits in this country for all three levels of government," said the popular 53-year-old former marketing executive and entrepreneur. "No one person has the right to expect that they should be sitting in their chair forever."

Armed with a closet full of his trademark yellow ties and his business-friendly agenda, Fedeli hung out the Open for Business sign early on by creating a Mayor's Office of Economic Development.

With a like-minded council on Fedeli's side, industrial and commercial property taxes were slashed, surplus city land was sold off to replenish the city's depleted reserves, and record investments were made in road, water treatment and waterfront improvements.

As owner of Fedeli Advertising, he was a Profit Magazine cover boy for one of Canada's Best Places to Work before selling the business in 1992. He spent the next 11 years travelling the globe.

He dove into community work and spearheaded the creation of an aviation industry at Jack Garland Airport as head of the all-volunteer Air Base Property Corp (ABPC). The non-profit development group saved three Canadian Forces Base hangars marked for destruction and established an Aerospace Park resulting in Voyageur Airways and Bombardier Canada setting up shop.

Fedeli was motivated to run because he didn't like the stagnant state of his hometown. Its population was shrinking, no construction was underway, municipal taxes went up nine per cent and in Fedeli's mind, "the city looked dirty."

When he started complaining, his wife Patty challenged him to either run for office or "clam up."

Fedeli said it has not been his philosophy to chase smoke stacks, but to grow local businesses, something that economic development officials have always stressed.

"I was asked (at his Feb. 1 press conference), Vic you never landed the big fish but we certainly landed an" entire school of fish."

Much of it came from the city's successful Business Retention and Expansion program where Fedeli and economic development staff canvassed local companies, asking them, "What would it take for you to expand?"

The action plan resulted in new shops and more...