Like he did with the B.C. Northern Exhibition, Alex Huber wants the city to do more with less.
Huber has been president of the annual fair's board since November.
"Us volunteers did a really good job making the fair bigger with less money. And that's exactly what the city needs right now - is more for less," said Huber.
A 21-year resident of Prince George, Huber is making his second run at local government, having contested the mayor's chair in 2011.
This time, Huber said he's ready to earn his way up.
"You have to have a term on council before you can ask to take the big seat," Huber said. "The only one that's ever pulled it off was [Harold] Moffat, and I'm just not a Moffat. So I've got to run its due course."
In addition to his work with the BCNE board, Huber - a married father of two - also spends a lot of his volunteer hours with the Special Olympics.
Key for Huber is reducing the city's debt load, saying the money Prince George is paying back is cutting into what is needed for roads and infrastructure.
"We've got to get ahead of that," he said. "We have an obligation to our children and grandchildren to not mortgage their lives the way we are."
But burdening the existing tax base isn't the answer, Huber said. Instead, the city needs to focus on broadening that base by cutting red tape and attracting new investments.
"We keep having to draw from the same pool of taxpayers every year and even in a year like now - this is supposed to be gravy time - and we're still having to increase property taxes over three per cent," said Huber. "Well what happens if we're in a bad year - if lumber prices go down? We're in a lot of trouble."
The city should get out of the real estate business and stop competing with investors for prime property, Huber said.
"I'm not saying we should sell the lawn on city hall or CN Centre, those are necessities, but we own a lot of land that we shouldn't," he said.
Among the other priorities Huber has, if elected, would be to foster a more open environment at city hall.
"Not only to the voters or the general public things are secretive, it's even secretive within city hall. And as a taxpayer, not only as councillor, but also as a taxpayer, you should have that information," he said. "We're not running a mafia. It's a city and it needs to be open."
