It is a position he would be honoured to fill. Larry Sunderland has entered the Humboldt City Council race. Originally from the Quill Lake/Watson area, where he and his wife Pauline raised six children, Sunderland made Humboldt his home in 2001 after retiring. Before retiring, Sunderland was a farmer, managed a grain elevator, was a bulk distributor in Quill Lake, had a Chrysler dealership and car wash and ran a cement plant in Watson. Sunderland also spent time as an alderman on the Quill Lake council. He believes some of his past experiences would help him as a councillor for the City of Humboldt. "I enjoyed working with the public and to help better the community and promote growth (while an alderman)," said Sunderland. He feels since he is now retired, he could put his past experiences to good use here in Humboldt. Sunderland believes there are a few main issues facing our city. One of these concerns is the aging infrastructure. He said Humboldt is similar to every other community in the area. All the communities have much of the original infrastructure that was put in when the communities were started. "That stuff has to be done before any roads can be done, to be done in the proper manner," said Sunderland. "I feel that some of the older areas have to be done first and then just keep working away at it so it doesn't become old - do it all in good time." Another issue that is important to Sunderland is affordable housing. "Lots of younger people would like to move to Humboldt for jobs, but they don't have the money for housing, they can't afford to buy a house," said Sunderland. He feels the city needs more affordable housing and rentals for people with lower incomes to live in. "That has been a big issue for a few years now," he said. Not only are there many people having trouble finding affordable housing now, Sunderland said if the BHP Biliton Jansen mine goes through, the need may increase substantially. Since he would like people to continue moving to the city, another concerns he has is back alleys. "I've worked with Communities in Bloom and a big concern of mine was going down back alleys," said Sunderland. He said the city should strive to keep the back alleys clean and tidy. "It stems back to growth again," said Sunderland. "The people moving to town drive around and see what kind of a city it is. That is the first impression of the cleanliness and tidiness of the city," If elected to city council, Sunderland wants to open communication with the taxpayers. "If you sit down and talk to somebody, and give them some kind of an answer, they are more at ease than just shutting them off," said Sunderland. "They do have that right as a taxpayer, I feel, to get some answers when they ask questions."
