Sudbury mayor says city has 'more to do,' turns to former MPP for counsel

Mayor Brian Bigger will be enlisting the help of former MPP Rick Bartolucci, in a push he hopes will help facilitate economic development in the city.

Bigger made the announcement during his inauguration address Tuesday night at Sudbury City Council.

Bartolucci, who served as Sudbury MPP from 1995 to 2014, including a stint as the Minister of Northern Development and Mines, will be a facilitator and liaison for the mayor's office, Bigger said.

"As we have meetings with different developers and people who want to invest and build in our community, I'll be asking [Bartolucci] to sit in and listen to the conversations and understand where the challenges are," Bigger told CBC News.

"Let's find some solutions and find the best ways to move our community forward."

Bartolucci said he will have no decision-making powers in his new role, and it is strictly a volunteer position.

"I'm being brought in to help all of council," Bartolucci said. "I'm not going to work within the council framework. Those people are elected."

"I have no decision-making powers. I don't want any decision-making powers, but what I do want is to see our city grow. If [Bigger] thinks I can help them be successful, what's the downside?" he said.

"I am simply volunteering my services to help this city grow and prosper."