Donna Reardon says when she heard Don Darling wasn't reoffering, she thought it might be time to take the next step.

"I have made, I think, a significant investment in Saint John in nine years."

"I've got the background. I've got the experience."

Reardon said she asked her fellow councillors for feedback and they told her to "go for it." 

"So here I am," she said.

Reardon is a trained dietician by profession, and works as the administrator at her husband's medical practice.

She was first elected to council in 2012 and is about to conclude her second term as the representative for Ward 3, which includes parts of east Saint John, the central peninsula and the lower west side. 

"I feel like I know the ropes. I feel like I understand the priorities," she said.

"We've made a lot of very difficult moves on the chessboard."

"From my perspective of being in the trenches, we've turned a corner — a significant one."

Reardon said she wants to "keep on that road."

The city is in a relatively good position for pandemic recovery right now, she said, because of the cost-cutting measures it has taken in recent years.

"Because we were looking at a much leaner operation, the impacts haven't been as great."

Nevertheless, she points out that a review of agencies, boards and commissions is ongoing.

They're being looked at "with a fine tooth comb," she said, to make sure they're working.

"Everything is being looked at."

Due to the pandemic, Saint John mayoral candidate Donna Reardon has been walking around the city with a campaign sign instead of knocking on doors. (Donna Reardon/Twitter)

So far, Reardon said she's been getting a good reception from people as she walks around the city. 

She's carrying campaign signs, but not knocking on doors because of COVID, even though provincial election rules do permit that.

"I've met a lot of people. We've had a lot of thumbs up, a few beeps"

Reardon says her priorities for the next term are growth, prosperity, quality of life and financial stability.

"You really need to look at what brings people to your city," she said.

She's a longtime proponent of active transportation.

"No one checks your pavement index and says, I think I'll move there. They look at a more holistic city. What can you provide for the time off when they're not working? And how would they integrate that into their life and raising a family? Et cetera"

Reardon was one of the councillors who spoke in favour of a heavy truck tax last spring, to help pay for repairs to beat up roads. It was eventually defeated.

Roads represent a huge expense to the city, she said, simply because of its geographic size.

Meanwhile, road spending doesn't get the same return on investment analysis as other categories of city spending, she said.

"We do need them. But how do we get the biggest bang for our buck?"

Partnerships are key to moving the city forward, said Reardon, as well as councillors who are willing to do their homework and be strong leaders.

"You need a team that's going to read the documentation that they're given and make those tough decisions."

The past two councils have had those things, she said.

"Everything we did, we did as a team. ... That's integral to being successful."