Council candidate John Zukowski says public safety, council accountability key priorities

“The issues that we’ve been having are the lack of motivation,” he said. “Nothing has changed over the last four years from the last time around. If anything, situations have gotten worse in the downtown core, and now it’s spreading out to the surrounding bedroom communities in our city.”

Zukowski pointed to homelessness, encampments, open drug use and crime as some of the most pressing concerns. As a downtown business owner, he said he and other independent operators have experienced the impacts directly.

“We’re ground level. We saw the buildup with the encampments, the homeless population, the drug use and the crime,” he said. “I also represent, through the Prince George Business Advocacy Group, 68 independent business owners. These are small mom-and-pop operations that have suffered big time due to the lack of attention to the downtown and to the crime and issues that we’re having.”

A former member of the city’s Standing Committee on Public Safety, Zukowski said one of his first priorities if elected would be to bring the committee back after it was disbanded earlier this year.

“In a heartbeat,” he said when asked whether he would support re-establishing the committee.

While acknowledging progress was being made, Zukowski said the committee was limited by the time available to address issues.

“We were starting to touch on a lot of the issues and at least getting someplace, but it’s slow. When you’ve got one meeting once a month for an hour and a half, that’s not a lot of time,” he said.

Zukowski’s campaign slogan, “People before places, places before things,” reflects what he describes as a “triad of responsibility” developed through his experience as a former volunteer firefighter and longtime security professional.

“When it comes down to it, you look after people first, places second and things are last on the list,” he said. “That’s the way the city has to look after the population that live in the community.”

Beyond public safety, Zukowski said he believes council needs to play a larger role in setting priorities and directing administration. He argued that elected officials should be taking a more active role in researching issues, debating policy options and providing direction to city staff.

“Council is supposed to be the defining factor of how the city’s to operate,” he said. “Issues are brought to council, council is supposed to deliberate them, formulate a plan and then say, ‘This is what we want administration to do.'”

Zukowski said he would encourage more discussion around the council table and would not hesitate to pause proceedings to seek further information when needed.

“We need to discuss these things,” he said. “There are things here that aren’t being answered. The public needs to see council actually discussing this stuff.”

When asked about concerns regarding divisions or voting blocs on council, Zukowski said his focus would be on fostering discussion rather than aligning with any particular group.

“I would trigger the conversation,” he said. “We need answers to these things.”

He compared council to a Swiss Army knife, saying elected officials bring different skills and experiences that can help strengthen decision-making.

“My strength happens to be security and things of that nature,” he said. “Somebody else may have financial chops. Every tool overlays itself and it becomes a unified body within council under the guidance of the mayor.”

The 2026 municipal election will be held on Oct. 17. Voters will elect one mayor and eight city councillors to serve the next four-year term.

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Email: Adam.Berls@pattisonmedia.com

by Adam Berls

Council candidate John Zukowski says public safety, council accountability key priorities

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