‘We have just so much talent around here and so much heritage, and I don’t see that being backed up very much at all – and it’s an easy investment,’ he said.
Josh McNally has spent his adult years as a professional blues artist, but he now hopes to become the next mayor of Sault Ste. Marie.
Also known as ‘The Preacher,’ the 36-year-old musician decided to run after seeing social issues grow worse in the city’s core, and he hopes to enact progressive solutions for people facing homelessness, drug addiction and other challenges.
“I’ve actually been thinking about it for a while,” he told SooToday.
“I didn’t see a lot of people with my viewpoints coming forward, so I was like, I’ll do it.”
Rather than relying on increased policing to tackle these problems, McNally hopes to address Sault Ste. Marie’s social issues by expanding support for those struggling.
“People look at people as a problem, right?” he said. “They’re not the problem – the problem’s the way we’ve been doing stuff.
“I think the best way to go is to invest in resources for people, and make it accessible and make sure we have follow-up so people don’t fall through the cracks so much.”
Providing support for those in need is part of McNally’s broader philosophy to help Sault Ste. Marie become a more welcoming place for all who call the city home – as well as those who visit.
On his website, McNally lays out plans to make the Sault more of a tourism destination, with plans to expand opportunities for local artists and businesses and provide municipal support for creative workers.
One idea in McNally’s platform is to look into organizing a destination music festival that connects visitors with local restaurants and businesses around the city.
“We have just so much talent around here and so much heritage, and I don’t see that being backed up very much at all – and it’s an easy investment,” he said.
“We want to lean into arts and culture and making Sault Ste. Marie more of a destination.”
In McNally’s view, pursuing more deliberate support for local art and tourism will also help create a city that residents enjoy – and one that might entice more to call the Sault home in the future.
“We could have all the jobs in the world, but if young families come here and they see a dead downtown with a bunch of armed officers walking around, they’re not going to move here for that,” he said.
“We need to liven stuff up. We have all those people here, and just making our city more unified.”
McNally also plans to support affordable housing development in the city, in part by working with social services on potential supportive housing units.
“We’re going to have to build houses and apartments and everything like it,” he said.
“That’s one of the things that has to happen in the city – we don’t really have a way around that.”
Taken together, McNally’s plan aims to support those in need, diversify the city’s economy, and create more opportunities for local creatives and business owners.
“I want to build on the places, experiences, businesses, recreation, culture, and public spaces that make the Sault rewarding to visit and enjoyable to call home,” McNally states on his campaign website.
“Tourism and the creative economy can grow alongside steel, manufacturing, logistics, forestry, mining supply, technology, and professional services, giving the city more ways to prosper.”
Some of the city’s issues, however, may require more out of the taxpayer, McNally said – such as fixing roadways throughout the community.
“Nobody wants to increase their taxes, but there’s a ton of stuff in our city right now that it’s gotten so bad that we kind of need to throw some money at some stuff,” he said.
“Nobody wants to say that stuff, but the roads, the dump – there’s just a ton of stuff we need to invest in.”
More can be read about McNally’s platform here.
Join us for the Sault Ste. Marie Mayoral Debate on Oct. 14, hosted by SooToday and CBC News. To register for the free event, click here.
The 2026 municipal election will take place on Oct. 26. SooToday will profile other local candidates running for election.
The profile for Mayor Matthew Shoemaker is here.
The profile for Joel Rowswell is here.
The profile for Matthew Toffelmire is here.
A full list of candidates is here.