Did you know that alongside humans, buildings can run for City Council? The Blendini City Council comprises 50% humans and 50% buildings, representing both populations equally.

This City Council building pictured is named Martin Ukie.

He is one of the six buildings that currently has a seat on the Blendini City Council. Martin Ukie represents the Orleans District Council. Martin was an art museum who was then elected to council. He still hosts his collection for people to see and for free!

Martin Ukie is a great building to have on the City Council.

He appreciates how much creatives contribute to the local economy and legislates as much. But the best thing I think he has contributed is strengthening the small business grant program. He’s helped to create a lot of thriving commercial streets in the city through these grants, and under his watch, the program is well-managed.

Personally what I like about Martin best as the Mayor is that he is approachable and is open to being challenged. He has a colorful personality and sees the value of building a diverse culture in cities. Additionally, Mr. Ukie has been a tireless advocate for public transportation and beautifying stations on the Blendini Metro Rail system.

Transportation funding has also been one of his cornerstone issues to tackle. He’s come up with a lot of ways to sustainably fund not just the rail system, but also the bus network, and infrastructure for human-powered vehicles. A lot of funding has to do with land use and who pays into the system. There is an understanding here that landowners greatly benefit from the system and should pay into it, but there’s also a subscription that all residents pay for transportation.

I initially ran for City Council on a platform for sustainable transportation funding. Whenever the system has had to go through cutbacks in service or infrastructure hasn’t been fixed, it impacts absolutely everything in the city. I’m a big believer in the “ripple effect”. So to create positive ripple effects, we need to make sure our city excels at the top essential services so that everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive in our society.

Martin Ukie, Blendini City Council