Through his efforts and those of the groups he’s engaged with, a huge win occurred for the area when our local MPP declared that Maple Lake Estates would essentially be cancelled and the grounds protected. Whether by design or happenstance, this has granted Neeson significant support from environmental groups historically opposed to development (MLE/Bypass). We anticipate conversations during the election to revolve around the uptown Keswick BIA, road maintenance, the need for senior’s residences and the Maskinonge River.Īlso acclaimed in the previous election, Dave Neeson has been a strong voice for environmental concerns to his constituency. Still, with how much the business community in this ward has struggled with the Town in the past, and their desire to have voices heard, it shouldn’t surprise anyone to see someone stepping up for change as we expect Mr. His acclimation in 2018 could imply strong support.
Level-headed and pleasant to talk with, his contributions to council meetings have sadly diminished to the point of generally making “Thank you to staff” or “I agree with my fellow members of council” comments during this term.
Fellini infrequently attended events to begin with, and his absence at business openings has not gone unnoticed. Despite the pandemic throwing most events to the wind, Mr. Waddington has an eye on another seat.Īcclaimed in 2018, Dan Fellini and his business have been a staple in Uptown Keswick for years. Despite the fact that he’s likely ruffled some feathers with town staff who aren’t used to being challenged, our guess is acclimation unless someone is looking for a real uphill battle. Topics to come up during the election will likely be the amount of growth in this ward, construction of town facilities (MURC), affordable housing and economic development along both sides of Woodbine. He always seems prepared to speak at meetings, frequently leads the discussion during budget deliberations and isn’t afraid to buck the trend of council and challenge the status quo. A popular councillor with a social media presence only topped by the Mayor, it’s tough to envision a relative unknown besting this candidate without considerable backing. We would expect that platforms will revolve mainly around economic development, taxes with regional representation, health measures during the pandemic, town staffing levels, a new civic centre and discussions of UYSS (Upper York Sewage Solution) and other environmental concerns to surface during these campaigns.Īfter losing in the 2017 by-election, Mike Waddington returned in 2018 to unseat the incumbent candidate and hit the ground running. Will an otherwise unknown show up to give either a serious run, or will other council members decide it’s time to step up? These races will be fun to watch once the line-up of contenders has been determined. It will be interesting to see who else decides it’s time for a change and throws their name into the hat as there is talk around Town that it might be time for both to take a break. But our guess is that they don’t want to sit on the same bench for another term, so expect to see them go head-to-head or support candidates running against the other. If each decides to run in their current positions and not engage in the other races, they are likely to walk through to the next round.
Spanning decades, these two have each had the top job multiple times, and the disrespecting tone towards each other is often palpable during council meetings. Both Margaret Quirk and Rob Grossi have history and lots of it. On October 24, the residents of Georgina will be heading to the polls to decide their next council and despite the fact that the election doesn’t begin until the start of May, let’s take a peek at how things might play out.Īlthough an article could be written entirely on guesses as to how these two races will play out, we’re grouping them for a specific reason. As 2022 will include at least two separate elections this year, we felt it would be interesting to explore how changes to the group currently running the show at the Town might develop during the next municipal election.