Grant Waddell said he sees himself as the right person to help manage Newmarket's budget.
A retired purchasing manager with the Toronto Transit Commission, he said he has dealt with budgets larger than the Town of Newmarket's.
“Tons of experience in terms of getting value for money,” he said. “Things cost (money), but we have to get them done at the most economical and prudent manner."
Waddell filed July 13 to run in the upcoming fall municipal election as Ward 4 councillor. He joins a race against incumbent Trevor Morrison and fellow challenger Chris Dupee in one of the only two currently contested wards in town.
The retiree said he is well embedded in the ward, having lived on London Road for 30 years. He said he is well known, with his daughters attending Maple Leaf Public School and plenty of volunteering as a parent.
“I'm very involved in the community and a longtime resident,” he said. “I know what that people need… With these challenging times, post-COVID, and the rate of inflation being what they are, I really felt that my money management background will serve the town.”
The budget would be paramount to him as a councillor, he said. Although he said the council did an appropriate job managing things under pandemic duress in the last term, he felt prudence will be needed. He identified the $24-million Mulock estate purchase as one he agreed with, but one necessitating fiscal management in the days ahead.
“We’re going to be under the gun in terms of inflation,” he said. “People don’t want a big increase in their tax bills.”
Councillor expenses also need more scrutiny, he said.
“Especially considering the salaries they’re getting. That needs to be looked at carefully.”
Ward 4 is also home to Newmarket Heights, a lower-income neighbourhood that is a focus area in a new community safety and well-being plan meant to help it.
It is an area Waddell said has a special place in his heart.
“Newmarket Heights is a very valuable part of Newmarket, and they should be treated as such. They have special needs, socio-economic needs, to be addressed.”
There is at least one high-profile endorsement for Waddell. Newmarket-Aurora MP and former mayor Tony Van Bynen confirmed he is backing Waddell in the race.
“Grant has worked very closely with me on a number of community events,” Van Bynen said, adding he considers Waddell a good candidate.
This election will be Waddell’s second time running. He came third in the 2018 race with 497 votes, behind Morrison’s 1,052 and the 892 votes of Melissa Williams.
Still, he said he feels very confident going into year's fall election. .
“You would be getting a person that has the time and energy to be their full-time representative,” he said. “Their money, when spent, they’ll know it’s done appropriately and cost-effectively.”
