For Newmarket Mayor John Taylor, being acclaimed is a weight off his shoulders.
Taylor was one of three of Newmarket’s nine council members to have no challengers in the upcoming municipal election, along with Ward 3 Councillor Jane Twinney and Ward 5 Councillor Bob Kwapis. They will all be back in office after the Oct. 24 election.
He described this past term in a pandemic as “very draining” and said he is glad to be able to address other issues besides an election. But he said he had mixed thoughts about the loss of a democratic process.
“As a human, it’s an incredibly positive experience,” he said, adding that an election is a “very significant undertaking. “As a person who is deeply invested in the democratic process, I know that deep down, acclamations are not in the best interest of democracy at large. That part of me has a little bit of misgiving about it.”
Taylor will now be able to continue to oversee his council’s agenda with a new term. He said the acclamation is at least some indication of approval for the council’s efforts, such as the massive Mulock park, the Shining Hill development, the opening of a new skate park and combating anti-Black racism.
“We’ve done, just frankly, a lot,” he said. “I feel like we had a really productive term.”
Ward 3's Twinney said she will continue to work hard for residents and looks forward to doing more in-person meetings stalled by the pandemic. She said her ward is seeing more development, such as the Briarwood project, but she was glad to help ensure the Hollingsworth Arena land would become a new park.
“That’s going to be a big part of the next term,” she said, adding she also wants to get a splash pad in the area. “People say this position is a thankless job. I have to disagree … My residents are amazing. I get so many thank yous from them, and I think that’s part of why I love this job so much.”
In the term ahead, Taylor said they would look to continue significant investment in recreation and parks. He also said they want to be a leader in diversity and inclusion, and also step up efforts on the environment and affordable housing.
“We need to put in place a very concrete, multi-year, with clear targets, tree-planting plan for the town of Newmarket," he said. "We’re going to address that area of need. It’s a lot, and I think just completing some of the stuff that’s on our plate is going to be challenging. I do think we tended to be more ambitious in some of those areas."
Ward 5's Kwapis said he was humbled by residents' confidence in him.
“I will continue serving our community to my best ability,” he said.
He described several initiatives in his ward that includes the downtown core, such as business supports, new uses for historic properties and all the events. He said he wants to address parking and speeding challenges in his ward.
One area the town did not get to this term was a downtown pedestrianization pilot, something he said he supports.
“That is something that I definitely want to explore, but that will also be totally hand-in-hand with the BIA,” he said. “(We need to) get the data to further understand the challenges and the obstacle. That, the pilot will provide.”
The town needs to ensure finances are sustainable and strong, Taylor said, adding they made efforts toward that in the last term. But he said every municipality in the country is getting challenged by inflationary pressures.
“We're going to face some of the toughest financial times in the next five years … We’re going to have to get creative,” he said. “It’s something we have to take very, very seriously.”
Taylor will also be returning to York regional council, an area where he often voted against his colleagues on decisions, primarily around the official plan. He said though he has disagreed, he believes the region does very good work, and there are important things to come on housing and regional transit.
"It’s about getting things done. I’m not going to sit on a battle and fight it forever when I can spend that time actually accomplishing something,” he said. “I was acclaimed, but it wasn’t a free pass. I’m not going to mail it in. I will come to the work with the same passion.”
As for the election, Taylor said he does worry that his acclamation may impact voter turnout.
“Please, everyone, go out and vote. It’s so important to the process and there’s still lots of ward races, and regional council, and school board elections,” he said.
