Over the next week, BradfordToday will be highlighting the candidates in the Ward 2 by-election taking place Nov. 27 - Dec. 7.
Long-time Bradford resident Gavin Maclean is running for a seat on council, in the ward he has been representing through his many years of service and volunteer work within the community.
A hard-working tradesman in the drywall industry for 17 years and a resident of Ward 2 in Bradford for over 23, Maclean exemplifies resiliency and dedication through his profession and commitment to community engagements.
Maclean has been a listening ear for many Bradford residents through his time as a member of both the Bradford Legion and Bradford Lions Club. He is also a volunteer at the Hand Up Clothing Room and the new Out of the Cold Café.
For 15 years, Maclean has helped the Bradford Lions Club with many events including the town's Canada Day BBQ, Santa Claus Parade, the Lions Club car draw, and Pumpkin Fest. He was honoured with The Melvin Jones Fellow award for dedicated humanitarian services by Lions Clubs International and received the Good Neighbour Award from the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury.
Maclean is an active member at the Bradford Legion where he cooks dinners for the community meals. He is joined by his wife Linda and daughter Emilee every year on Christmas Day where they also help cook turkey dinners for those in need at their local church.
Maclean also helps prepare lunches at CrossTrainers Canada for A Hand Up (Clothing Room) and the Out of the Cold Café which recently opened.
“With my family’s help, we have been making lunches on a weekly basis for those in need in our town since the beginning of COVID. To date, we have made 1700+ lunches and are still going strong," states Maclean. “I am also a part of the core team for The Out of the Cold Cafe where we provide a warm place during the day and a meal. Every other Thursday my family and I volunteer at The Helping Hand Food Bank packing the various bags that are distributed within our community. This year I felt privileged to receive the 2020 Volunteer of the Year Award from the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury."
As a long-standing resident of Ward 2, Maclean intends to bring forth the voices of his riding to council and believes having extensive knowledge of his Ward will bring a greater understanding to the concerns raised by its members.
“I have always lived in Ward 2 and have enjoyed watching our town grow leaps and bounds,” expresses Maclean. “To further the growth of our community, I plan to push for the Downtown Revitalization, bringing life back to our downtown core and more support to local businesses that line the streets."
Maclean’s platform includes better development of Bradford’s local parks to help create a family-friendly place for both recreation and leisure activities, as well as working with council and the different levels of government necessary to move forward with the Bradford 400/404 bypass.
“This will assist in alleviating the congestion heavily prevalent in our ward,” notes Maclean. “I am extremely driven to build on the legacy of Gary Baynes in addition to moving our community forward in the future."
To contact Gavin Maclean with questions about his candidacy, email: [email protected] or call 289-207-5646.
You can also follow his campaign Facebook page here and website here.
