Over the next week, BradfordToday will be highlighting the candidates in the Ward 2 by-election taking place Nov. 27 - Dec. 7.
“I am a strong believer in servant leadership,” asserts Munawar Chudary, candidate for the upcoming Ward 2 by-election in Bradford West Gwillimbury.
Chudary is a business owner and realtor within BWG. He is happily married with three children who immigrated to Canada, settling in the town of Bradford where he chose to raise his family and start his business.
Chudary has spent over 11 consecutive years as a dedicated volunteer and community builder. He is the recipient of the Civic Award for Community Builder and is a member of the town’s Heritage Committee where he spent the last eight years working with Mayor Rob Keffer and other members of the committee to ensure that cultural heritage is preserved for the benefit of current and future generations.
He is also the past VP of Government Affairs & Community Relations of the Bradford Board of Trade (BBT) and was a representative of the BBT in its Evaluation Committee for the Downtown Community Improvement Plan.
Chudary is the chair on several community groups such as Doors Open Bradford under the town’s Heritage Committee which opened several BWG landmark and historical buildings to the public. As well, he helped establish the Run for Bradford event from 2011-2015; a charity run/walk for community improvement which raised thousands of dollars for the BWG Library & Leisure Centre. He is also the organizer of “Community First” – Helping Hands for Community; an organization that helps community members and specifically, local seniors with their daily needs.
“Community First is also dedicated to finding people that do amazing things within their community and expose them to the world," shares Chudary.
For those needing a meal but cannot afford one, Chudary also created a community meal program called “Don’t Sleep Hungry”, offering a free burger at his establishment Hero Certified Burgers in Bradford.
“The leader of people is their servant - gracious, generous, hardworking, and courteous. Through servant leadership, we can build solidarity, strong neighbourhoods, and a sense of community. [A] strong neighbourhood is quiet and peaceful; where businesses thrive, [and] community as a whole raises the children. A strong neighborhood connects us with others and surrounds us with people we can count on."
Chudary’s political platform for a strong Ward 2 involves lower taxes with fiscal responsibility, addressing traffic and speeding issues in the downtown while supporting the Bradford bypass initiative. He also wants to further revitalize and enhance the downtown core, add more affordable housing projects for seniors and young families, and reconstruct the ward's ageing infrastructure, with a focus on preserving prime farmlands.
“Farmers feed us. We are so proud of our farmers and farmlands,” states Churdary. “I will work with the council to develop 400 employment lands with a large food hub/terminal. This will create more agricultural/food-related jobs and will promote more opportunities for our farmers and residents. We need smart growth with the proper reconstruction of the ageing infrastructure to build a better Ward 2 and town and preserve our heritage."
Chudary also stresses that the town needs a new welcome sign at the entrance of Bradford off the 400-Highway intersection and will be strongly urging council to make necessary arrangements to install this sign to bring the town on the map.
“Bradford West Gwillimbury is a mix of strong urban, a portion of our downtown, many businesses, industrial areas, rural and farming community including the Canal and some Holland Marsh areas," notes Chudary. "It would be a privilege to represent Ward 2 constituents and fight to protect their best interests at BWG Council."
“Great communities don’t just happen. They are built through partnership, teamwork, and community spirit,” expresses Chudary. “With the help of small groups of volunteers, we will adopt neighbourhoods, parks and roads of Ward 2 and keep them clean. We will celebrate each clean-up event with a BBQ and fun activities. I will organize many community events to bring everyone together, including a semi-annual community BBQ to allow neighbours to gather together and have some family fun. I will also organize youth camping trips for our children to participate in sports and outdoor activities."
Chudary adds “life is short. Do something that matters!”
To learn more about Munawar Chudary’s campaign, visit his website: www.munawarchudary.com or Facebook page here.
He can be reached by email at [email protected] or phone at 416-712-4779.
