Bradford resident and business owner Aftab Hussain is looking to be the next Ward 1 councillor in Bradford West Gwillimbury.
Hussain has lived in Bradford since 2012 with his wife Sadia and their three children.
"When I came here, I was looking for a property to raise my kids," he said. "Newmarket and Aurora were expensive at that time, so that's why we chose to move here."
He has a passion for politics and wants to help improve the quality of life for the residents in Bradford West Gwillimbury.
This is the second time Hussain has run for town council. In 2018, he ran in Ward 1 against three other candidates but lost to current Coun. Raj Sandhu. With Sandhu running for the deputy mayor role this fall, there will be a new councillor in Ward 1 this term, and Hussain is hopeful he can win the seat.
Hussain is the owner of a large Canadian pest control company and has over a decade of experience in marketing and business development.
Living in the ward, he has made a lot of connections in the community over the years and believes he is the best choice for the job.
"I am persistent, and I will address the smaller issues, and I will be a strong voice," he said.
He commended the current council on the work they have done thus far and is looking to use his experience and education to help expand and improve on it.
With a professional background in forestry and wildlife management, Hussain has a passion for parks, trails and the outdoors. One of his top priorities, if elected, is to keep the town clean and beautiful, and increase yard waste collection frequency. This he says can be done by addressing garbage collection issues within the town by working with the county and finding alternative solutions.
Road safety and traffic concerns seem to be town-wide, but particularly in Ward 1 where there are three schools.
"We should have good roads, cameras on the major intersections... more community parks and focus on the overall landscape of our town," he said.
He would like to be the voice for the residents, providing them with answers to their questions related to the town, its bylaws and services. Hussain has a political background working with the local council in his hometown of Pakistan.
While he believes the town has good infrastructure currently, as the town grows he said there is a need for more. More schools, more roads, more traffic mitigation, and more businesses.
"There is room for improvement," he said, noting the town's property taxes are higher than neighbouring municipalities like Newmarket and East Gwillimbury. "We are spending money on our commuting costs and at the same time we are paying more bills (taxes)."
His experience in real estate management he says would assist him in working with developers to regulate new construction activity in town.
To learn more about Hussain and his campaign, visit his website here.
Election week is Oct. 14-24.
