Father, volunteer looking to fill Ward 1 council seat

After living in Bradford West Gwillimbury for over a decade and raising his family here, Al Bonura is preparing to run for Ward 1 councillor this fall.

He decided to run for council because of his passion for community service and wants to represent the views and be the voice of the Ward 1 community.

“I want to champion and shape the future of our community and ensure its alignment with the values of Bradford,” he said. “And support the vision that everyone in town has for the future of our community. I have a young family and I’m genuinely passionate for the town, its people, and its future success. As a parent of two, who has lived in the community for the last 12 years, I can appreciate the importance of living in a town that is safe and affordable while offering the amenities young families require.”

As a father, Bonura has given back to Bradford by volunteering his time with various sports organizations as well as supporting local.

“I’ve been involved in youth programming and sports for the past eight years doing volunteer work for the Bradford Minor Baseball Association and the Bradford Minor Hockey Association,” he said. “I’ve also supported small local business by shopping locally and supporting local events—the Farmers' Market and movies in the park. Even before coming to the Bradford community, I did volunteer for a few campaigns in the Vaughan area and that’s where I got some of my passion for wanting to run for council.”

If elected, Bonura wants to be the type of councillor who leans on his constituents to dictate his agenda because he knows the importance of listening to those he represents.

“As I’m meeting Bradford citizens on the campaign trail, they all have common concerns,” he explained. “These concerns include road safety, taxes, and community standards. If elected, I’ll immediately start looking at addressing these concerns to ensure residents' voices have a positive impact. I’ll also continue to have an open communication policy to allow citizens to be heard and supported with transparency. I’d like to be their voices, so their concerns are my concerns as well.”

Bonura’s motivation to represent Ward 1 comes from his passion for Bradford and wanting to see a bright future as the community grows.

“This community means home to me,” he said. “It’s where I’m raising my family, it’s home for my wife and my two kids. It’s a wonderful place to raise our family and this community is a contributing factor in shaping who my kids and everyone’s children in the community will become. We’ll hopefully have great experience and future opportunity in Bradford. This is a crucial role to have, and I’d be honoured to serve the community as Ward 1 councillor.”

Learn more about Bonura and his campaign by emailing him at [email protected].

Election week is Oct. 14-24.