After spending the past 12 years as Ward 1 councilor, Raj Sandhu will be running for Deputy Mayor of Bradford West Gwillimbury this October.
Having moved to Bradford in 1989 and after serving three terms on council, Sandhu felt he was ready to take a step up in hopes of doing more for the community.
“I felt that I have learned quite a bit as a councillor in the last three terms,” he said. “I have the experience and I think it’s time I serve the residents as deputy mayor and at the county level.”
The most important aspect of the potential move from councillor to deputy mayor for Sandhu was first gaining that experience on council to know the ins and outs of the municipality.
“I’ve always been politically involved but when I first became a councillor it was an eye-opener,” he explained. “It took me almost a full year to fully understand the inner workings of the municipality. When you’re outside, you only know what you read, but when you’re in, you’re going through everything. There’s a learning curve and I’m glad the residents of Ward 1 gave me that opportunity to learn."
Sandhu credits the current council team for accomplishing so much and is most proud of the way they have worked together.
“Nobody does the work by themselves,” he said. “As a council team we worked on projects such as seniors' housing and we advocated for 404/400 connection,” he said. “My biggest push when I first became a councillor was putting West Park through to Holland—it was the biggest issue when I first ran because the residents in Grand Central only had one way out. The traffic congestion was a huge concern, it’s still an issue, but I was able to work with my colleagues and get that done.”
As an individual, Sandhu is proudest of the way he’s always kept his word to the residents of Ward 1.
“My biggest accomplishment in my time was that my promises were always kept,” he said. “I promised to always get back to residents and that I would be reachable and approachable, I’ve kept that. Residents can feel that once elected, politicians never listen, I think I’ve proven that wrong because I’ve always been available.”
In the deputy mayor role, Sandhu knows there are plenty of issues that the town “constantly” needs to work on but has a few at the top of the agenda.
“I’d like to continue to work on reducing traffic congestion,” he said. “When I talk about traffic congestion, I’m talking about the bigger picture. Make sure the 404/400 connection is complete so it takes out all the outside traffic so our residents can get home to their families. The second thing I want to push is working with stakeholders to bring employment here. We need to bring jobs with bigger employers here. That way you can work and live here—we need to have good paying jobs.
"The third thing is traffic-related issues in our own town. Whether it’s speeding on our streets, people not following by-laws, or loud muffler noises. Another big issue is housing affordability. Some might ask what a municipality can do for that, affordable housing is a county issue but in my mind, we can work with all levels of government to ensure the options are available. A home that’s $1.5 million is not affordable. We need to have options. And of course, maintaining our own infrastructure is important.”
Developing the “bug” for politics as a child from his father and grandfather, Sandhu’s passion for the Bradford community is what motivated him to get involved and try and make a difference.
“Based on my track record, people can tell you the way I feel about this community,” he said. “I have a connection to this community. When we came here from the city, it was like everyone had the time to say hello. Everyone was nice and it reminded me of the village back home. It was one big family and despite many fears of going to a small community for someone that’s from a visible minority, we were embraced with open arms. So much love was shown to us by this community, it gave me the bug for this community.”
To learn more about Sandhu and his campaign, visit his website here.
Election week is Oct. 14-24.
