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Lisa Post running for mayor in October election

June 2, 2022   ·   0 Comments

By Sam Odrowski

Orangeville councillor Lisa Post is looking to move up the ladder of municipal politics.

She recently filed her nomination papers for the mayor position at Town Hall.

Some of the advantages of moving from councillor to mayor are the opportunities to work with Dufferin County Council and build relationships with other municipalities, Coun. Post noted.

She told the Citizen she wants to build a collective vision with the community that can be shared over the next four-year term of Council.

“I really want to encourage people to reach out to me and share their concerns for our community, share their visions for our community. We can only make the community a better place when we’re all bought into the vision,” she said. “I think we were at a crucial time now to build that vision for the next stages of Orangeville.”

One of Coun. Post’s reasons for running for mayor in the upcoming October municipal election is to continue pushing equity, diversity, and inclusion forward, while making the community a safer and more accessible place for everyone, she told the Citizen.

Coun. Post helped create the Town’s very first Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, which was started later in her term. It has begun a pulse check of the community, along with a survey to see where barriers and gaps exist.

Next steps for the committee is engaging a consultant to review the survey results and help develop a DEI strategy for the Town.

Coun. Post, who also chairs Orangeville’s Joint Accessibility Advisory Committee, said some of the work at that committee has been halted due to COVID-19 but they’re currently working on developing a new way of providing accessible wheelchair ramps throughout the community.

The committee’s also working to increase the amount of accessible parking spaces in downtown Orangeville, particularly for when there’s festivals or road closures.

When asked what her greatest accomplishments have been on Council, since first being elected in 2018, Coun. Post said reducing the speed limit in town and implementing various safety measures in neighbourhoods across Orangeville come to mind.

Coun. Post also noted the transition from Orangeville Police Service to Ontario Provincial Police, which she says is positive for the local community.

“We’ve seen lots of positive steps in increasing the safety within our community as a result of having OPP, so moving that forward, and working through that transition has been really good,” she noted.

Aside from her involvement as councillor on Town committees, Coun. Post also volunteers with Celebrate Your Awesome, chairs Community Living Dufferin’s board of directors, and sits on the board of Community Safety Partners.

Coun. Post is also a student at Humber College, enrolled in the Bachelor of Community Development program.

“That has given me some really great additional education on really great ways to build community,” she noted.

Coun. Post was born in Orangeville and has lived here for over 25 years. She went to high school, got married, and raised her children all in the local community.

“This is my community and I want to do what I can make it a great place for everybody,” she stressed.

Coun. Post has family ties to the region, with her grandfather Alex Raeburn serving as deputy reeve and school board trustee in Caledon.

“He also served as part of the Niagara Escarpment committee, and on several other environmentally focused committees through Caledon, to really work on protecting the green spaces that we have,” she said.

Being responsive to residents’ concerns, whether it’s online or in-person is important to Coun. Post. She said she’ll always do her best to get people an answer in a timely fashion, even if the answer isn’t a popular one.

“Unfortunately, some of the concerns just can’t be addressed or they can’t be addressed quickly and oftentimes that’s frustrating for residents, but I’m not afraid to have those conversations with people,” she noted. “I want to be honest; I want to be transparent, and if there’s an opportunity for us to change the way that we’re handling some of these issues, being able to hear them and respond to them is the best way that we can do that.” 

Going forward, Coun. Post said once the nomination period closes on August 19, her campaign for mayor will start to ramp up. However, in the meantime, she said she’ll be out at community events, talking to residents, and trying to understand what everyone’s needs are.

Anyone looking to get in touch with Coun. Post about her campaign can reach out via email at lisa@lisapost.ca.

The municipal election will be held on Oct. 24.

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