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Orangeville deputy mayor taking step back, running for Council

June 23, 2022   ·   0 Comments

By James Matthews

Deputy Mayor Andy Macintosh is hoping Orangeville voters will see fit to demote him in the municipal election Oct. 24.

You read that correctly: the deputy mayor has decided to campaign for a seat as a councillor instead of continuing in his current role or even aspiring higher to the mayor’s chair.

He said it wasn’t an easy decision.

“The main reason is I have no wish to be mayor,” Macintosh said. “Usually, mayor is a step up from deputy mayor.”

He said he’s decided to create an opening for anybody with the eventual ambition to be Orangeville’s mayor. That may bring new drive and new ideas of those roles, he said.

“This was not an easy decision as I have enjoyed serving as your deputy mayor for the last few years,” Macintosh wrote on social media. “However, as I have no intention of stepping up into the mayor’s position either now or in the future, I truly feel a council position will be the best option for both myself and the people of Orangeville.”

Macintosh, the municipality’s former fire chief, said it’s rewarding to serve Orangeville’s residents in any capacity.

“I think we did a heck of a job,” he said. “I think we brought respectability back to council.”

Indeed, the previous town councils were riddled with internal tension that stemmed from issues of spending priorities in annual budgets, the switch from the former Orangeville Police Service to the Ontario Provincial Police, and complaints to the town’s integrity commissioner.

This year’s municipal spending blueprint contained an increase to taxpayers of less than one per cent. And that’s been a recent trend, Macintosh said. Residents’ tax burden increased 0.97 per cent in 2021, less than the 1.5 per cent tax increase the previous year.

While current councillors didn’t always agree, Macintosh said they and municipal staff worked together toward residents’ best interests.

“The last increases were less than one per cent, which is well below the rate of inflation,” said Macintosh.

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