EloraFergusToday asked candidates in the upcoming municipal election to tell us a little bit about themselves and their platform.
Name: Amanda Reid
Occupation: Daycare provider/homemaker
How long have you lived in Mapleton? My family and I have lived in Mapleton for 6 years.
Why are you running in this election? I am running in this election because I am very passionate in making Mapleton Township a great place to work, visit, and to live/raise a family. I want to make a difference in our Township, and would proudly represent the public and always consider the well-being and interests of our municipality.
What qualifies you to represent Mapleton? I am a proud Mapleton resident; I currently reside in Alma. I am proud of our community and the entire township. I have lived in Mapleton for six years and am raising my children/family here. From the moment we moved here it has felt like home. I jumped into helping out in our community in many ways. As a proud parent, on school council; both as a council member and as school council chair. I started with the Alma Optimist Club in 2016 and have held many roles within our club and sub-committees, even as President the past three years. I have taken part in planning many community/township wide events, and have a determination to see projects go from a thought, to a plan, then a finished result we can all be proud of.
Why should people vote for you? I am someone who is approachable, willing to take part, listen, and work hard to make an impact for the people of our Township. I am invested in our community as a place where I want to stay and raise my family. I am accountable, reliable and prepared to carry out the duties as a councillor in Mapleton and work with my fellow council members, Mapleton residents and municipal staff making Mapleton a great place to visit, but most importantly a wonderful Township to live, raise our families and grow old in.
What do you see as the main issues facing residents of Mapleton on a broader scale? Some of the main issues that face residents of Mapleton are shortage of daycare spaces, traffic issues/speed control, as well as roads/infrastructure. I look forward to hearing more about the more specific issues to Mapleton and how we as a council can work to improve them.
What is the most important thing you want to see changed in Mapleton? We need to continue to work together as a council, residents and with our town staff; ensuring accountability for our residents, following up with concerns and making sure we are representing the public and the interests of our municipality. We need to continue to foster a place we are proud to call home/raise our families, making local jobs available, and events we can enjoy and for visitors to enjoy as well, for many years to come.
What services need to be improved in Mapleton? I believe we have seen a lot of significant services improve such as local schools now being able to offer before and after school care, summer and PA daycamps, and recreational activities as well as the installation of the Drayton water tower. I am looking forward to seeing what services need to be improved and learning more about what our council and Township staff can do to improve/implement changes etc to them over the next years.
Is Mapleton growing too fast, just the right amount, or not fast enough? I believe that we will see growth in Mapleton, but it would need to be appropriately sized for the communities it would be in – and working with the right levels of government - ensuring the amenities and infrastructure are there. I look forward to learning about our township’s growth plans.
What can be done at the local level about the rising cost of housing? Honestly, I believe some of the costing for housing may be beyond the scope of the municipal level of government. I would look forward to learning what impact our council could have on ensuring that families have places that are affordable to live in, and what we can do along side other levels of government about the rising cost of housing.
How would you support the effort to bring licensed child care to Mapleton? Mapleton has a huge need for additional childcare spaces, there are so many families with daycare aged children in Mapleton – we have the highest proportions of children in all of Wellington County. We need to be able to support those that need somewhere safe in our communities for their children to be while they are at work. Working with other levels of government, like our county, together to make spaces available and bring resources to our township is so important to the Township of Mapleton residents. .
How do we make Mapleton an even better place to live? We focus on our residents, supporting our local businesses and farmers - seeing more businesses succeed and helping meet their needs, looking at the needs that families have, to ensure they have access the services they need – and locally - whether that be sports, facilities access, day camps in the summer/pa days that our township has been able to bring forward this last term etc. We should continue to plan events that can bring our communities together again. I am looking forward to listening to our residents concerns and being accountable to our municipal goals helping us continue to be proud to live in Mapleton.
Any link to an election website or social media account:
