HaltonHillsToday is profiling every candidate in the upcoming municipal election. Up next - candidates running in Ward 2 (rural Halton Hills, Glen Williams and Norval).
Joseph Racinsky wants to bring new ideas to council to adapt to what's coming on the horizon.
“Over the next 20 years, we're going to see a lot of growth,” said the youth who has put his name forward in the busy Ward 2 councillor race. “The federal government, they're going to bring in half a million people in the [near future], and half those are going to settle in the GTA. Halton Hills is the next frontier.”
The 20-year-old's future focus comes down to a balancing act between growth and heritage. On the one hand, he would like to see “intensification in Georgetown near public transit.” In particular, he supports the McGibbon on Main condominium project, saying it has potential to revitalize local businesses.
While Racinsky's ethos appears to be “if we are going to be serious about saving farmland, we have to be serious about intensification,” he cautions against “being unbridled in approving everything.”
“I want to keep the character of neighbourhoods. That's important," he said. "Having high density where high density makes sense, like near the GO station.” (The Town is currently exploring options for what to do with the area around Georgetown GO.)
Focusing the Town budget on essential programs and services, taking a common sense approach to protecting the environment, and creating policies that benefit farmers are also on Racinsky's agenda.
Overall, he said he feels the current council has done a good job “for the last 20 years. There are not many incredible issues, mismanaged projects, or waste of taxpayers' money.”
“What I would like to see is more active and engaged representation, especially for the rural area. We need less of a top down approach, which I would say has characterized the last few years,” he added in an emailed statement.
While he may be young, Racinsky has certainly kept himself busy gaining experience, often serving anywhere from the grassroots to higher levels of government.
He previously worked in Milton MPP Parm Gill's office, answering the phone, responding to emails and helping constituents - skills he feels are "quite transferable to the role of town council."
He has also done some volunteer work for Wellington-Halton Hills MP Michael Chong, and helped administer a youth program at Maple Avenue Baptist Church.
