Love is the thing that drove Bob Madigan to municipal politics.
Madigan is a current councillor, elected in 2014, and is running for re-election to one of seven council seats in the upcoming municipal election.
He credits love for his family, youth and community as the driving force that drew him into politics.
Madigan is proud of his family’s history. His parents met in Collingwood and he was born in 1972. A life-long resident, Madigan became an entrepreneur at 16. Since then he has owned and operated several businesses around Ontario.
He currently is the owner of Mad Dog’s Coffee and Vinyl Cafe in downtown Collingwood.
“I felt I was at a point in my life that I would be able to apply my business sense and personal passion to improve our community,” he says. "I believe planning needs to make business sense for the taxpayers of Collingwood."
“In my lifetime I have seen Collingwood grow to a four-season resort community,” Madigan says. “We have transitioned from an industrial town to a resort area larger than our borders. My passion for our future is planned growth that meets the majority of needs for all of our citizens. Planning for our youth, tourism workers, community leaders needs to balance with our infrastructure requirements."
“Our next council needs to develop plans for the next five, 10 and 20 years,” he says.
Madigan believes Collingwood’s best attributes are its natural beauty, history, and its citizens.
“Together we can plan to move forward while respecting our past,” he says.
While often politicians are asked what they would change about a community, Madigan says he finds that question misleading.
“I love Collingwood, and to be honest, I would not change a thing,” he says. “However, I would make it my goal to further improve and develop our community’s potential.”
When getting down to dollars and cents, Madigan emphasizes the need for a balanced budget that benefits all citizens. He said taxes, and allocating them evenly around the community will always be a challenge for council.
“Fiscal responsibility is the key to planned growth,” he says. “We can no longer afford to fulfill all the wishes of the community, but all reasonable projects should find a place in the planning process. To me, that means it may not be today, but it may be tomorrow."
Overall, Madigan hopes to temper quick growth with responsible planning.
“In my lifetime, I have seen Collingwood develop rapidly,” says Madigan. “As politicians, we are the stewards of the quality of life for all of our citizens ... Our potential is limitless when we work together.”
Madigan is one of 19 candidates for councillor in the upcoming October municipal election. Voters may choose up to seven candidates on their ballots for councillor.
The Collingwood Chamber of Commerce is hosting a meet-the-candidates event for the mayor and deputy mayor candidates on Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. (doors at 6 p.m.) at the Royal Canadian Legion. There will be a separate event for councillor candidates also hosted by the chamber on Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. at the Collingwood Legion.
The chamber will be posing questions received by members of the public to each of the candidates during the meeting. Click here if you have a question you’d like included.
