Grey Highlands deputy mayor candidate Steve Maloney is pitching himself to voters as the “public value candidate.”
Maloney has owned property in Eugenia for 25 years and has been a full-time resident for the past seven years. He has owned and operated his own business for the past 30-plus years and had been the treasurer of the Lake Eugenia Collage Association for the past 16 years.
Maloney ran for a seat on Oakville council in 2014, but lost against a long-time and respected incumbent, Ralph Robinson.
“(Robinson) was Oakville’s Hazel McCallion. I did very well and knocked on 5,000 doors during the campaign,” he said. “I like the thrill of the competition."
Maloney estimates that he will knock on at least 2,500 doors in Grey Highlands during the election campaign period and he’s excited to meet with as many voters as possible.
“Grey Highlands is my home, I’ve been here for 25 years,” he said. “I’m going to work to the very end and this time I’m winning.”
Maloney said he believes it’s time for a culture change in Grey Highlands.
“I’m a big believer in creating the culture, if you create the culture then good things can thrive,” he said. “I think I can be a bridge between the private sector and the public sector.”
He is also striving to improve the relationship between council and the municipality’s senior management.
“When you put the right people in the right places, things happen,” he said. “I think I can represent the future.”
He said in the next four years the municipality needs to be prepared for what is about to happen economically.
“Grey Highlands should be ready for a bit of a boom. We have to be ready for growth and a little more diversity. We need to be ready to plan,” he said. “I think I can create a culture where things get done in a concise way and I have fun too, in everything I do. What we can do is create a culture of working together.”
In this campaign, Maloney is calling himself “the public value candidate.” He said the taxpayers of Grey Highlands need to know council will be smart and respectful with their money.
“When people write their property tax cheques, I want them to understand they’re getting value,” he said. “I want them to understand we’ll be responsible. I want them to be comfortable.”
One of the reasons he chose to run for deputy mayor is the opportunity to serve on Grey County council.
“You have to be very diplomatic, I can be that. You’re wearing another hat. I can do that. There are nine member municipalities, I can get along with all of them,” he said. “After people get to know me, they like me and that’s important.”
He said at county council he will immediately be pushing for the Grey Gables expansion project to proceed.
“You have a beautiful facility, it’s all set up. It’s right next to a beautiful new hospital. I will be pushing for those beds to come to Grey Highlands,” he said. “It makes sense. The infrastructure is there and Markdale is very central in the county.”
Maloney's campaign to be deputy mayor is the start of his political career locally.
“I’m a serious candidate. I’m in it to win and I have future aspirations. I will do the work I need to do,” he said.
The municipal election is Oct. 24, 2022. To confirm you are on the voter's list, or to find out about advance voting options, visit the Grey Highlands website here.
