McDonald pledges stronger communication, accountability in race for mayor’s seat

Charlie McDonald said he’s not running for mayor of Kawartha Lakes for the title. 

“(I’m running) because I care really deeply about this community.” 

McDonald currently serves as Ward 7 councillor and spent two years as deputy mayor. 

If he’s elected on Oct. 26, one of his top priorities would be to address infrastructure in Kawartha Lakes. While roads aren’t the number one issue he’s heard while campaigning, it’s something where he thinks council could take a different approach. “We can probably do a better job of identifying the roads and pick the ones that are the worst.” 

He noted that last year was the first time all the councillors got together and saw all the roads across the city. “Even though I want to support my (ward), when you get everybody together, if somebody’s roads are worse than mine, then I have to agree that their road should be done first,” McDonald said. 

That type of collaboration and teamwork is something he wants to see more of. 

There will be at least four new faces around the table after the election, and many of the candidates have no council experience, McDonald wants to hold what he calls “training sessions.” He would bring in someone from every department to tell all councillors what they do, what they’re responsible for and when a councillor should be contacting them. 

“That would save a lot of time for new people,” McDonald said. 

McDonald told Kawartha Lakes Weekly he also wants to ensure Kawartha Lakes has a voice in Ottawa, something he said is vital for issues like healthcare. He would try to set up a monthly meeting with MP Jamie Schmale and MPP Laurie Scott to make sure Kawartha Lakes gets that representation. 

He would also work on getting different departments into one room so that everyone is on the same page. McDonald said too much time is spent waiting for answers from different departments. 

“(We need to) set measurable timelines, improve application tracking, and bring planning, engineering, building and economic development together, so businesses and residents know what is expected and when,” McDonald said. 

He said this would also lead to more transparency for residents, who currently can wait weeks or months for an update on a project. McDonald said if everyone starts out on the same page, those answers will be more clear. 

He would like council to better communicate to the public what’s been done in each ward, as people only mention the things that haven’t been done. “We could do a lot better of telling everybody all the good things we’ve done, and the money we spent in each community.” 

He said constituents don’t see everything council approves of, and it would be beneficial for them to understand in plain language what money was spent in each ward and on what projects. 

McDonald wants to ensure rural communities are treated fairly and so would create an agricultural committee made up of farmers. That way, He said, instead of having a five-minute deputation, farmers can make sure council is aware of their issues and needs. 

In his time as deputy mayor, McDonald got to work on a couple of projects, including improving customer service at city hall and getting an approved budget for everyone to be on the same computer system starting next year. 

He has also visited every ward and talked to people in every community. “I got to learn what’s happening in every community… and find out their issues.” 

McDonald said if he’s elected as mayor, he’s looking forward to continuing the work he’s done while serving Ward 7, and he’ll make the decisions that benefit the community as a whole.