GEORGINA VOTES: Council exodus makes way for new faces

​‘Just felt it was time’: Grossi, Harding, Waddington not seeking re-election

Yorkregion.com
Sept. 28, 2022
Amanda Persico

You’ve seen the municipal election candidate list -- and checked it twice.

Three members of Georgina council are not returning this election.

Regional Coun. Robert Grossi, along with Ward 1 Coun. Mike Waddington and Ward 5 Coun. Dave Harding announced they are not seeking re-election in the upcoming municipal election.

Not to mention, Ward 4 Coun. Frank Sebo threw his name into the six-way race for mayor.

That means four seats at the council table will be filled with completely new faces.

“I just felt it was time,” said Grossi of his 24-year political career, with 17 of those as town mayor.

“It is time for new blood and a new generation of leadership.”

A number of local projects top his list of accomplishments, including the creation of the Georgina Trades and Training Inc.; purchase of the late Dr. Burrows’ medical clinic building and attracting the Georgina Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic; obtaining government funding for The ROC; and pushing for the extension of Highway 404 up to Woodbine Avenue.

Grossi, president of Georgina Cares, is not without his fair share of controversial decisions and inquiries.

But at the helm of his decisions was the knack for “creating innovative partnerships.”

Grossi plans to continue with his charitable causes, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the end of his political career.

“Keep smiling, you never know.”

Harding served two terms as councillor for Ward 5, advocating for road safety, more sidewalks and much-needed road repairs in rural parts of town.

He championed a number of local projects, including sidewalks along Station Road, a new roof at the Pefferlaw Ice Palace and the new Pefferlaw Fire Station.

While still underway, Harding hopes to see plans for Holmes Point Park in the Waterfront Parks Master Plan that is more accessible and includes washroom facilities.

“(That’s) a project I want to see completed,” he said.

In 2018, Waddington campaigned on the need for safe streets.
As a member of the town’s safe streets committee, he worked with town staff, the region and York Regional Police to put the brakes on speeding.

He worked with town staff to install sidewalk ramps and realigned trail entrances so those pushing a stroller or with mobility issues didn’t have to struggle along uneven ground or travel along roadways because they couldn’t access a sidewalk, he said.

“The job of safety is never finished,” he said in a Facebook post announcing his plans not to seek re-election.

“But the framework for gradual improvements is in place and I expect each year it’ll progressively get better.

“I told you early on: the (decisions) I made or the goals I had wouldn’t be for the purpose of my own re-election. I guess I’m living up to that as a final promise made, promise kept.”

All three agree, there’s much more to Georgina than when they were elected.

“Georgina is a much different place in 2022 than it was in 1991,” Gross said. “Instead of being looked down on by others, you often hear new residents (say) Georgina is the best kept secret in York Region.”

For a look at who is running in the Georgina municipal election, check out our list.