Mayor remains focused on priorities for 2014

January 7, 2014
Vaughan Weekly
By Angela Gismondi

Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua is looking forward to the coming year.

In looking ahead, he could not help but reflect on the past and how far the City has come in the last few years.

“In my inaugural speech as mayor on December 6, 2010, I clearly outlined my vision for the City of Vaughan,” said Bevilacqua.

He shared an excerpt from his first official address as mayor.

“In our future I see a community that will be praised for its character and integrity, respected for its spirit of innovation in the areas of health care, education and transportation, acclaimed for its responsible planning and economic leadership, admired for its environmental stewardship, renowned for its first class administration, its transparency, accountability and respect for the hard-earned taxpayers’ dollars…As a citizen of Vaughan, I am convinced that the best is yet to come. I am committed to being part of this journey that will take our city to places it’s never been before.”

After three years as Mayor of Vaughan, the vision is becoming reality.

“Today, I believe we have come closer to the realization of that vision, which remains with me today,” Bevilacqua stated. “These have been three years of positive change which have transformed the city and I remain committed to continuing this path forward with laser beam focus until the end of this term and beyond.”

Today, the mayor explained, Vaughan has become a “model city” in terms of integrity, image, economic growth, job creation, cohesion in council, community safety, transparency, accountability and excellence in service.

“The important files of the Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital, the subway extension to Vaughan, the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, the Highway 427 extension to Major Mackenzie Drive and Public Service Renewal are all progressing well,” said Bevilacqua. “Our city has also taken a more of a global outlook, signing economic agreements with cities like Milan and Rome, opening up trade offices in Tel Aviv, as well as a presence in countries like China and the Philippines.”

It is a municipal election year and as he did in the  last election, Bevilacqua is planning to  announce his intention to run in September.

“I am 100 per cent focused on realizing the great potential of our city and I am not distracted by future election campaigns,” he said. “In the first three years of my mandate to serve, I have been very satisfied with our achievements as a city and have fulfilled my electoral promises and actually went beyond.  The city is doing very well but we cannot become complacent. I run short campaigns because I believe that governing well is more important than campaigning.”

He will continue to focus on the issues that are important to the citizens of Vaughan.

“I will continue to work diligently on important issues like the Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital, the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, the subway, transit, fiscal responsibility and accountability, arts and culture, as well as continuing to instill respect for the hard earned taxpayers’ dollars while providing excellence in service,” Bevilacqua concluded.