Until the provincial election campaign starts, being Mayor of Bracebridge will continue to be Graydon Smith’s number one priority.
“I’ll take this job every bit as seriously and with every bit as much effort as I put into it for the last 11 years even though we will be working on something else as we get closer to the spring,” he tells the MyMuskokaNow.com newsroom hours after the announcement that he will be running with Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives in the 2022 provincial election. “I’m excited for the chance to represent what is an incredible riding with incredible people.”
The campaign is still months away, but Smith says he’s excited at the opportunity to campaign. “I enjoy the opportunity to help people where I can,” he says. When he does start campaigning, Smith says he will take a leave of absence and hand the reins over to Maloney.
The provincial election is slated to happen on or before June 2nd and the campaigning period will start a minimum of 28 days prior to that.
If Smith wins a seat at Queen’s Park, he would need to resign as Mayor. Bracebridge’s Chief Administrative Officer Stephen Rettie explains that, depending on the timing, a new Mayor may not need to be appointed. The municipal election is scheduled for October 24th, 2022. “Because the timing is so close, we may not have to do anything, or if we do, it may only be for a very short amount of time,” he says. If Smith doesn’t win, he will remain as Mayor.
Council has two options to fill the potential vacancy: appoint a current member of council or put out an open call for applications. Rettie says that decision will be made when and if Smith’s seat is vacated.
Similarly, Huntsville council went through the same process two years ago when then-Mayor Scott Aitchison was elected as Parry Sound-Muskoka’s MP. They ended up appointing then-Councillor Karin Terziano to be the next Mayor.
In the coming months, Deputy Mayor Rick Maloney will serve as Mayor when Smith is unavailable. “Over that 11 year period, Graydon has taken on different roles and responsibilities in both his personal and public life,” he says. “Any of those times that he’s taken on those challenges and new roles – specifically his role at AMO – I’ve been able to assist him in making sure all the functions in the role of Mayor are completed.”
Smith has been Bracebridge’s Mayor since 2010 and Maloney has served as second-in-command since then as well. “I’m there to support him and make sure the business in the Town of Bracebridge continues moving forward,” he says.