David MacDonald
Courtesy Photo

FINCH – Long-time area resident and former council member David MacDonald is looking to gain a seat on the township of North Stormont’s next term of council with the upcoming Oct. 24 municipal election.

“With our current council, I see several issues that need to be addressed. Number one is transparency. The other one is accountability. And there’s what I believe to be issues with our financial management,” MacDonald said. “So, my thought is, instead of sitting home and complaining about it, I would put my name in for council to work at trying to solve the problems.”

MacDonald said he’s served two terms on council in the early 2000s, giving him valuable experience. He also said that he’s lived in the municipality for roughly 40 years, and he’s dedicated to his community.

“There’s a lot of discord on council right now, and a lot of our tax dollars are being spent on legal fees for the fact that some people can’t get along,” MacDonald said. “To be successful, there has to be a team effort, and having worked on council before, I know what it takes to make things work.”

MacDonald says he has lots of experience managing budgets and managing people through his work with the federal government. Since he retired a few years ago, MacDonald said he’s worked in the community driving a dump truck, delivering fertilizer and because of this he said he knows the effort that people put in to make a living, so he wants to ensure tax dollars are spent wisely.

“I just want our township to be successful,” MacDonald said. “I want our tax dollars to be spent wisely, and a team effort to make things work.”

MacDonald said he’s been attending council meetings, both in-person or virtually, to stay abreast of what’s happening. He said it’s the observations he’s made during these meetings that have led him to seek a seat at the council table, noting specifically his desire to see increased transparency, as well as less friction between council members.

“I know I can make it work no matter who’s elected,” he said.