Charlie McDonald becomes the newest Kawartha Lakes deputy mayor

DAN CEARNS The Standard

KAWARTHA LAKES: A new Kawartha Lakes deputy mayor was acclaimed at a meeting, on Tuesday, December 12th.

At the meeting, Ward 7 Councillor, Charlie McDonald was the lone council member nominated to take the role, formerly held by Ward 8 Councillor Tracy Richardson.

Councillor McDonald was nominated by, Ward 5 Councillor, Eric Smeaton.

“He’s interested in many key priority issues [which] have come around this table. Poverty, homelessness, the opioid crisis, things like parking [and] development, people services, constituents, transit, [and] safety. I’ve been able to watch him often and work with him, and one of my favourite reasons I’m recommending him for this position is he’s a true team player,” Councillor Smeaton explained.

He also noted, he feels Councillor McDonald “isn’t shy with difficult questions.”

The former deputy mayor, Councillor Richardson, seconded the nomination.

“Councillor McDonald, this year, has listened, he’s asked questions, [and] he’s learned. He took the Chair position on the Short Term Rental task force which was a very compressed deadline, and he did an exceptional job. He kept us focused and he kept us moving forward through the process. So, we came to a very good, reasonable solution at the end.”

She also noted, the timing of his nomination works well with the International Plowing Match coming to Lindsay in 2024.

Councillor McDonald ran the Lindsay Terry Fox Run for 30 years and has been a lifelong resident of the area.

“I’m very compassionate in the place I live and work and I really want the best for the community,” Councillor McDonald said.

The Ward 7 Councillor stated, one of his priorities as Deputy Mayor will be to “continue serving as a champion for the rollout of the Short Term Rentals program.”

“As Chair of the Task Force [which] brought the program together, I believe these rentals are an important part of our economy, but they need to respect all residents. The rollout will be important and we’ll start 2024 strong,” he explained.

Another priority, he noted, is continuing to educate and communicate with the community about municipal services.