After spending years in the corporate world as a local banker, Grace Constantine decided now was as good a time as any to get involved and do what she can for Innisfil by running for Ward 2 councillor.
“I recently retired and felt now was the opportunity to give back to my community,” she said. “The change that I have witnessed in Innisfil over the past six years is very exciting and I want to be a part of it. It’s a highly desirable place to live."
Knowing how important local representation is, Constantine believes change starts at the municipal level.
“I have zero political experience, but I believe that my experience in dealing with the customers in the corporate world, who are all members of the community, and my genuine desire to see this community continue to grow and flourish are the intangibles that make me fit for the role,” she said. “I’m so excited about it.”
Having recently volunteered at Onion Fest, Constantine sees community involvement as the lifeblood of municipal politics.
“I go to Innisfil Community Church and I’m getting involved right now in the youth program,” she said. “Because I was working full-time, it was hard to get involved in everything but now that I’m retired, I want to be more proactive in the community.
"Through the Innisfil chat (on Facebook), I try to keep my eye on everything going on in the community and whenever something's going on I try to attend. I like to volunteer my time to do things because they’re always asking for volunteers.”
Since filing for a seat on a council, Constantine has been reaching out to the community in Ward 2 to get a sense of what the constituents in the area hope to see from their elected official.
“I went and knocked on all the doors in my riding to find out what their concerns are, it took me about a month,” she said. “I haven’t put my platform together yet because I wanted to go around and find out what their concerns are first because it’s not about me, it’s about what the community needs.
"I’ll take from them their concerns and put my platform together. Most of them are concerned about the roads, stop signs, and speeding in the community where kids play hockey in the street.”
Reaching out to the community members in Ward 2 to listen to them and show them she’ll reflect their concerns if elected was an important piece of the puzzle for Constantine.
“It was such a good experience,” she said. “Some of the people said they’ve lived here 40, 50, 60 years and I’m the first person that ever knocked on their doors and asked them what their concerns are all about.”
After six years of living in Innisfil, Constantine feels she’s well suited to be the voice of Ward 2 and hopes to become part of a council that’s helped the community advance as it grows.
“The demographic is so different, and I think local representation matters,” she said. “I live in the community, and I know the people. I think that’s really important.”
