Since 1991, Bill Van Berkel has served on Innisfil Council, but after his decision to not seek re-election this fall, the long-time Ward 2 councillor is endorsing Carol Griffith to take over his role.
Griffith has lived in the community for 54 years and feels the need to step up and be the voice of her fellow Ward 2 residents.
“There are residents that I’ve grown up with who feel they’re going unheard,” she said. “I want them to feel comfortable and build some trust with them so they can talk freely and feel they will be heard when they bring their concerns to council. Bill Van Berkel is great, and I want to keep the ball rolling with what he did," she said.
Although she’s seeking her first term on council, Griffith is already familiar with many of the concerns of residents in her ward.
“There was the issue at the bottom of 6th Line when the sewage backup occurred and I know there when the hydro goes out the residents there are always concerned and they’re concerned about the Orbit and other infrastructure issues,” she explained. “They’re also concerned about if the infrastructure will be able to keep up with the growth coming into the area. I just want to make sure people feel comfortable voicing these concerns to council and feel they’re being heard and not ignored.”
Wanting to instill confidence in taxpayers, Griffith thinks being transparent with why certain decisions are made is a must for a municipal representative.
“Some residents feel that their money is being wasted on things such as medians and garden boxes,” she said. “They feel in order to have confidence in the way their tax dollars are spent, things need to be maintained. There are issues here that still need to be resolved before we continue to grow. There are roads here that have never been well maintained. I’ve been asked why streets aren’t paved.”
Two of the biggest concerns Griffith hopes to champion if elected are keeping Lake Simcoe safe and improving transit options in the community.
“I want to preserve the lake,” she said. “We only live in one world and when my kids decide to have kids, I want them to feel like they’re living in a safe environment. We need better transportation too, there are a lot of seniors that don’t have the means for the transportation. There have been complaints about flaws with Uber. Complaints are posted on social media instead of being brought to the town and that won’t solve anything. I would like to have residents feel that there’s trust, transparency, and honesty. If they have a question or concern, I want them to feel they can get the answer if they come to the town.”
The relationships Griffith has built up in Innisfil as a lifelong resident has made her nostalgic for the community spirit and neighbourliness she feels there used to be, and she hopes to help bring that back.
“There are a lot of new people to the area too, but growing up here it was like Cheers, everybody knew your name,” she says. “We apparently still do have community watch, but we have issues all over Innisfil now with vehicle break ins, theft, and other small crimes that do add up. I want to bring back the pride in the community and focus on inclusiveness. I want to see if there’s a way for youth programs to help the kids get more involved. The closeness here has been lost and some people feel it’s a waste of their time now to get involved because they don’t feel heard.”
As someone who has voiced different concerns to the council over the years and volunteered in the community, Griffith is motivated by her love of the town and passion to see it continue to grow the right way.
“There was always a sense of community here and you always had pride in where you lived,” she said. “You’d walk down the street, and you might not know everyone’s name, but you’d always watch out for them. We need to think about the future, but we also need to think about the past and present in order to move to the future. I love my area, I love Innisifil. It’s my home, and when I look around and remember growing up here, I feel a sense of belonging.”
