Gord Launchbury vows to be “the people’s voice” if elected as mayor of Orillia.
“My belief is that we’re put here to help each other,” said Launchbury, 73. “Times are tough right at the moment … that means we need to be more of an advocate for each other.”
With that in mind, he will advocate for free parking in the downtown.
He also believes the city should walk away from a plan to sell the Orillia Power Distribution Corporation to Hydro One.
He promises to hold fewer closed-door meetings and believes if opinions at the council table are divided on a certain issue, a decision should be postponed.
Launchbury launched his mayoralty bid just 24 hours before nominations for the Oct. 22 election closed. While he ultimately made the decision, he concedes it was Coun. Mason Ainsworth that urged him to run.
“He presented me with the paperwork and had 28 people sign the papers in support of me running for mayor,” said Launchbury, who has run unsuccessfully for a city council position three times including as a Ward 2 hopeful in the past two municipal elections.
“What I’ve seen over the last four years, being one of the eight (councillors) has not been nice,” he said. “I think in accepting the mayor’s position, I’ve chaired meetings before and I feel confident we can bring some better decisions to the table.”
A key “better decision” would be a change of course on a Hydro One deal. “I know if you buy a house and find out it’s leaky, you walk away from it,” he said. “It may be costly, but it’s better for the future.”
Launchbury, who is a professional manager accredited by the Canadian Institute of Management, noted he is qualified to “look after the money and to chair meetings.” As chair, he would covet consensus.
“When it comes to split votes, I’d table the motion until people understand what they’re voting for,” he said. “I think sometimes they’re voting, maybe, on feelings. You gotta do it on facts. One tests the water as you debate something … Does everybody get this? Is this really for the people?”
He said only personnel issues or sensitive matters should be dealt with outside the public’s eye.
As to the Municipal Act’s guidelines, he said: “I’d let it be known, Municipal Act or not, some things should be discussed in the open. It’s taxpayers’ money … (We) could push back for an amendment (to the Act).”
Launchbury also criticized council’s decision to purchase the Metro plaza (for $9.3 million). “It’s not a good decision,” he said. Nor was council’s decision to redesign Front Street as a three-lane road “good for the common person.”
In fact, he’s not in favour of council’s ambitious waterfront plans. He says the “waterfront needs to be cleaned up” but does not need "massive" development.
He said council also didn’t need to ban boat-trailer parking on Centennial Drive. “People govern themselves, they’re not babies,” he said. “Why should we tell them how to park and where to park?”
A long-time member of the transit advisory committee, Launchbury applauds council for improving transit service. However, more work needs to be done.
“I hate to see the traffic tie-up on the main street,” he said of where the buses congregate due to the lack of a bus depot. He believes the city should use the old train station, owned by the city but up for sale, as an interim bus depot.
“We need to listen to the riders.”
He said he’s been busy listening to citizens. “What I hear when I’m canvassing is people want change, they want to stop the bleed of taxpayers’ money,” he said.
Managing money and projects would be nothing new to Launchbury, who worked more than 43 years at Dorr-Oliver-Long and its successors.
He has also been involved as a volunteer leader at his church for many decades and serves as chaplain at the Leacock Care Centre.
“I’m a social justice guy,” he says, noting he tries to follow the Boy Scout mantra, “to do a good turn each day.”
He did that the other day. He noticed the public payphone at the train station was out of order. He made several calls to Bell and, finally, convinced them to replace it.
“I get things done. That’s the kind of guy I am,” he said, joking he would continue to have his “office” at a local coffee shop even if elected. “I will be accessible. I will be the people’s voice.”
Editor's Note: OrilliaMatters is profiling all candidates running in the municipal election - including the two mayor hopefuls. Tomorrow, watch for a profile of incumbent Steve Clarke.
