Dan Waters has thrown his hat into the ring.
On Friday, March 5 he put his nomination papers into the Municipality of Lake of Bays for the office of mayor.
Waters is no stranger to politics. He was the MPP for Muskoka-Georgian Bay from 1990 until 1995. In 2000, he unsuccessfully campaigned for a municipal seat in Lake of Bays Township and in 2006 he ran for a seat at the district.
“I ran for district council and lost by one vote. There were a number of issues about ballots so it was taken to a judicial recount,” he said. “A large number weren’t counted because the (ballot) system was confusing. I want to sit down well in advance and make sure I can go out and explain to people how to do their ballots. People feel cheated, they go to the effort — some of them drove across the township to make sure they cast their ballot only to have it tossed out of hand.”
Waters thinks his previous bids for council failed in part due to his busy schedule as a business owner. He sold his business, Horseless Carriage, in 2006, and has been working with his son-in-law building custom homes and cottages on Lake Joseph.
If he wins the mayoral race, he pledges to retire from the building business to focus on the task of running the municipality.
“I have a love for that community,” he said.
Waters said the current council has a difficult time listening to the people.
“In all the time I’ve been there, there’s been concern about the township — the elected representatives not listening to the people. According to the locals it’s as if they (council) have their own agenda … giving the people an opportunity to complain but not moving forward in the direction the residents I’ve talked to want to see it go,” he said.
Waters talked about the contentious Norway Point parking issue.
“There are issues like the Norway Point dock. Gee, I have a boat. Do I get a dock?” he quipped. “I work with a number of island people we build for. They get their dockage at a marina or they buy a piece of property and put a dock in. They don’t have the township out here building a dock for them, for their exclusive use.”
He has heard complaints about the issue in the community.
“That sort of thing irritates people — the local residents and other cottagers who aren’t getting the same privilege,” he said. “Issues like that have got to come to an end and be dealt with once and for all.”
Waters said the township needs to be more businesslike.
“We’re rural with a number of small hamlets. We have to bring them all together and look at what’s the best for the whole township and community,” he said. “It has to be run businesslike — there’s only a limited number of tax dollars.”
Waters has a house across from the library in Baysville where his stepson currently resides. He is living in a second home in Bracebridge while he renovates the property and plans to retire to the cottage in Baysville.
Janet Peake is currently mayor of Lake of Bays township. So far, Waters is the only candidate to file nomination papers in that municipality.