Celebrating Mayor Smith

BRACEBRIDGE - Tony Clement pinned Graydon Smith this week, just in time for Valentine’s Day. But the love story isn’t between our top politicians; it’s between Smith and the community.
Smith was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee pin for his service to Bracebridge.
He demurs from taking the accolades though, saying the credit all goes to the town. He’s just in it to serve.
This is a sentiment he has expressed to this newspaper in the past. And we believe him.
As we have watched this mayor over the last two years, never has there been the slightest hint of self- interest shown as he passionately addresses the issues of the day.
We’ve watched him in council and out on the streets of Bracebridge, and he has always, often with great determination, promoted agendas that are anything but personal.
His wife says that’s why she fell for the guy. We can hardly blame her; commitment to community service is a sexy character trait.
It could be why Bracebridge fell for the guy two years ago. We took our hearts to the ballot box and have been rewarded for our trust with a mayor who has devoted himself to the betterment of the town and the district of Muskoka.
He has and continues to take his love to Queen’s Park, where he advocates for the end to our region’s exclusion from provincial economic development zones.
Now that we have a new premier, we expect to see those efforts redoubled as Smith coaxes Wynne to do what’s right for Muskoka. She’s on the record saying Muskoka deserves better, and Smith won’t let her forget it.
He will remind her that, contrary to the perception of Queen’s Park, Muskoka is not a land of uber-rich people of leisure. Those are the visitors. Here, we’re hard working, underpaid and facing food banks and welfare lines in increasing numbers. If there’s a provincial hand up available, our exclusion from it is negligent.
Despite his great work, our mayor’s nomination didn’t come from the members of our town. It came from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to recognize him for supporting the federation’s work in strengthening its relationship with the federal government. In a press release, the federation specifically noted Bracebridge’s priorities in putting people back to work, repairing aging infrastructure, and building new infrastructure that communities need to be competitive.
We feel that it is to Smith’s credit that an organization that works with mayors from every corner of this country was inspired to nominate ours for this prestigious award.
His relationship with feds really does seem to be strong. After all, Clement pinned him.

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