Sylvia Bradley has filed her nomination papers for the position of Orangeville councillor.

Ms. Bradley worked as a manager of human resources for many years and now is a property manager in Orangeville. She and her husband, Herb, have six children, only one at home who will be attending Orangeville District Secondary School in the fall.

For the past many years, she has been an active town participant and volunteer. Her regular attendance at council meetings has familiarized her with council proceedings, issues and personnel. Ms Bradley holds the position of vice-chair of the First Night Committee, which brings a very successful free event to Orangeville and is now in its third year. She also served on the East End Beautification Committee where she was instrumental in building the flag compass garden, pavilions and boardwalk in a natural park setting.

This year's election results will be quicker due to electronic counting equipment recommended by the Administration and Elections Committee where Bradley served as the only public representative.

In an activist role, Bradley organized the Taxpayers Against Borrowing for Capital Expenditures. She presented a petition with more than 600 signatures to Council and begged them to listen to the petitioners' wishes.

Her election platform is focused on providing "Services We Need at a Cost We Can Afford."

"Unnecessary spending must stop. Current and previous councils have overspent hard-earned tax dollars building an oversized rec center way beyond what we need. They borrowed $15 million for infrastructure projects, including the unpopular Broadway rebuild. Overspending on these capital projects has resulted in runaway operating costs that now devour nearly all our tax

dollars. Six years ago, the Town had millions in reserves, now we have millions in debt. Debt servicing is costing us millions of dollars each and every year - dollars that profit banks and leave the Town with little money for future capital projects. We cannot sustain this level of spending. We need strong financial leadership. We need a strong Council willing to look at all town expenses and adjust costs to what we can afford. We need increasing levels of tax dollars spent on capital projects. We need to keep tax increases in line with the cost of living index."

Bradley says that along with better managing finances, "we need to be vigilant about strengthening the fabric of our community. We need to increase programming for youth and seniors at the rec centres and libraries. We need to renegotiate our library and rec centre contracts with our neighbours. Increased use will result in increased revenues. We need to increase the use of the transit system by promoting youth and seniors incentives, resulting in increased revenues. We need to make our community senior-friendly to keep and attract seniors in Orangeville. Seniors are excellent citizens with few infrastructure requirements, who contribute by volunteerism and patronizing local business. We need to continue to make our community accessible and healthy by providing sidewalks and bike paths at the same level as roads. Pedestrians, bicyclists, and wheelchairs should not play second fiddle to cars and roads. We need to focus on keeping the jobs we currently have in Orangeville by ensuring that services are adequate for current and future needs. And, we need to attract new business by being creative and innovative in our approach, including the new opportunities that Humber College brings." Her campaign theme: "It's time for a change in Town Hall."

She says many people have voiced their dissatisfaction with the current council and spending in the Town. "It's time to put new faces in Council, representatives that will listen to the people. It's time to live within our means."