Racco Plans for Vaughan's Future

Vaughan mayoral candidate Mario Racco announced on Tuesday a second set of policy proposals aimed at restoring public confidence in Vaughan’s municipal government.

Speaking at a luncheon event in a Vaughan restaurant, Racco outlined a 16-point proposal entitled Planning for Vaughan’s Future which outlines his proposed changes to the planning process in the City of Vaughan.

Racco explained that the policy set came into being as a result of his conversations with many residents of Vaughan who indicated that they feel that growth in the City of Vaughan is not being well-managed. As Racco put it, the city’s residents are convinced that the developers run the city, a perception which leads to the feeling that planning decisions are made with little regard for their impact on the rest of the community. The outlined policy set has been designed to restore residents’ confidence in Vaughan’s community planning.

The policy set consists of four major sections: Actions at City Hall, Building Good Communities, Consulting the People, and Promoting Vaughan.

Racco suggests that the city create a developer registry as well as post plain language explanations on its website regarding planning decisions. He also suggests that aesthetic standards for all buildings be developed, as “people don’t want a mish-mash of architectural styles, with no consistency or connections”. As part of his policies under Building Good Communities, Racco proposes working closely and cooperatively with Vaughan’s neighbours, including the City of Toronto, Peel and York Regions and the Province of Ontario.

An important section of Racco’s policies involves consulting the residents of the City of Vaughan in decisions regarding planning. As such, in his proposed policy set, under the heading Consulting the People, Racco suggests that community information meetings be conducted at the start of the application process, at convenient times for working residents to attend, and that all such consultation meetings be clearly listed on the city’s website. He also proposes that the public be given ample opportunity to continue to provide input on the process of building a vibrant downtown Vaughan, as well as expanding the public consultation process for community upgrades.

Finally, Racco proposes measures to improve the city’s economy and quality of life, including re-establishing the Vaughan Economic Development Commissioner, establishing a Tourism and Marketing Director, and putting together a Welcome to Vaughan brochure for new residents.

“I am not against growth,” explained Racco. “I know that growth, when properly planned and built, is an asset to a city such as ours. Under my leadership, City Council will be more accountable to the people of Vaughan, and do a better job of keeping residents informed of decisions that affect them. The actions I am proposing will help Vaughan become a well-managed, vibrant, admired city.”

Racco emphasized his commitment to moving forward with the points outlined in his proposal within his first year in office, if elected.

For more information on Mario Racco’s campaign for mayor, visit www.racco4mayor.ca