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Cody Oschefski wants to create a more cohesive town

Going ahead with Midland Bay Landing project helps town financially, Midland deputy mayor candidate says
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Cody Oschefski is running for deputy mayor of Midland.

Editor's note: MidlandToday has asked council candidates in Midland, Penetanguishene and Tiny Township to provide a synopsis of why they are running for public office. Municipal elections take place Oct. 24.

The following response is from Cody Oschefski, who is running for deputy mayor in Midland. For more election coverage, visit our 2022 municipal election page by clicking here, where you can find candidate profiles and other election news.

What is your name, what will be your age on election day, and who are your key immediate family members you rely on for support?

My name is Cody Oschefski, I will be 35 years old at the time of election. I have two very proud Midlander parents in town, as well as my beautiful wife Jodi and my adorable, charming campaign manager and one-year-old daughter Nova.

In 10 words or less, why is your municipality the best in the province?

Unmatchable beauty, Georgian Bay and a diverse and welcoming community!

What prompted you to run as a municipal leader?

Midland is my passion, I have dedicated a huge portion of my life to being part of positive change for this town and to be a positive role model for young people in our community. No goal too big, hard work pays off. This is a blooming town with amazing potential for prosperity.

Midland Bay Landing is mired in controversy, involving contaminated land, residents wanting to protect parkland, developer visions for the future, and the municipality’s choice for that developer. What is your stance on Midland Bay Landing?

SO! We currently owe approximately $4.7M on this property. As it sits now, it is a parking area with a porta potty, on contaminated land. The Phase 1 development proposal offers to pay that entire debt off, creating a beautiful 100% public walkway along the water. This puts us in a much better financial position, gives the tax base some relief and leaves us with the majority of the property to decide what we would like to do with, with the developer or otherwise. But, the end of the day I am a representative of the people, if public appetite is to erase over 10 years of work and continue to pay on our debt to leave it the way it is, I will support that. I feel the mayoral race is a rough referendum on this property and I will be a hard-working deputy mayor to no matter who wins the election.

You will be asked to join committees and other municipal representations. Which are you eager to become involved in?

I would love to be more involved with bringing local service groups together, Team Midland. I want to mend the relationship with these groups, the BIA and charity organizations in our community. I want to give more support to the seniors' committee and bring the Midland Youth Committee back! I want to better support our library, cultural centre and bring some of the best practices from County (of Simcoe) home to help our homelessness, addiction and affordable housing issues.

Voter apathy is always a concern, ranging between 25.7% to 42% of cast ballots across North Simcoe in the last municipal election. Knowing you could be elected without even half of possible voters turning out, what will you do to combat voter apathy so your municipality is best represented?

I hope to provide creative ways to help people vote. I hope to help get a better voter turnout and to help people see how much their vote matters and how important this election is in shaping the future of our community.

There are many prominent concerns ongoing in the region, from affordable housing to the opioid epidemic to short-term rentals as well as others. What is one concern that you think the majority of residents are not aware of?

I think the broken relationships are something that we feel as a council that the public may not pick up on. Getting service groups, committees and most importantly the public’s respect and confidence back will be high on my priority list. Team Midland. We are stronger together and we work better together when we are all openly communicating and working together on our goals.

The province is planning for a population of 555,000 and 198,000 jobs by 2051. If now is the time to prepare for that influx, what will you proactively do as your part in the process?

I think supporting the Economic Development Corporation of North Simcoe will help us keep our finger on the pulse in terms of growth. We need to keep working with them and upper levels of government to provide good jobs, attainable housing and better support systems for our most vulnerable.

Recidivism isn’t just on the police and courts. As a municipal leader and crafter of bylaws, what initiatives will you undertake to address crime in your care?

I believe we need to do more to slow down traffic in town. We also need to create language around short-term rentals and Airbnb's specifically. We need to reward the good ones and have tools to be able to have some teeth when a rental unit is causing disruption in their neighbourhoods. We also need to update our wild animal feeding bylaws, make it easier for Uber drivers who want to get started as well as increase safety and security downtown and across town.

Infrastructure projects require taxpayer dollars. What infrastructure project does the municipality desperately need, and does it justify a tax increase from the ratepayers to have it done as soon as possible?

Getting services to the corner of Hwy 93 and Hwy 12 will help us develop the former driving range property. The town has done a great job scheduling which infrastructure is set to be replaced in coming years and budgeting for the maintenance and repairs. Continuing with this practice will ensure no surprises and no urgent and unavoidable tax increases.

Times change. What is the most aged or obsolete bylaw in your municipality’s code?

Taxi Bylaw doesn’t include Uber. Secondary Suites bylaw doesn’t reference sea containers and prohibits some of the tiny home solutions other communities are using to relieve the strain on housing. We should also refresh our 2007-71 Bylaw regarding accountability and transparency and make it a top priority for the next four years.

Once you complete your four-year term, what is the legacy you want residents to best remember for your time in office?

In four years I’d like to be re-elected for my dedication to the town, involvement with local events, boards, service groups. I’d like to be known for my commitment to Midland in advocating for our most vulnerable and for bringing solutions home from upper levels of government to help with some of our growing issues. Lastly, I’d like to be remembered for being a councillor for everyone, open, accessible and honest. I am a very proud Midlander and I will dedicate my next four years and beyond to making Midland better every day!