A message from the Town of Bracebridge:
With the unanimous support of Bracebridge Town Council, Mayor Graydon Smith has officially put his name forward as a candidate for President of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO).
AMO is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that represents municipalities throughout Ontario as their voice to the province on matters of advocacy and policy, as well as providing educational opportunities and resources for members. Currently, AMO also administers distribution of the Federal Gas Tax to each municipality in Ontario.
“I have been blessed with the chance to be a member of the AMO Board of Directors since 2014, representing the Small Urban Caucus. It has given me an excellent understanding of the challenges faced by communities and I know I can be an effective voice for all the outstanding municipalities in our Province,” said Mayor Smith.
Smith has been both a Board Member (2014 to 2018) and Executive Board Member (2018 to 2020) for the Association, also serving as Chair of AMO’s Health Task Force and as Chair of Ontario Small Urban Municipalities (OSUM) since 2018. He has served on both Town and District of Muskoka Councils since 2006 and is currently in his third term as Mayor of Bracebridge.
“My prior experience in various roles has prepared me well to take on this important task,” he said. “The last two years as an AMO Executive Board Member in particular has been very valuable, giving me the opportunity to learn greatly from my peers throughout Ontario and putting me in front of Government Ministers on a regular basis to discuss issues of importance to all Ontario municipalities.”
Smith said he appreciates not only the confidence of his local Council, but also the support of many colleagues throughout Ontario that have encouraged him to take this next step. Nominations will close on June 22 with an election (if necessary) at AMO’s Virtual Annual Conference from Aug. 17 to 19.
“Being able to represent my community as the Mayor of Bracebridge has been one of the greatest pleasures of my life,” Smith said. “Being able to expand that representation to include the many great municipalities of Ontario through AMO would be an incredible honour.”
