An Innisfil restauranteur has put his name into the hat for this year's municipal election.
The Cove Café on Lockhart Road has become a hot spot for the Innisfil community to dine, it’s also helped owner Robert Saunders build plenty of relationships with those in the area.
Saunders is now hoping to build on those relationships by representing Ward 6 as ward councillor.
“I live in the area, I have a business in the area, and I employ a lot of people in the area,” he explained. “With all the people I know in the area, I’ve had many of them in the Sandycove area ask me to run.”
As a well-known business owner in town, over the years Saunders has become someone people go to when looking for information on the municipality, which is why he thinks he’s a perfect fit for the job.
“One thing I want to do is be more communicative with the people in the area,” he said. “A lot of times there’s stuff going on with the roads—construction and closures—and it just pops up and people just don’t know why or how long it will last. The communications between the town and the area is just not as good as it should be.
"The residents in the restaurant always ask me things and if I can find them out, I’ll let them know. With me knowing people in the town, I know how to get through some of the red tape and instead of going through a general line, I can basically go right to the department that knows the answer. I’ve got my ear to the ground with both the residents and the town, so when people have questions, I can always find a fast answer.”
Emphasizing the importance of communication and transparency, Saunders sees himself as someone who can be a liaison to convey both to council and residents what’s going on.
“I want to make it easier for the people,” he said. “I want to be able to keep everyone in the loop on what’s going on and why things are happening. Listening to the people who elected you should be at the top of every politician's priorities. With the importance of communication between constituents and the town, you’ve got to be available all the time to answer questions.”
Saunders also wants to ensure the natural beauty of Innisfil is preserved as the town grows and that smart decisions are made for the long-term health of the environment.
“Going with development but making environmentally friendly decisions for the area,” he said. “Instead of clear-cutting a field of trees and slapping up a subdivision, let’s try and make it as environmentally friendly as we can.”
Being entrenched in Innisfil as a business owner who relies on the residents every day, Saunders says the community means a lot to him.
“This community is amazing,” he said. “They supported me for seven years with this business and they rallied behind me when COVID was happening and told me they were so glad I stayed in business and glad they could help me out. As we get out of COVID we need to get back together and get the community back out there and enjoy themselves again.”
