Editor's note: BarrieToday is running profile stories on candidates for city council in each of the city's 10 wards. For more election coverage, visit our 2022 municipal election page by clicking here, where you can also find mayoral profiles and other election news.
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A father of two and long-time Barrie resident, Tim Abel is confident he has the perfect skill set to represent Ward 4 in the next term of city council.
Abel told BarrieToday that although his bid for a seat at the council table is his debut in terms of any personal political aspirations, it is not however his first foray into the world of politics, having worked as a constituency assistant and manager for constituency issues for both Andrea Khanjin, MPP for Barrie-Innisfil, and Doug Downey, MPP for Barrie-Springwater-Oro Medonte.
The 41-year-old father of two and small business owner has been living and working in Barrie for 17 years, and said his decision to be the one running for office this time around boiled down to simply wanting to make a difference on a more personal level.
“I really love the city of Barrie. We’ve made a choice to be here as a family and invest in the community here, and I want to be a part of the growth that happens, and it will happen,” he said.
“The city is growing and it’s important to be proactive and ready to grow with it. I think I can make a big difference and help the people I work for.”
Abel noted being a family man allows him to relate with a large part of the constituency.
“A lot of the issues that I am hearing are easily relatable, whether it’s the growing rate of crime or just the uneasy feeling I am getting at the doors as far as finding a direction so that everyone feels safe and like they’re well represented as the city grows," Abel explained.
The issues that affect individual wards, including Ward 4, will ultimately be the same issues that impact the city as a whole, he added.
“A major issue I’d love to tackle is just making sure people feel safe,” he said, adding traffic safety is also top of mind.
“A lot of issues I’ve heard people confirm is as the city grows and development grows … there (needs to be) a more proactive measure that can be taken to ensure the safety of younger families (and) pedestrians… something to make sure that they’re safe when they’re entering one of our beautiful parks and making sure (parks) are clean and safe as well," he said.
The political hopeful told BarrieToday he believes his positive energy will also serve him well at the city hall.
“I really feel that I am going to be able to be that voice that everybody in Ward 4 needs to be a representative in city hall,” he said. “What I bring as far as my ability to connect with people (is also) my responsiveness as to when somebody brings me an issue - whether it’s something minor or something that takes hard work to come to a solution, I think I am ready for that.”
