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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Md Hafizur Rahman’s reasons for running for Barrie city council are pretty straightforward: He wants to give back to a community that has given so much to him.
The 38-year-old student small businessman is running as a candidate for Ward 4 in the city’s northwest end, where he has lived for the past seven years.
“I am quite pleased to be a Canadian. Being elected to city council would allow me to give back to the community that has supported and encouraged my family for the past 27 years,” he told BarrieToday.
Rahman says a career in retail, customer service and public relations has given him myriad of talents and perspectives that he believes would be valuable at the council table, in serving the public, and interacting with neighbouring municipalities.
“I conduct myself with honesty and dedication. I plan to live up to those beliefs in whatever I do for the city," he added.
Rahman says reducing the city’s debt and creating more financial stability for its residents would be a wonderful city-building project for future generations.
“Although we may not consider these city development initiatives, if we do not struggle with them now, they will wrestle us all to the ground in six to eight years,” he said, adding he believes there should be an emphasis put on the second phase of the light-rail completion. “It is a massive expenditure that will consume all of our resources over the next six to 10 years. With the province in (a) significant financial crisis we must prepare for lower provincial income and become more self-sufficient for the imminent provincial economic collapse… due to the province's ever-increasing 41.4 per cent 2022-2023 plus provincial debt load.
“Objectives are assertions about a specific component of the city's ultimate physical, social, and/or economic environment. Priorities provide the tone for development decisions based on residents' desired quality of life,” Rahman added, noting that growth, economic development, public safety, revenues and financial stability and parks and recreation are among the top five on his list of long-term priorities.
His overall commitment to representing the electorate, decisiveness, quick thinking and accountability are among his biggest strengths, he told BarrieToday.
“I honestly believe that the greatest communities are founded on a collaborative mentality. I have the abilities and expertise to bring together all parts of our community to establish shared goals and collaborate to develop unique yet feasible solutions,” he said.
Having worked in a variety of different sectors and now as a tiny coffee shop owner, he says this has given him a broad view and knowledge of the community.
“We are all working hard to make our region the finest location to live in the world. Relationships and projects can and should extend beyond municipal bounds, and I believe I can assist with this. I was a student leader at Georgian College as part of the Bangladeshi Students Association, I listen, I am linked to our community, and I provide a broad community viewpoint.
"I am a diligent worker who is enthusiastic about getting things done.”
