From AuroraToday - "Longtime public servant enters Aurora Ward 2 race with ‘strong voice’ for residents"
- Angela
- Aug 11
- 3 min read
Article by Yoyo Yan.
After three decades of speaking up for her neighbours at Aurora Town Hall, Angela Daust is taking her community advocacy to the next level.
Daust registered her candidacy for Ward 2 on July 29, entering a race that also includes Marco Di Girolamo and Brynn Lansdown.
A Ward 2 resident for more than 29 years, Daust says her campaign will focus on “considerate, sustainable growth for Aurora, fiscal responsibility, and democratic governance.”
“We need to evolve for the future, and I think it needs to be done in a considerate fashion so that all parties are made comfortable with what is going forward,” she said.
Daust brings 30 years of municipal experience to the campaign, having recently retired from the City of Toronto after a career that included policy development, public engagement, research, risk assessment and contract management.
Her professional experience, she says, has given her a detailed understanding of municipal governance and the relationship between elected officials, staff and residents.
“I’ve always been very involved in local politics and very concerned about local politics and how it affects the residents,” she said. “I think that level of government is the one closest to everyone. It affects everyone the most on a local basis.
Her connection to Aurora is equally deep.
Daust and her husband moved from Toronto to Aurora when they decided to start a family, drawn by the town’s community atmosphere, schools and commuting options. They bought a 120-year-old home in Ward 2 and spent 25 years restoring it.
“We are very proud that we saved a piece of Aurora history,” she said.
Daust has also spent years advocating on local development issues, appearing before council on behalf of residents and pushing for growth that respects existing neighbourhoods.
She currently serves as a citizen volunteer on the town’s environmental advisory committee and previously served on the Yonge Street revitalization sub-committee.
Growth remains a central concern.
Daust said she has watched development proposals increasingly “push the envelope” of what residents understood the Aurora Promenade Plan to permit.
“We need to make sure that any growth in the future can be supported by our infrastructure,” she said, pointing specifically to what she calls a significant shortfall in infrastructure repair and replacement funding.
“We need to be fiscally responsible.”
Democratic governance is another major plank of her campaign, particularly the use of strong mayor powers.
“I don’t believe that the decisions of one person properly represents everybody in Aurora,” Daust said. “If we have a municipal election and people go out and vote for a certain candidate because they want their concerns heard by the candidate, they need to have a voice at the table.”
For Daust, living in the ward she hopes to represent is an important part of that connection.
“Each ward has its own concerns and its own needs, and I think it’s really important to live in the ward in order to know what people need in your ward,” she said.
She points to years of community advocacy as another advantage, saying she has learned how to bring residents’ concerns before council and ensure they are heard.
Now retired, Daust says she can devote her full attention to the role.
“I’m looking forward to doing more research and being presented topics by staff that I can look into and make sure that I’m really well-informed on what is going on in order to make the best judgements and the best decisions for people in my ward.”
Her campaign motto captures the role she hopes to play: “Your Strong Voice on Council.”
“I honestly believe that people in the ward need to have somebody to advocate for them and to stand up to make sure the Town of Aurora goes the direction that they want it to do and what all the residents of Aurora want it to be,” she said.
Daust said Aurora can accommodate growth while preserving the community character that drew many residents to town in the first place
“We’re right on Yonge Street, obviously there’s going to be growth, but it needs to be growth that fits everyone.”
Full web article can be found here
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