r/Milton • u/NoCollection210 • 2d ago
Question Gord Grantz vs George Minakakis ?
After researching, I realized that these are the best candidates. But I am torn between Gord and George. What convinced you of either of them? I would like to know your opinion.
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u/CloakedMoth 2d ago
The fact that one of them is not 90 freaking years old!!
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u/EnglishKen421 2d ago
People keep saying this, but not really following it up with any actual reason.
Did his age cause an actual problem, or is this just blatant age discrimination?
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u/thumbs27 2d ago
You don't being 90 years old is reason enough? No on that age can perform the duties to be incharge of a city.
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u/EnglishKen421 2d ago
What do you mean?
He's performing the duties currently. He's been doing it all year.
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u/turkeygiant 1d ago
I think a lot of people would argue that he hasn't been really doing it for a long time. IMO a mayor should be setting the vision and tone for the growing up that milton desperately needs, not just mild mannerly officiating town hall meetings where nothing but the status quo is ever really considered.
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u/EnglishKen421 1d ago
a lot of people would argue that he hasn't been really doing it for a long time.
What do you mean by this? What task has he failed?
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u/turkeygiant 1d ago
Personally I think our council under Krantz for at least 20 years has just been kicking too many cans down the road with study after study and tiptoeing around old established Milton (of which I am very much part of) while also kowtowing to developers. And maybe its not fair to lay that all on Krantz, there have been a lot of other councilors in that time, but I see in other municipalities vision coming from the top and kickstarting their councils into action, while in Milton I genuinely have a hard time thinking of any substantial moves Krantz has championed. Maybe public transit? But really you look at our anemic F grade service and its hard to see it as anything more than something they were dragged into kicking and screaming out of necessity in a community that has grown 500% in 25 years. A mayor should not be a ho hum tow the line bureaucrat.
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u/Kaladin-- 2d ago
Can you share your research? Why’d you narrow it down to those two? Struggling with my vote myself and would appreciate if you could share your thoughts.
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2d ago
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u/Kaladin-- 2d ago
I sincerely hope that wasn’t the reason. But I’ll let the author speak for themselves.
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u/PurpleHatChetaha 2d ago
So you’d rather choose a candidate based on the colour of their skin instead of their qualifications?
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u/GreyMatter22 2d ago
I don’t know how in the world George would be anyone’s top choice. If he wasn’t white, no one would had even looked at him.
He always mentioned ‘MBA’, but hides the fact that it’s from freakin’ Athabasca. Then he’s an author, but his books are sitting on Amazon with 5 reviews.. this tells you that they barely exist.
He’s also a pro data center guy, he wk literally sell Milton to these aggressive AI companies WITHOUT any regulations. Seriously look up Milton-like towns in the U.S where this happened, it jacked up everyone’s utility bills to record highs.
He’s also CEO of a random retail groups, whose website is a nothing burger, I honestly have no clue why he is the ‘best’ candidate.
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u/Zealousideal-Fee4809 2d ago
Athabasca runs a pretty legitimate MBA program, that’s not really an issue.
He’s definitely a corporate shill tho and agree with everything else you said
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u/Only_Complex6386 2d ago
Cause Milton has ZERO mayoral candidates that I would vote for. Gord is 89, and hes our best option.. this is insane to me.
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u/GreyMatter22 2d ago
Agreed. It sucks that Zee couldn’t make it. I would def like Zainab to get some real successful experience before she runs again years down the line.
But a 89 year old Gord isn’t too bad, which is itself a joke lol.
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u/DayOfTheDeb 2d ago
I just moved to Milton a year ago and so it'll be my first time voting here. When I first heard Gord's age and saw his photo, I was an automatic no.
After watching the all candidates meeting and also meeting some of the candidates and researching, I do agree I am not really enthused about any of them... And Gord seemed really well spoken and able when he spoke despite his age.
Things can turn quickly though in those later years... He will obviously be in a decline every minute his term passes.
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u/Sad_Times654 6h ago
Your alternatives are:
Inexperienced and corrupt 24 year old. - Zainab Azim
The typical resume politician that will run for a LPC seat very soon - Sameera Ali.
89 year old, running to be the oldest ever. - Gord
The rest I haven't really heard of as much.
Of the 3, George isn't old, has experience and looks to run for Milton and not a federal or provincial party.
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u/TheNightLard 2d ago
You mean, the same Gord that has destroyed any green area around Milton in the last decade to build fully concreted neighborhoods? At least you still have Conservation Halton to breathe some fresh air around Milton
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u/taliaforester 2d ago
It’s time for Gord to retire. He’s had a good run but Milton desperately needs new leadership. George’s platform is unconvincing to me - the fact he’s pro data centres is enough for me to cross him off my list.
It’s going to be a tough election this year unfortunately.
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u/Sad_Times654 6h ago
If you're not going to vote for George, vote for Gord. But I'd go with something new instead - with George.
I would not trust any of the other candidates.
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u/EnglishKen421 2d ago
Why does Milton need new Leadership?
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u/SeverelyQuiet 2d ago
Because ideas of the 1970s don't work anymore in 2026. Simple as that. Technology and Gord don't go together. Gords adaptation to current challenges is slow and with the fast growth of middle class families and their needs of a better planned town a big gapis building. No facilities for kids to learn grow and develop bare minimum at every corner. Run to fail on all fronts. Milton is on a run to fail model for a decade now and this needs to stop. Snow shovelling , parks, traffic, infrastructure all on run to fail no improvements until it fails.
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u/EnglishKen421 2d ago
Milton is on a run to fail model for a decade now and this needs to stop.
What do you mean by this?
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u/SeverelyQuiet 2d ago
Infrastructure is not upgraded until there is a dire need for it. City growth is outpacing infrastructure requirements sign of bad planning. Should be other way around.
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u/EnglishKen421 1d ago
Which infrastructure are you referring to?
Is there any issue with the water system?0
u/SeverelyQuiet 1d ago
Sorry what .. are you living under a rock? Pick a town/city and make a comparison of local infrastructure that fall under mayoral powers under councillor powers and you will have your answer.. if you still don t get the answer ask yourself why is Milton not the best city in Canada and what it needs to improve to get there.
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u/EnglishKen421 1d ago
Right.
So, what infrastructure are you referring to?
Is it the Electric Grid?
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u/SeverelyQuiet 1d ago
Right! what did you not get?
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u/EnglishKen421 1d ago
I did not get which Infrastructure you are referring to, specifically.
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u/Vtecman 2d ago
Gord isn’t innovative anymore. He’s done a lot for Milton but at this point it’s just hubris or selfishness from him to run again.
George has some decent ideas and some experience with council.
Zainab has some good ideas at a high level but no actual experience. I’d want to see her as a councillor before jumping into mayor.
The rest are just disingenuous.
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u/frank998 2d ago
Mind boggling that Zainab is in your short list. A kid who lives at home and has no experience with anything. I would rather Sameera. She has been a regional Counciler. But probably going with Gord.
Milton made a mistake not electing Zeeshan last election
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u/OkBoomerEh 2d ago
I’ve been genuinely impressed by Zainab, but agreed I’d like to see her get some experience as a councillor before taking the mayor’s chain.
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u/airbaghones 1d ago
Impressed by what, her volunteer experience? What could you possibly be impressed by
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u/Sad_Times654 6h ago
Impressed by what? She has no experience.
Do you just see Harvard and loose your mind? Her program has a 50% acceptance rate, you can get in too, the only pre-req is making sure daddy has money (as it is costly) so that he can pay for his princess.
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u/EnglishKen421 2d ago
Why do you say Gord lacks innovation?
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u/CFitNerd 2d ago
What part of his platform indicate he has new ideas or innovation?
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u/EnglishKen421 2d ago
His entire career.
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u/CFitNerd 2d ago
What has be done that is innovative in the past 8 years?
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u/EnglishKen421 2d ago
Our transit system.
8 years ago Milton did not have one.
Gord created Milton Transit.
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u/CFitNerd 2d ago
Milton transit was created 1972 and modern current service in 2004. So what did he do to innovate it? Current transit is inefficient and typically late running.
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u/EnglishKen421 2d ago
Milton transit was created 1972
This is also false. Milton transit was created in 2005.
If you read beyond the first line of the AI summary you'd see it was a private company in 1972.
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u/CFitNerd 2d ago
Looked at multiple sites. Plus AI. All said it was always town run, initially in a partnership with Oakville transit and Mississauga Truck and Bus until 2010 when the town gave the contract to Pacific Western Transportation. As I've said already. I voted for Gord since I moved here in 2004. I've just seen too much complacency lately and not enough ideas hence my desire for change. Vote for Gord if you want to of course, that is your right. But I'm looking for new ideas and personally feel from conversations and the debate I attended that he's not the right candidate for me this time.
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u/EnglishKen421 2d ago
Current transit is inefficient and typically late running.
This is a false statement.
Where did you get your data from?
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u/CFitNerd 2d ago
Use of the system. Report cards haven't been published in years but the last one I can find in an isauga article from 2023: Outside of Toronto, Oakville and Milton tied for the worst grade. The report cards said that Milton’s transit service “remains very limited for a rapidly growing city,”
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u/EnglishKen421 2d ago
A single guy writing an Insauga article from 3 years ago is your source....?
Convincing argument.....
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u/PlantainManne 1d ago
The Toronto Region Board gave Milton the lowest ranking in the GTA, tied with Oakville.
You can also check the lateness frequency of each route on the Transit app. Only 2 routes in my check while typing this post show being on tons more than 75% of the time.The idea that Transit isn’t inefficient or tardy makes no sense with all the available data.
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u/EnglishKen421 1d ago
The Toronto Region Board of Trade? Are they normally responsible for transit assessments? Or is this a random organization InHalton picked?
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u/KobeJuanKenobi9 2d ago
This is just untrue
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u/Kind-Definition8825 2d ago
Notice how nobody states an actual reason? The only reason is because of his age.
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u/EnglishKen421 2d ago
It feels very discriminatory.
Like, if he was falling asleep in traffic sure.
But he isnt.1
u/Kind-Definition8825 2d ago
It is and if you mention that you get downvoted into hell. There have been zero examples that show he is in any sort of age related decline.
Meanwhile other candidates are talking about religion and brotherhood, creating a group misnamed 'city of Milton' that just pushes more politics. Telling other candidates to resign so they don't split the vote. The list goes on....
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u/EnglishKen421 2d ago
Gord walks to work. I dont know anyone else who does that.
He's pretty fit.
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u/PurpleHatChetaha 2d ago
GORD. IS. ALMOST. NINETY!!!!!!! No person should be working when they’re 90. Think about what he can actually do. I’m not saying he isn’t a legend amongst the people of Milton. I’m just saying the legend needs to retire and hang out with his grandbabies. How is this even a thing??? NINETY!!!!!!
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u/IntelligentGinger 1d ago
Great-grandbabies!
I wish he did retire and end his tenure on a good(ish) note rather than another election. I don't know if he'll get the votes this time.
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u/Jargen 1d ago
What makes George a better fit than Sameera for Mayor?
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u/Sad_Times654 6h ago
Typical person running for federal or provincial Liberal, that is where she wants to be. She is just using this as a stepping-stone to that.
She claims to be against tax hikes, yet she supported it repeatedly during the budgets. So she is disingenuous.
Then there was the free Palestine showdown that she organized in MILTON city hall, while being part of city hall.
George doesn't have the baggage above.
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u/Thanks-4allthefish 1d ago
Other than oportunistically trying to ditch Milton when a better gig opened up, or her divisive motion on what should be a federal foreign affairs matter.
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u/PlantainManne 1d ago
It’s gonna be a vote for George from me. Gord is at the age where people go to sleep and don’t wake back up. As spry as he is, that’s a reality. We don’t need a succession battle here.
Gord also has no real outlined plan. He’s been costing off of vibes for decades now. That just not good for a growing town.
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u/Capricorn7Seven 2d ago
Jorge is the only right answer. All you need to know is that the abysmal planning Of Milton is at Gord’s feet. By the way, he had family members in the planning department.
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u/SeverelyQuiet 2d ago
Both are bad choices for the city. Honestly there is no candidate that checks all boxes. The experienced ones want to keep it status quo with false un implementable promises. The inexperienced ones are building kingdoms in the sky there is no clarity and practical plan.
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u/Weekly-Lie9099 2d ago
At this point it feels like Gord is the only option. Zinab sparked my interest but her excessive signage installed in places that impact public safety and her misleading website put me off (there’s no way she’s been in any of the positions she’s put on her resume long enough for her to be qualified to be a mayor)
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u/pongaway 2d ago
Her zealous supporters placing gigantic signs facing directly into school yards, where young kids are playing at recess, was the nail in the coffin for me in regards to Zainab. Absolutely tone deaf and inappropriate.
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u/Sad_Times654 6h ago
Worst politician ever, should have an inquiry into her actions. Corrupt and slimy AF.
Asif Khan and Zainab Azim both should be banned from ever running for anything in Milton.
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u/RockinTheKasba 2d ago
Gord all the way! George isn’t the guy he makes himself to be
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u/CFitNerd 2d ago
Evidence of that? I've had several conversations with him and feel he is exactly what he claims to be.
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u/Significant-Top-6220 2d ago
High school dropout versus executive who went to an online university to get an MBA. Tough choice. It's kind of sad that these are the best candidates that Milton can produce. I think the biggest thing that George has going for him is that he's not a real estate agent.
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u/ChestOk751 2d ago
I’m between George and Nadeem, don’t know what to do.
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u/Sprinqqueen 2d ago
I'm between Gord and Maliha. I like her platform and the fact that she's very involved in the community, but feel like she needs actual experience on council before going for the mayoral position.
I think Gord has been steady and like the fact that he voted against the tax hikes, but he hasn't really given a full platform. I personally think he's quite with it, so his age doesn't matter to me, except that if something were to happen he may go down quickly (nobody knows the future though)
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u/No-Wolverine5288 2d ago
I’ve always voted for kranz and see no reason to change
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u/OkBoomerEh 2d ago
So you’re good with how the town has fared under his leadership?
Planning is all good, traffic all good, services all good?4
u/CFitNerd 2d ago
Watch his speech at the ward 1 debate on youtube and tell me why you'd still vote for Gord. I've done so too all past elections. He's got no platform or plan and leads with "because I've been here for a long time". That isn't good enough for me.
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u/DayOfTheDeb 1d ago
He also mentioned that the increases in property taxes were due to the ward councillors voting for it to be increased and deflected the blame there... So what influence should the mayor have over the council for these types of decisions?
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u/Haunting_Thought6897 2d ago
Anyone that keep my property tax low, is who we need to vote
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u/goldmanstocks 2d ago
lol yes, yes. Your property tax should be subsidized by a data centre. Say no to property tax increases! Yes to data centres!
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u/Haunting_Thought6897 2d ago
Govt's are going to screw you no matter what, at least let me have some more of my money in my pocket while dey do
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u/goldmanstocks 2d ago
Just an incredibly dumb and short-sighted take. “Yay, I pay less property tax, but oh no, now I’ll pay more for utilities.”
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u/Haunting_Thought6897 10h ago edited 10h ago
Do you know that for a fact? That if I pay more in prop tax, I would have less utilities? This idea that the more I give government my money the better the cost of living is a myth. The inverse is actually the case
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u/goldmanstocks 4h ago
This is the last I’m gonna write on this- data centers use an abundance of water and electricity. Milton was not planned around data centers. Milton citizens would be competing for water and electricity with data centers. Higher utility demand, flat utility supply = higher utility prices.
The revenue from data centers might be enough to subsidize future property tax increases, like development fees had been doing, but eventually property taxes will have to go up too.
Just because you say the inverse is actually the case, doesn’t make it so. I would rather my property tax go up small amounts every year rather than it be subsidized by a data center. That’s all this is. A trade off between paying less property taxes, higher utility costs and having a damn data center in the town. Or having property taxes, utilities rise naturally and no data center. I mean, we already have the CN Intermodal stuck in this town, so let’s add a loud, buzzy data center to go along the 18-wheelers cutting through town. The cost of living.
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u/goldmanstocks 2d ago
Gord’s had one hell of a run, but I don’t want Milton to continue to hold the title of having “Canada’s oldest mayor”. I’m not entirely sold on George either, his platform is around “cost effectiveness” which to me means tax cuts without saying tax cuts, which translates to service cuts.