HAGERSVILLE—Long-time local politician Tony Dalimonte is one of four candidates vying to fill the vacant Ward 4 Council seat.
While Dalimonte lost the seat in the 2022 election to Natalie Stam, and then subsequently lost to the late Marie Trainer in the 2023 byelection, he still believes he is the right guy for the job.
“I was born and raised in Hagersville, raised my family here,” said Dalimonte, who has been in local politics since before Haldimand’s incorporation in 2001. He has been a community staple through the years, including as a former Lion’s Club member and as a current member of the Hagersville Chamber of Commerce.
His work with the Lion’s Club included the town splash pad and skate park, while Council projects included playground upgrades in York and Canfield, a parking lot upgrade for Canfield Community Centre, the tar and chip road conversion program, and serving as a driving force behind the under-construction Hagersville Library and Active Living Centre, of which he continues to serve on the fundraising committee. He previously pushed for the building of the integrated fire and paramedic station on Main Street, completed in 2014 with an additional $100,000 he raised to buy specialized equipment and a $25,000 electronic sign he donated himself.
Dalimonte believes he has the experience to hit the ground running if re-elected, something he sees as essential with only 19 months remaining until the municipal election next year.
Dalimonte noted his ongoing concerns over traffic and speeding as an item he would continue advocating for, including promoting improvements in the under-review traffic management study and a “one-on-one meeting with our new police chief; I hear she’s a real go getter.”
Dalimonte has also been hearing about high taxes shouldered by residential owners. He said addressing those concerns is best done by bringing more light industrial commercial development in to help shoulder those costs.
“The role the municipality has to play there is to make sure that our water and sewer and road infrastructure is as best as it can possibly be,” he said. “We can’t make business come here, but we can create the environment.”
He would also push for more recreational amenities, particularly ‘soft’ recreational activities that are low-or-no-cost and also appeal to the riding’s growing senior population.
On the major development proposals under review in Hagersville, Dalimonte said, “It’s the Ontario government housing policy that is driving development in Haldimand,” noting that the current project for a twin water line between Haldimand Rd. 55 and Hagersville will support 2,100 units.
“There’s plusses to it, and there’s negatives to it, right?” said Dalimonte, criticizing the Province for not providing adequate infrastructure funding to match their aggressive growth targets but noting increased population means an increased customer base for business, and therefore more types of businesses can start and thrive locally.
He also iterated his belief that growth is inevitable: “So if there’s any candidate out there that’s saying they’re going to stop it and they’re going to put their foot down, it’s not going to happen.”
Instead, he suggested, “We need to embrace it, we need to manage it, and we need to provide the amenities and the facilities necessary to make it as comfortable as we can for existing residents and new residents.”
On Ward 4’s two neighbouring Indigenous communities, Dalimonte would like to see more one-on-one discussion with the “two respective councils” to find mutually beneficial projects to work on together, citing better medical or recreational services as two potential ideas.
“They’re strong supporters of the Hagersville community … and we need to maintain that relationship,” he said.
Dalimonte has some new ideas he would like to push forward as well, starting with a proposal to conduct a feasibility study to consider either the replacement or enhancement of the existing Hagersville arena.
“The way this community is growing, I foresee a need sooner than later…. It’s time to plant the seed now and start the planning for a new arena for sure,” he said.
The other major project he would like to see completed is to form a committee comprised of senior staff as well as community industrial partners, focused on the idea of pushing a bypass or new road around Hagersville to better traffic conditions in town.
He concluded that voters should pick him if they want a representative with strong ties to the community, a solid base of experience, and a track record of supporting the community’s varied needs.
