Marimpietri ready to return to council

By Chris Jones/The Oshawa Express

Tito-Dante Marimpietri was a mere 23 years old when he entered the world of municipal politics in 2003.

After a four year hiatus, he’s now back as one of Oshawa’s regional councillors.

Elected as the representative of Ward 2, Marimpietri says that he is excited to be back on the job.

Marimpietri, who ran for the Liberal Party in the 2015 federal election, says that when he did not win that seat, he had always intended to return to municipal politics.

He says that he sees a lot of potential in Oshawa, especially in Ward 2.

“I was born and raised here, and there was a lot of unfinished business that meant ensuring Oshawa’s future played a big role in our region, and on the national and international level,” says Marimpietri.

He believes that UOIT and Durham College, as well as several different businesses are “fundamental incubators to our city and to our future. It sounds cliché, but it’s the future of children, the future of people who are studying and looking to call Oshawa home as well as invest in it.”
Marimpietri says that he wants to make sure that decisions being made by council are focused on the future and affordable, and councillors are held accountable for those choices.

“My key objectives are to keep costs low – but mainly keep our taxes low,” says Marimpietri. “I would like to see our taxes reduced by way of a number of different initiatives that range from the reduction of spending to the improvement of economic development.”

Another priority for Marimpietri is driving economic diversification. However, he says that this cannot be done without doing everything possible to reduce the tax burden on residents.

Being a regional councillor, Marimpietri says that he wants the city and the region to work together.

“When you consider the needs of every community in the region, and you look at Oshawa, we’ve serviced a great deal of the growth in other communities,” he says.

Using transit as an example, Marimpietri says that Oshawa has contributed to the modernization of these other communities.

“But in turn, we have to work with these other municipalities so that what we have offered in terms of investment in their communities can be offered in return to ours,” he says.

Marimpietri’s third priority is working with all levels of government because it “reduces our costs, and reduces our taxes, and reduces our burden.”

Marimpietri, who is much younger than many of his colleagues, says when he started out on council he did his best to respect his older constituents as well as the older councillors. However, that didn’t stop him from working to represent younger voters in Oshawa.

“The way I feel from when I was first elected to now is pretty much the same,” he says. “I think I may still be one of the younger lads on council, but my grandparents raised me, my parents worked very hard and I have children of my own. So I feel like I’m all of those things in one. I’m very careful that all generations are taken care of.”

With the reintroduction of the ward system, Marimpietri doesn’t believe that his outlook on council has changed.

“I was always very keen on making sure that Oshawa as a whole was taken care of.”

He does prefer the ward system however, as he believes it allows residents and councillors alike to understand what area is covered by each ward, as well as who is accountable for the issues.

Marimpietri is excited to work with each new councillor, but says that he is especially looking forward to work with Mayor-elect Dan Carter and Regional Chair-elect John Henry, as he believes they understand the needs of Oshawa.

“I’m honoured to have this opportunity thanks to the voters and the City of Oshawa,” says Marimpietri.