O’Meara promises engaged, experienced and energetic leadership

Oakville, ON — After serving three terms as a Regional and Oakville Town Councillor, Ward 1’s Sean

O’Meara announced his run for Oakville Mayor to an energized room full of supporters at The

Gingerman Social Eatery tonight.

“I love Oakville, I grew up here, and I chose to raise my own family here,” O’Meara told the crowd. “We

are incredibly fortunate to call this community home, and I am here tonight to announce that I will be

running to be the next Mayor of Oakville in the fall election.”

Sean O’Meara was first elected Regional and Town Councillor in 2014, serving 12 years in Council and

working across the full spectrum of municipal government — infrastructure, land-use planning, fiscal

stewardship, and regional governance. O’Meara was awarded the Hamilton/Halton Business Link Top

40 Under 40 Business Achievement Award in October 2013 in recognition of his business

accomplishments, community involvement, and work in government relations.

In his speech, O’Meara likened the current path Oakville is on to “driving in the middle lane” on the

highway. Not speeding, not lagging behind, but cruising comfortably along while faster drivers pass by

on both sides. On the one side, he said are municipalities that are willing to innovate and on the other,

are municipalities willing to take measured risks. “Staying safe hasn’t made us a leader,” he said.

“Strong, principled leadership knows when it’s time to get out of the middle lane.”

One of O’Meara’s top motivations for running for Mayor is ensuring Oakville remains a town that is

welcoming, innovative, and sustainable for his children to live in. “My kids use our community centres,

our libraries, our parks, and our transit system. Like so many families, we expect safe streets, reliable

buses, and public spaces that bring people together.”

The key to driving Oakville out of the middle lane, according to O’Meara, is investing wisely, listening

carefully, maintaining core services, and governing with long-term stewardship rather than short-term

convenience. O’Meara wants to bring collaboration to Town Hall, with his fellow Councillors, residents,

and the business community. “Oakville is too complex, too interconnected, and too important to be

governed through a top-down model that discourages initiative,” he said. “Municipal government must

think beyond the next budget cycle or the next election. We have a responsibility to make decisions that

stand the test of time — decisions that ensure Oakville is a Town where all residents and businesses

don’t just live, but thrive.”

O’Meara is no stranger to meeting municipal challenges with innovation. As a first-time Town Councillor

in 2014, he recognized that transportation gridlock was holding the entire region back, leading O’Meara

to become the driving force behind the construction of the Wyecroft Bridge, scheduled to open this fall.

The new bridge will divert traffic away from local residential neighborhoods, reduce congestion on local

roads and improve access to both Bronte and Appleby GO stations, supporting transit and reducing

commuter times. “It wasn’t easy, but it was necessary,” said O’Meara. “Leadership understands how

policy and opportunity balance risk and return to ensure necessary improvements in our community.”

Calling Oakville home for more than 35 years, O’Meara lives in the heart of Bronte with his wife,

daughter, and son. As O’Meara gears up for a Mayoral run, he looks forward to delivering engaged,

experienced, energetic, and principled leadership to move Oakville out of the middle lane.