ThoroldToday will be profiling every candidate in the upcoming municipal and school board elections on Oct. 24. Today: Sebastian Soccio-Marandola.
Sebastian Soccio-Marandola, 25, wants to take his experience as a Thorold volunteer to the next level.
“I’m extremely passionate about our community,” Soccio-Marandola says, in an interview with ThoroldToday. “I’ve done quite a bit of extensive volunteer work. This is hopefully the next progression to expand on work I have already started in the community.”
Soccio-Marandola was born and raised in Thorold.
“To me it’s home,” says Soccio-Marandola. “It’s where I lived my entire life. I care about doing good by it. It means a lot to me.”
It’s the second time Soccio-Marandola is running for city council.
“I feel now, myself being a bit older, having a bit more experience—I have learned a great deal more and I think I can bring a lot more to the table,” he says.
Soccio-Marandola points to the many city committees he’s been a member of in the past four years, such as the Age-Friendly Committee and the Tourism Advisory Committee. He is also the chair of the Special Events Committee and the Santa Claus Parade Committee.
He is very proud of his work lobbying the city to take responsibility of the Santa Claus Parade.
“What a lot of people probably don’t know is that this was over three years in the making,” Soccio-Marandola says. “I think it’s one of our most important and inclusive events in the community. The dedication I had to that is the same dedication I want to show as a city councillor. I’m not going to let up on an issue that needs to be addressed.”
If elected, affordable housing is a big priority for Soccio-Marandola. He also sits on the board of the Thorold Municipal Non-Profit Housing Corporation.
“We’re hopefully shovel ready on our next building on Baker Street,” he says. “We’re already setting our eyes on future buildings and getting more units. That was one of the most important things for me: cutting through the red tape and getting affordable units in this city to house our residents that need it most.”
Housing is also what keeps Soccio-Marandola busy in his daily life. He works as a property manager with Marandola Real Estate Management.
“I have been around and have been exposed to it my entire life,” Soccio-Marandola says. “I also have that experience where I bridge business with the volunteering, where you strike a fine balance between those and push forward your initiatives.”
He points to the alternative housing forum he helped organize two years ago as part of the Age-Friendly Committee.
“We worked with a few other groups and put together a forum where we discussed alternative housing strategies,” he says. “I think that is going to be huge with the rising costs of real estate. You have to get creative and you have to think outside the box to achieve these housing goals.”
Thorold is seeing an unprecedented growth and Soccio-Marandola wants to meet that challenge.
“While it is important to maintain our heritage and where we come from it’s also extremely important for us to navigate the future,” he says. “We’re going to experience a period of rapid growth and change and we need to be prepared for that. My biggest priorities are what I call preventative measures in stead of reactionary measures.”
Another important item on Soccio-Marandola’s agenda is improving the city’s service delivery and he would also like to see the city better support small business owners.
“They are the backbone of our community,” Soccio-Marandola says. “Almost every small business is run by Thorold residents and I want them to see that support from city hall, from our community, to do what we can for them.”
For his campaign Soccio-Marandola plans to meet as many residents as possible and listen to their concerns.
“I’m here to reflect what the people want,” he says. “I’m merely a messenger for how they see it and what they want to see done in their community.”
Ultimately, Soccio-Marandola hopes to offer an experienced and unique perspective to city council.
“I have a proven track record as a dedicated community member and volunteer,” he says.”I want to give back to this community that afforded me so much. I think a lot of people don’t get involved until later on and I want to set the path and do something different, be a young volunteer, and hopefully encourage more young people to be active in our community.”
