Anthony Caputo running for Regional Councillor, Wards 4, 5 and 6 

By Zachary Roman 

Anthony Caputo says Caledon is everything to him. 

Having moved a lot when he was younger, Caputo has now been in the community for more than 32 years. He says he loves the Town and wants to keep it “amazing” as he's raising his four kids here. 

Caputo was president of the Caledon Chamber of Commerce before resigning to focus on his run for Regional Councillor, Wards 4, 5 and 6. He's also the owner of the Caputo Group Real Estate, which has its office in Bolton's downtown core. 

“I'm doing it for my family. I want my family to live in the same community that I grew up in,” says Caputo. “I really believe in the community, I believe in Caledon and what it has to offer.” 

Caputo says that Caledon's residents are amazing and contribute to the Town having a “hometown, small town” feel where people still want to help each other out. He says Caledon's community groups are fantastic and if elected, he'd do everything he can to support them in continuing what they do. 

“I think that's a great way of uniting all of Caledon,” he explains. “If we can get everyone to join together… I think we're only going to be better off.” 

If elected as Regional Councillor, Caputo says he'd have more say than if he was an Area Councillor, which is one of the reasons why he's vying for the Regional role. He says his networking skills would serve him well in the position, and that he's got a knack for getting to know people and working together with them to complete goals. 

“Working together actually gets things done, rather than being divided all the time,” says Caputo. 

Caputo says he has a respect for others and a huge heart for the people he serves. He adds one of the main reasons he's been so successful in his real estate business is the fact he genuinely cares about his clients' wellbeing. 

Caputo says Wards 4, 5, and 6 — and Caledon as a whole — need a more diverse range of businesses being built so that the Town doesn't become just a warehousing destination. 

“There's no reason why we can't have a university come here, or a college… why can't we have a financial institution set up shop here in Caledon?” says Caputo. “Google is setting up shop in Toronto, why can't we have a company like that come to Caledon? The sky's the limit, the opportunities are there.” 

Financially, Caputo says the Town could be saving a lot of money by changing some things. He explained he believes the Town has wasted a lot of money on paying consultants and lawyers to fight unwinnable battles. 

“Let's concentrate on the battles we know we can win, and work around that,” says Caputo, adding the caveat that he understands he's still viewing things from the lens of a constituent. 

He says when dealing with taxpayer's hard-earned money, it's important to respect it. If elected, Caputo says his number one priority is always going to be his constituents' problems. 

Transportation and road safety are a top priority for Caputo, and he says he'd like to work towards getting transport trucks off of Highway 50 in Bolton. He wants to continue advocating for the extension of Highway 427 up to Highway 9, something that Caledon councillors recently advocated for at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference this month. 

Caputo says Caledon can't have the amount of provincially-mandated growth it's slated for without having the proper infrastructure in place first. 

He says there's lots to be learned from the way former Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion guided her city planning, in that infrastructure was ready there before growth happened. To be a good leader, Caputo says someone has to be adaptable to work with people with all kinds of different personalities. He says he always changes his approach for each person that he's working with in order to get the best results. 

Something Caputo says he wants candidates to ask themselves, and constituents to ask of candidates, is why they are running. He says living in the community you're running for a position in — like he does — is important, because it means that you care about and are invested in that community. 

Caputo wants to encourage more people to vote in this October's elections, as he says it's important for everyone's voice to be heard in a democracy. He says people often feel as though their vote doesn't matter, but that he's talked to enough people with that opinion, that if they just all voted it would matter. 

Caputo says the voices of the people of Wards 4, 5 and 6 are important in Caledon and can impact change in the Town. 

A change in Town that Caputo has welcomed is the revitalization of Downtown Bolton, and it's something that he wants to continue doing if elected. Caputo says people can't always rely on the government to fix things, so it's important for councillors to engage local businesses and community groups to get things done. 

“It's got to be government, private and public, working together,” says Caputo. 

Housing in Caledon is an issue Caputo wants to address, and through his work as a real estate agent, he knows there's usually only about 50 or 60 houses on the market in Bolton at any given time, for example. He says it's rare to see people move in the Town because there aren't many options, and with Caledon's aging population, more options are becoming necessary. 

“There's a lot of builders out there now that… will put a bedroom on the main floor with its own closet and bathroom… that gives families an opportunity to take care of their parents, they're able to have their parents on the main floor so they don't have to bring them up and down the stairs,” says Caputo. “I think townhome bungalows are a good option [too] because, you know, you still have everything on the main floor.” 

Ultimately, Caputo says Caledon needs more housing options than just single-family homes, and developments like condos in Caledon's designated growth areas will be great options. 

Caputo says he applies his people-first mentality to everything he does in life, and that it's been the key to his success.  

“That's what it comes down to. If you care about the people you're serving, the sky's the limit,” says Caputo. “If you don't care and you're in it for the wrong reasons, it's going to show and it's going to come out.”