Mayor Tom Mrakas

I always look forward to engaging with the Aurora community and having meaningful discussions that help shape and make Aurora the great Town it is. Please read the Social Media Policy for all my social media sites including my Website. ⬇️⬇️⬇️ mrakas.ca/social-media-polic…

It was great to sit down with Ward 3 Councillor-Elect Nikki Alber today! We are both excited about the next four years and the incredible opportunities ahead of us to work together and accomplish great things for our community! I look forward to working with Nikki and all members of our new Council as we build on the progress we’ve made and continue moving Aurora forward. At the end of the day, it’s about working together, putting our residents first and getting things done for Aurora! Exciting times ahead!

A young girl from our Aurora community is missing. If you have seen her or have any information about her whereabouts, please contact York Regional Police immediately. Please share the YRP notice and help bring this young Auroran home safely.

It was great to stop by the Lip Sync Battle appreciation night at Stonehaven to celebrate the performers and sponsors who helped raise over $100,000 for Victim Services of York Region! Thank you to everyone who brought their talent, energy and generosity to this incredible event, supporting victims of crime and tragedy in our community.

Great to sit down with Councillor-elect Jessie Fraser for our first meeting as we look ahead to the next four years serving Aurora. I’m also looking forward to meeting with each councillor over the next few days as we prepare for our new term. A new term brings new ideas, fresh perspectives and an opportunity to accomplish great things together. I’m excited to work with everyone as we build on our progress and make decisions in the best interests of Aurora and everyone who calls it home. Looking forward to the work ahead together!

I am incredibly honoured, humbled and grateful to have been re-elected as your Mayor for another four years! To all the residents who placed their trust and confidence in me, thank you. Your support means more than words can express, and I promise to continue working every single day to earn that trust. For the past eight years, we have accomplished some incredible things together. We've made historic investments in our community, strengthened our financial position, protected our green spaces, built new parks and facilities, supported our businesses and laid the foundation for an even stronger future. And we're not done yet. There's so much more to accomplish! I want to thank my incredible family, our dedicated campaign team, the hundreds of volunteers and every resident who knocked on doors, put up a sign, or simply offered a word of encouragement. I could not have done this without you. On a personal note, this election was especially emotional for me. This was my first election without either of my parents by my side. They were always among my biggest supporters, and not having them here to share this moment is something I feel deeply. But I know they were here in spirit, watching over me every step of the way. And I know that somewhere up above, they're both smiling, proud of what we've accomplished and the person they've helped me become. Mom and Dad, this one's for you. To my fellow candidates and everyone who participated in this election, thank you. Democracy is strongest when people care enough to step forward, get involved and make their voices heard. Regardless of who you supported, your participation matters, and I thank you for being part of this important democratic process. I also want to extend my sincere congratulations to all the members of our newly elected Council! I look forward to working together, bringing our ideas and perspectives to the table, and continuing to make the decisions that are in the best interests of our residents. We have an incredible opportunity ahead of us, and I am excited about what we can accomplish together. Because at the end of the day, it's about working together to get things done for Aurora! The election is now behind us. It's time to come together, put differences aside and focus on what matters most — the future of our town. I've always believed that leadership isn't about making promises. It's about delivering results. It's about showing up, listening, making the tough decisions and doing what's right for our community. That's the commitment I've made for the past eight years, and it's the commitment I make to you again today. Aurora is my home. You are my neighbours. And serving as your Mayor continues to be one of the greatest honours of my life. The best days for Aurora are still ahead of us! Thank you for believing in our vision, trusting my leadership and giving me the opportunity to continue building on everything we've accomplished together. Four more years. One incredible community. And a future worth working for. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU, AURORA! **Photo by Simon Martin/Metroland mrakas.ca/thank-you-aurora/

The Week Ahead - **ELECTION DAY** October 26 to November 1

Great to join everyone—and their four-legged friends—at Tails on Trails today in support of St. John Ambulance! Thank you to the volunteers, Youth Cadets and participants for raising funds for vital programs, from first aid training to Therapy Dogs that bring comfort and companionship to so many. A wonderful way to enjoy Aurora’s trails while supporting a great cause!

Honoured to join MP Costas Menegakis, the Aurora Legion and our veterans and their families at tonight’s Remembrance Dinner. Thank you to the Aurora Legion for bringing us together to honour those who have served and sacrificed for our country. We are forever grateful. Lest we forget.

Aurora’s Haunted Forest is packed!! Every year I say the same thing: that scary trail is REALLY scary!!! I should have taken the family trail! Great to see so many Aurora families out enjoying one of Ontario’s Top 100 Festivals! Thank you to all the staff and volunteers for another spooktacular evening!

What a beautiful morning at the Aurora Farmers’ Market! We also gathered for a service and raised the poppy flag to mark the start of the Remembrance period—a meaningful opportunity to honour those who served and sacrificed. A wonderful way to start the weekend with our community. Have a great weekend, Aurora!

A wonderful evening celebrating our incredible business community at the Aurora Chamber of Commerce’s Business Excellence Celebration! Our local businesses create jobs, support families, give back generously and help make Aurora a great place to call home. Behind every business are hardworking people whose passion and determination deserve to be celebrated. Congratulations to all the finalists and award recipients! When our local businesses succeed, our entire community thrives!

Behind every endorsement is a neighbour who believes in Aurora’s future. I’m truly grateful to the community leaders, business owners, families and residents who have put their trust in me. This week’s ads in The Auroran feature some of their voices—and why they’re supporting my re-election. Thank you for your confidence. Let’s keep Aurora moving forward, together! #LeadershipThatGetsThingsDone

Say yes to the dress in Aurora!!Congratulations to Olivia Lombardi on the grand opening of Maison Ivory Bridal Boutique, located right beside Locale! It was a pleasure to join Olivia, her family and the Aurora Chamber of Commerce to celebrate this exciting milestone. Wishing you every success helping brides find their perfect dress and creating memories that last a lifetime. Welcome to the business family of Aurora!

Exciting news for a greener Aurora! We’ve secured $635,350 in federal funding through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Growing Canada’s Community Canopies initiative to plant 4,800 new trees across Aurora by the end of 2027! These trees will be planted along our streets, in our parks and across municipal green spaces, bringing us closer to our goal of 40% tree canopy coverage by 2034. Following the significant tree loss during July’s storm, this investment is especially meaningful. It will help rebuild our canopy, provide shade, support wildlife and strengthen our community’s resilience. Thank you to the Government of Canada, FCM and our Town staff for helping grow a greener, healthier Aurora for generations to come! #LeadershipThatGetsThingsDone mrakas.ca/town-of-aurora-to-…

Your Mayor, Your Neighbour, Your Voice at Town Hall. #LeadershipThatGetsThingsDone

Congratulations to the AYSC U15 and U16 Girls OPDL teams on winning the Trillium Cup this past weekend! All of Aurora is proud! Well done to the players, coaches and families! Two teams. Two championships. One proud community!

Random sign damage is a regular occurrence during most election campaigns. However, during this municipal campaign the situation appears to have gone beyond isolated acts of nuisance.  Supporters are reporting that my campaign signs are being removed from their lawns. Businesses are reporting repeated vandalism of my campaign signs and, in some cases, the complete removal of those signs. Taken together, these incidents suggest a concerning and coordinated pattern of behaviour. I have now been informed that York Regional Police are investigating reports of theft and vandalism involving my election signs. Election interference has no place in our democratic process regardless of the candidate involved. These actions are a disservice to voters and the democratic process itself. I am equally concerned by content posted in a local Facebook group that potentially compromised family’s privacy.  I thank the residents who brought it to my attention, as both my wife and I are blocked from that group and did not see it. I accept that public office comes with scrutiny, but my family did not sign up for it. Coordinated misinformation campaigns, deeply personal attacks, and targeted actions aimed at candidates, supporters, and/or volunteers are becoming increasingly commonplace in politics. But we should never accept this in Aurora. This is exactly why social media rules matter. They exist to promote respectful dialogue and protect people from bullying, intimidation, and personal attacks.  We should be encouraging people to participate in public life, not discouraging them from it. As election day approaches, let’s choose civility, respect, and decency. Let’s kick misinformation and personal attacks to the curb and get back to talking about Aurora’s future. Aurora deserves nothing less mrakas.ca/lets-kick-misinfor…

Today marks an exciting milestone for Aurora, Stouffville, and Canada’s innovation economy as I was joined by Mayor Iain Lovatt and Ward 6 Councillor Harold Kim for the launch of Audacity North, Canada’s largest MedTech innovation hub. I couldn’t be more excited that two of Aurora’s most successful entrepreneurs, Keith Loo and Garry Lee, have come together to bring this vision to life. By providing the next generation of entrepreneurs with the tools, expertise, mentorship, and support they need to take their ideas from concept to commercialization, Audacity North has the potential to create tremendous opportunities for Aurora, Ontario, and Canada as a whole. This initiative will help attract new investment, create high-quality jobs, support local businesses, and strengthen the economic vitality of both Aurora and Whitchurch-Stouffville. It is exactly the kind of forward-thinking partnership that drives growth, attracts talent, and reinforces our communities as great places to live, work, and build a thriving business. Through strong partnerships with York University, the Schulich School of Business, YSpace, and the Logan Institute for Rare Disease Research, Audacity North is creating a collaborative environment where innovators can develop groundbreaking medical technologies and bring them to market. Beyond the economic benefits, this work has the potential to improve lives and position Aurora as a leader in healthcare innovation. Today’s launch is a testament to what can be achieved when visionary leadership, entrepreneurship, and community partnerships come together around a shared goal. I congratulate everyone involved in bringing Audacity North to life and look forward to the positive impact it will have on our communities, our economy, and Canada’s innovation landscape. #LeadershipThatGetsThingsDone mrakas.ca/audacity-north-can…

The Week Ahead - October 19 to 25

It was great to join the U16 York Simcoe Express for their annual “Pink in the Rink” fundraiser at St. Andrew’s College today! Honoured to be asked to drop the puck in support of the Breast Cancer Program at Southlake’s Regional Cancer Centre. Thank you to the players, families and volunteers for raising funds and awareness during Breast Cancer Awareness Month and supporting patients and families in our community.