Angel Freedman
Angel Freedman
Candidate for Ward 6 Councillor
Angel Freedman, a business owner, counsellor, and founder of the Fill a Purse for a Sister campaign, is running for Ward 6 Councillor.
She is focusing on improving communication between residents and Town Hall and attracting more commercial and industrial investment.
- The Wardâs Leading Concern: Freedman says Ward 6 residents feel disconnected from their elected representative and want better information about municipal issues.
- Communication & Follow-Through: Listening to residents, responding to concerns, and keeping people informed would be central to her approach as councillor.
- Resident Engagement: Freedman has started a biweekly newsletter to share municipal and community information.
- Economic Development: She wants to attract responsible commercial and industrial investment to broaden Stouffvilleâs tax base, support local jobs, and help keep property taxes manageable.
- Professional Experience: Freedman says her experience in counselling and business positions her well to understand residentsâ needs and their desire to stay connected to their community.
Why Are You Running for Ward 6 Councillor?
Freedman is an individual and couples counsellor whose practice is currently located on Innovator Avenue. She is also the founder and president of Fill a Purse for a Sister, a national campaign she started 12 years ago that collects purses filled with personal care items for women and girls in crisis, as well as backpacks for men and boys.
She said she moved to Stouffville in 2018, purchasing a building on Main Street beside the Corner House restaurant, where she opened her private practice. Freedman has been in business for about 30 years in different capacities, she said, and has worked as a counsellor since 2010.
People have encouraged her to run for Council since she moved to town, she said, and this is her second campaign seeking the Ward 6 office.
What is the leading issue facing Ward 6 residents, and what would you do to address it?
After four and a half months of knocking on doors, Freedman said one concern stood out: residents told her they did not know who their councillor was and felt they lacked a connection with Town Hall.
She said residents wanted more information about what was happening in their ward and across Stouffville. In response, she began publishing a biweekly newsletter covering topics including voting information, municipal developments, and community news.
Freedman also described following up on specific neighbourhood and resident concerns. She said she contacted the Town about these issues because she felt residents needed someone willing to help get them addressed.
Drawing on her work as a counsellor, Freedman said listening and following through are important parts of building relationships. She said she would bring that approach to the councillorâs role, arguing that residents should be able to reach their representative and feel their concerns are being heard.
What does responsible growth look like in Stouffville?
Stouffville needs to attract more commercial and industrial investment to broaden its tax base, create local jobs, and help prevent an increasing share of municipal costs from falling on homeowners, Freedman said.
âWithout commercial industrial investment, the tax burden will increasingly fall on homeowners,â Freedman said, adding that keeping that burden manageable is a priority she has also heard from residents.
Responsible growth includes not only attracting investment but also making sure residents understand what is happening around them, she said. Her door-knocking campaign has given her a detailed list of growth-related concerns raised by residents, including ongoing concerns about hydro.
If elected, Freedman said she would communicate more clearly with the Ward 6 community about such issues and build on the newsletter she launched during her campaign to keep residents informed.
