TORONTO — The mayor of Stratford, Ont. is standing by hometown pop star Justin Bieber.
“No matter what happens, it doesn’t negate the fact that Justin is from Stratford,” Dan Mathieson said Thursday.
According to the London Free Press, Mathieson said while he doesn’t condone Bieber’s recent antics, he sees them as errors.
“I hope for his sake that he can get a reset, and get back to music and doing what he loves,” the mayor told the newspaper.
Although born in nearby London, Ont., Bieber grew up in Stratford — a city of about 30,000 people in Southwestern Ontario.
He has lived in the U.S. for the past five years — first in Atlanta and currently in the Los Angeles area — but returns to Stratford occasionally to spend time with father Jeremy Bieber, half-siblings Jazmyn and Jaxon, and grandparents Bruce and Diane Dale.
Mayor Mathieson said Bieber should “stay true to the family and friends who have been there from the start.”
He added: “Let’s hope that with some good guidance from those he trusts … things all come back to where they should be.”
In fact, Bieber’s father was with him on the night of an alleged assault on a limo driver in Toronto and on Jan. 23, when the singer was arrested in Miami Beach on suspicion of DUI.
Bieber also allegedly told Miami Beach Police his mother, Pattie Mallette, “takes care” of his anti-anxiety medication.
Mathieson told the Free Press that even though Bieber is famous, he is entitled to some normalcy.
“There are some sad people out there taking great joy in another person’s challenges, and I find that to be very disheartening,” he said.
Bieber appeared to appreciate the support.
He tweeted a link to the newspaper’s story with the message: “Never forget where you come from or those who supported you before anyone else. still the small town kid. thanks london free press.”
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