Tuesday 3 October 2006
Ward 29 news
Municipal elections are on 13 November. I suppose it goes without saying who I’m voting for mayor - he ain’t perfect, but I trust him to do right, a hell of a lot more than Jane Pitfield… But what about locally?
A couple more candidates added to the register in our ward (29: Toronto-Danforth, North), according to the big candidates list at Who Runs This Town?
Case Ootes, of course, is the incumbent - an able enough deputy during Mel’s tenure as mayor, but among other things, he’s Mister No Bike Lanes In My Ward (he’s continuing to press for the removal of the new lanes on Cosburn). “People won’t get out of their cars,” he told the Town Crier. “It doesn’t happen. This isn’t that kind of city.”
Tammy Thorne of Spacing Votes asks: “What kind of city is it then? Perhaps the better question is: What kind of city will it become if we continue to let people who think this way run it?”
At the other end of the spectrum, stalwart cycling advocate Hamish Wilson is now on the ballot as well. But the challenger with the best chance would seem to be Diane Alexopoulos - at least, she’s got the nod from Jack Layton and Peter Tabuns (MP and MPP respectively), and is positioning herself as a supporter of David Miller’s. This is one to watch, as they say.
Which leaves us with a dilemma. As new arrivals on our street, do we dare get a sign and risk alienating our possibly Ootes-lovin’ neighbours? Hmmm…