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Oct. 22, 2003: THE TORONTO STAR
Who's making the grade: Wards 20-44
Star
city columnist Royson James rates the incumbents for city council
Here are Royson's grades for councillors running in wards 20 through 44.
ROYSON JAMES
STAR CITY
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They've endured one of Toronto's most difficult periods of
municipal politics — politicians forced together to represent
one big city, a town robbed of its resources, and a city council
hamstrung by an ill, lame-duck and fading leader.
The toll on Toronto has been measurable: rising debt, little
money for transit, no home for its garbage, no permanent
solution to homelessness, deterioration of public space,
mounting litter, perennial budget cuts and a slow, steady
decline.
And we haven't mentioned SARS, the blackout, mad cow, Asian
beetles and who knows what other plague and pestilence lurks
just off Lake Ontario.
"The city has gone through six years of pummelling," Mayor
Mel Lastman said this week.
He might as well have been talking about himself. Once riding
an approval rating of more than 80 per cent, Lastman's fortunes
have been in free fall since he was re-elected in 2000 — an
admission of infidelity here, a gaffe or two there, and a
debilitating illness — all culminating with a long, sad farewell
for a titan of Toronto politics whose grip on local politics
stretches back three decades.
A new mayor, and 44 councillors, will be elected Nov. 10.
There are opportunities for new partnerships with the province
and federal governments. Now, more than ever, council needs to
present itself as a well-reasoned, resolute body that has an
idea where it is going, what it needs and how to get there.
What's needed are 44 men and women who are not allergic to
hard work, stressful times, and tough, almost intractable
decisions. They must be able to debate directly opposite
viewpoints but coalesce around the majority view and propel the
city's interests.
The grades and comments below reflect the job the 34
incumbent councillors did on broad, city-wide issues and
concerns over the past three-year term. Do councillors have any
ideas, passion for economic development, concerns about tourism
and waterfront development, for example? Do they engage in the
city's budget or just nitpick and squirrel away at parochial
matters? Do they even bother debating?
A "No" answer to any the above questions most often resulted
in a grade no higher than C.
Toronto needs strong, capable, visionary, intelligent,
forward-looking councillors. Ten wards have no incumbent and
voters have a great opportunity to start afresh. Two incumbents,
David Shiner and Giorgio Mammoliti, have been acclaimed. In the
remaining 32 wards, voters should be critical in their
assessment of the incumbent, returning only the very best ones
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Olivia Chow
Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina
First elected: 1991
Grade: B
Comments: A consummate behind-the-scenes organizer and enabler,
Olivia gets her way by quietly scheming with the big boys, nibbling off a
piece of their lunch here and stealing a morsel there. She's the children's
and youth advocate and has managed to forestall cuts to the kids' budget
many times, even as the heartless right-wingers sharpen their knives. Not
everyone's cup of tea, but an invaluable councillor.
Joe Mihevc
Ward 21, St. Paul's West
First elected: 1991
Grade: B-
Comments: Solid work on the volatile public health file. Managed to
get controversial bylaw approved restricting the use of pesticides on lawns.
Steady, pragmatic. well-meaning, but has earned a few enemies. With
background in transit, health and ethics, will be someone on whom the new
mayor will call.
Michael Walker
Ward 22, St. Paul's
First elected: 1982
Grade: B
Comments: Look up the word "maverick" and you'll see Walker's
picture. An unrepentant outsider and independent thinker who almost always
sides with constituents, much to the chagrin of councillors. A strange bird,
he's a keeper on city council where party politics hold little sway. Just
don't expect him to win a vote, unless there is already general consensus.
John Filion
Ward 23, Willowdale
First elected: 1991
Grade: C
Comments: Steady but not spectacular, solid but without great
substance, a plodder of the highest order. Filion gets his votes by tending
to the potholes in his ward. Still, it is disappointing to see someone with
such promise settle for such a small, insignificant role on council. With so
many councillors leaving, council cannot afford to have this veteran in
self-exile. Someone needs to light a fire under him.
David Shiner
Ward 24, Willowdale
First elected: 1991
Grade: C+
Comments: Not a media pet, to be sure. But Shiner, born into a
political family and weaned on municipal politics, exceeded low expectations
of him as budget chief. Too often, he was out of synch with the rest of
council's leadership, spinning tales that raised eyebrows. Private life
didn't help either. Smug, self-important, disliked. Still, he held the city
together through a tough budget period. Acclaimed for Nov. 10.
Jane Pitfield
Ward 26, Don Valley West
First elected: 1998
Grade: B-
Comments: Independent and non-aligned, Pitfield reflects Leaside, her
home base. Cautious and reasonable, though she can be tempted to chase
rainbows, Pitfield could become a big player in the next council, where she
will likely seek to chair the works committee and help solve the garbage
crisis.
Kyle Rae
Ward 27, Toronto Centre-Rosedale
First elected: 1991
Grade: B-
Comments: Sometimes caustic, always smiling, frequently irreverent
Rae is not afraid to stand up to his constituents. Has a lock on his riding,
which straddles the gay ghetto, Regent Park and Rosedale. Likes to play with
street-level issues, but says he's ready to use his enormous capacity and
his intelligence and skills to address the big-city concerns of the next
council term.
Pam McConnell
Ward 28, Toronto-Centre Rosedale
First elected: 1994
Grade: C+
Comments: Low grade is a reflection of her limited role under Lastman.
Capable and conscientious, McConnell should have a much larger role in the
new regime. Effective on child and youth issues. Weaknesses? She's strident
and very doctrinaire.
Case Ootes
Ward 29, Toronto Danforth
First elected: 1988
Grade: A
Comments: Council's most capable, effective and praise-worthy
performer. An invaluable asset as deputy mayor and can play a strong role
under a new mayor. Likeable, pretty right-wing but nice about it. Can be
tapped to oversee privatization or cost-cutting issues.
Michael Tziretas
Ward 31, Beaches-East York
First elected: 1994
Grade: D
Comments: A deer caught in the headlights. The former East York
councillor joined council mid-term, replacing Michael Prue, who became an
MPP. It wasn't a fair exchange. Now he's looking over his shoulder, worried
about challenger Janet Davies.
Sandra Bussin
Ward 32, Beaches-East York
First elected: 1997
Grade: C+
Comments: Does the job for her constituents but gets no points for
personality. A mean, sometimes nasty, frequently fanatical left-winger. She
is never happy, rarely pleasant. Poor winner and poor loser. Pouts when
she's left off the team, pouts when she's captain. One can't wait to hear
the hysterics, should council vote to even consider the possibility of an
incinerator to handle waste.
Denzil Minnan-Wong
Ward 34, Don Valley
First elected: 1994
Grade: C
Comments: Always manages to position himself close to the seat of
power, though how he uses this advantageous position to the benefit of
constituents is not readily discernible. Seems distracted by outside
interests. Did okay work with economic development committee, but with no
great ideas of his own, the status quo reigned in critical areas like
tourism. Must work harder.
Gerry Altobello
Ward 35, Scarborough Southwest
First elected: 1985
Grade: C
Comments: Was chair of the planning and transportation committee when
the city passed its revolutionary Official Plan. But did little to advance
the plan, sitting back until the end, when the opposition subsided, before
embracing it. Cautious, careful, unable to recognize the potential of the
big city. His buddy, Lorenzo Berardinetti, is gone (to Queen's Park). He
should follow - to his bakery in Scarborough.
Brian Ashton
Ward 36, Scarborough Southwest
First elected: 1984
Grade: B
Comments: Still an under-achiever after all these years. Should be a
candidate for mayor, instead he's busy spinning quotes for his favourite
candidates. Not trusted by his colleagues because he rarely tips his hand on
issues, leaving them to twist in the wind. Smart and articulate. Could be a
key player with the right mayor who's not threatened by his quote-machine
media savvy.
Sherene Shaw
Ward 39, Scarborough-Agincourt
First elected: 1988
Grade: C-
Comments: Covets "higher" office, at Queen's Park or in Ottawa.
Voters might want to facilitate the move. There, her less than vigorous work
ethic would find many soulmates on the backbenches. One of the visible
minorities on council, she was unable to elevate the few diversity issues to
any great profile. There may be talent there, but it is not being used
effectively.
Norm Kelly
Ward 40, Scarborough-Agincourt
First elected: 1974
Grade: D
Comments: Professor Kelly is willing to expound on just about every
base issue, using allusions from high-brow tomes. Quite right-wing, although
he has Liberal roots. Despite many years of political experience, he's never
been one to embrace difficult issues and see them to resolution.
Disappointing, yet never seeming to mind. Only close friends and relatives
would miss him?
Bas Balkissoon
Ward 41, Scarborough-Rouge River
First elected: 1988
Grade: A
Comments: Independent to a fault. Can get too hidebound. But that
trait no doubt led him to be the one most responsible for the MFP inquiry
into the controversial computer leases. While David Miller gets the credit,
it is Bas who ferreted out the problems, worked with the auditor to expose
them and pushed with dogged determination to have the matter exposed.
Indispensable.
Raymond Cho
Ward 42, Scarborough-Rouge River
First elected: 1991
Grade: C
Comments: If we were giving out marks for the number of delegations
shepherded through city hall, Raymond would be an A student. By now, all of
Korea has seen city hall. Cho is loved by council's left wing because he is
an unofficial supporter, voting often with them on key issues.
David Soknacki
Ward 43, Scarborough East
First elected: 1994
Grade: B
Comments: David proves there is life after Scarborough. It took him
two terms but he has begun to make his mark. Return him to council and he'll
be a strong candidate for budget chief next year, depending on who is mayor.
Provided yeoman service on the budget committee. Managed to survive the tug
between ward parochialism and city-wide realities.
Ron Moeser
Ward 44, Scarborough East
First elected: 1988
Grade: D
Comments: At least in his first term of council he was responsible
for the renovation of city hall. We are hard-pressed to give any note-worthy
contribution over the past three years. He's been unable to break out of the
mould of the typical suburban, pothole-fixing politician. If he isn't even
doing that - and the electors will know - there is no reason to re-elect
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