2018 Municipal Election: Toronto Council Races

[pman]

So much talk about the ineffective Councillors from the right. What about the ones from the left who need to be turfed?

The problem with Council's suburban right is that they're too effective. They routinely approve massively expensive infrastructure projects that completely fail cost-benefit analysis. They routinely kill small improvements that would make the core somewhat less auto-centric. They routinely demand that the city spend money on studies of completely useless fantasies like the North York Relief Line or getting rid of streetcars. Shiner characterized the execrable lot best when he said he didn't vote based on facts and analysis because a computer could do that.

 

[Northern Light]

So much talk about the ineffective Councillors from the right. What about the ones from the left who need to be turfed?

I think councillor Fragedakis has been a deep disappointment.

When I look at her ward I see no push on bike lanes, or on meaningful improvement in pedestrian spaces.

I also do see a dog park pushed into a bizarre spot at Don Mills/DVP where no one on City staff supported it going and where it makes no sense whatsoever. (not accessible on transit, or for most with a short walk, its basically car-only and the plans for the site show removing the parking and making drivers walk 400m along un-lit, un-cleared in winter paths a few years from now. A complete waste of $

Its almost never used.

 

[Northern Light]

Overall my list for high-priority council replacements would be:

1) Mammoliti
2) Di Ciano
3) Shiner
4) DMW
5) Nunziata
6) Holland/Berardinetti
7) Fragedakis
8) De Baeremaeker
9) Palacio
10) Ford
11) Holyday

 

[christiesplits]

Overall my list for high-priority council replacements would be:
7) Fragedakis

Why Fragedakis, if you don't mind my asking? She is a solid progressive vote on council, and based on living in her ward briefly, has a keen eye for constituency matters.

If she were to be replaced it would likely be a right winger such as Case Ootes, her predecessor.

 

[Northern Light]

Why Fragedakis, if you don't mind my asking? She is a solid progressive vote on council, and based on living in her ward briefly, has a keen eye for constituency matters.

If she were to be replaced it would likely be a right winger such as Case Ootes, her predecessor.

See my post, 2 posts up for a quick summary of reasons.

Overall, I've found her lacking in knowledge about environmental matters, not particularly committed to improving the public realm or advancing cycling.

When I look at her ward, specifically, I ask myself how has she advanced its needs (ie. more parks etc.) don't see much on that score.

But to add a view corridor from Broadview, many good trees were chopped down in the Don Valley.

Yes she votes well on many broad issues, and if the alternative were another Case Ootes then I'd suggest she's the better alternative.

But that's a very low bar for entry.

In the broader City-wide context I haven't really seen her as champion on poverty issues, service quality issues, environmental issues etc. etc.

She's not by any means the worst councillor, but among 'progressives' I have found her quite the disappointment.

 

[Northern Light]

Put another way, what I would expect from a progressive councillor in ward 29 is:

1) champion and achieve long-planned bike lanes on Donlands and Broadview.
2) Push to eliminate the angle parking in front of stores on Donlands and Coxwell and replace w/parallel parking that would be safer for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.
3) As a result of 2, add more street trees to Donlands and Coxwell
4)Push hard for new $ to either create one new park or add to an existing one in a parks-deficient area, particularly near the apartment neighbourhood on Cosburn.
5)Don't accept any BS from transportation, and push through a sidewalk down Don Mills Rd. to create a safe and accessible pedestrian link from Thorcliffe to East York via the Valley.
6)Push for pay and display parking on residential streets near Danforth (permit holders still park free), creating spaces for those that need them and reducing unnecessary traffic.

I also expect a progressive councillor to be a champion of City-wide issues.

 

[ChesterCopperpot]

You might need to add Pam McConnell to the list

BREAKING: Mayor Tory says that Coun. Pam McConnell is "gravely ill" and is in hospital with an undisclosed condition.

 

[DSC]

You might need to add Pam McConnell to the list

Very sad news, she is a fantastic councillor who knows and loves her Ward. She had pneumonia last winter and has been battling scarred lungs ever since; her most recent public appearance was at the Berczy park opening - a project she had worked tirelessly to get right.

 

[ADRM]

Very sad news, she is a fantastic councillor who knows and loves her Ward. She had pneumonia last winter and has been battling scarred lungs ever since; her most recent public appearance was at the Berczy park opening - a project she had worked tirelessly to get right.

For those who weren't at the Berczy opening, a number of different prominent individuals involved in the project had some extremely complimentary words to say about McConnell's work on it.

 

[Videodrome]

She had pneumonia and had been dealing with lung scarring after that.

 

[adma]

I'm just waiting for those who'd suggest that RoFo mowing her down in Council was a precipitating factor in her illness. (And they probably *do* exist.)

 

[adma]

Why Fragedakis, if you don't mind my asking? She is a solid progressive vote on council, and based on living in her ward briefly, has a keen eye for constituency matters.

If she were to be replaced it would likely be a right winger such as Case Ootes, her predecessor.

My measure of the ward's political profile and trajectory is that an Ootes-type representative is more anachronistic than not. (Though I wouldn't rule out a "Bailao centrist".)

 

[WislaHD]

Among centrist and left leaning city councillors, my top that should be kicked out of office are (in no particular order):

Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon
Councillor Ana Bailão
Councillor Jaye Robinson
Councillor Michelle Holland

Weak-minded councilors who represent their wards differently to how they campaigned.

I'll throw in Councillor Joe Mihevc in there if he doesn't shape up his narrow-mindedness in solving Toronto's transit problems with only operating 'solutions' instead of capital investment. It is difficult enough to push for the transit we need when we have our allied councillors throwing in unnecessary and counter-productive motion amendments behind your back as Mihevc has done consistently during this council.

 

[Avenue]

Pam McConnell has died. Huge loss for the city.

 

[ChesterCopperpot]

Very sad

https://www.thestar.com/news/city_h...-councillor-pam-mcconnell-has-died-at-71.html