Furey on Ward 19 There is no greater symbol of clannish politics than the Layton cabal’s attempts to stranglehold municipal politics. We see this in Jack’s unashamed history of consistently running for every political position available. We saw it in his threats to Adam Vaughan when the latter announced his intentions to run for council in Ward 20 (because Layton wanted his wife’s assistant in the job).

Read the rest of their thoughts here.

“Where [candidate Mike] Layton says he’s voting for Joe Pantalone, and in turn enjoys the mayoral hopeful’s nod, [opponent Karen] Sun doesn’t divulge her mayoral choice. “I’m undecided, but I’d be happy to work with anyone who gets elected,” she says.

Both are in sync on the importance of local food, and transit solutions in the face of increased condo density on Queen and King. Both are also cyclists and agree that arterial bike are critical.

But, there’s so little separating the candidates that Joe Cressy, Layton’s campaign chair, points to the fact that his candidate has all the progressive endorsement eggs in his basket.

Read the rest of the article here.

Photo courtesy: BlogTO

BlogTO has published an interview they conducted with former SportsNet anchor and current Ward 19 candidate Sean McCormick:

How did you go from sports broadcasting to politics?

I’ve lived in Toronto for eight years now and I love this city. I moved here from out west – I was in Vancouver for a few years, grew up in Edmonton – and this is such a great city. It’s the best city in Canada as far as I’m concerned. However, in the last few years I’ve grown increasingly frustrated with the way tax dollars are being utilized. I don’t feel that Torontonians are getting good value at all for their tax dollars and rather than complaining about it, I figured it’s better to be part of the solution – so I’m going to try and be a part of that solution.

Read the rest of the post here.

Photo courtesy: National Post

Mayoral candidate Joe Pantalone has formally endorsed candidate Mike Layton as his replacement in Ward19, where Pantalone has served as councillor for close to 30 years:

“Pantalone threw his support behind like-minded political rookie Mike Layton, who in turn did the same as candidates build the alliances they hope will bolster their chances of winning on Oct. 25.

Mr. Pantalone, an NDP supporter, said he intends to endorse “a lot of” candidates vying for council and not just those with left-leaning ties.

“Obviously, people will have to agree to certain rules of engagement like you would in any team that you put on a field, but differences are fine,” Mr. Pantalone, the city’s deputy mayor, told reporters on Wednesday during a joint news conference.”

Read the rest of the article here.

“I got tired of waking up every morning and yelling at my TV,” McCormick explained after filing election papers Thursday at City Hall.

McCormick, who is married to TSN anchor Jennifer Hedger, hopes to win election as a councilor for Ward 19.  The Trinity-Spadina seat was vacated by Joe Pantalone, who is running for mayor of Toronto.

McCormick, a Sportsnet anchor for the past seven years, is involved with a number of charities, including Right To Play, CNIB, and the Toronto East General Hospital Foundation.”

Read the rest of the article here.

Like the Globe and Mail previous, the National Post spotlights some of the races heating up in the various wards across Toronto:

WARD 9 (YORK CENTRE)

“Incumbent councillor Maria Augimieri has not yet registered, but her office confirmed yesterday she will be seeking re-election. She was thurst into the spotlight after the 2008 Sunrise Propane explosion, which produced a famous, televised scene in which she told constituent Tony Di Santo to “shut up.” Well, Mr. Di Santo is now backing Gus Cusimano, an insurance broker who said in January as he filed his papers, “City council needs a big change in direction.”

Read the rest of the article here.

As mentioned a few weeks ago here at TEN, it looks like Michael Layton – son of federal NDP Leader Jack Layton – will be tossing his hat in the ring in the race to replace Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone:

“Michael, the deputy outreach director for Environmental Defence, has lived in the ward west of downtown most of his life. He’s been busy meeting with local groups since Mr. Pantalone announced he’s running to replace David Miller.  Michael expects to make his final decision in the next couple of weeks.

“Is my best impact in council? I love what I do now,” he said. On the other hand, he’s eager to extend and enhance Mr. Pantalone’s 30-year legacy in Trinity-Spadina.”

Read the rest of the article here.

“Case Ootes has represented Toronto-Danforth Ward 29 since 1988, but he’s not seeking re-election. Former councillor and previous mayoral candidate Jane Pitfield is running as are Chris Caldwell, Mike Restivo, and John Richardson. Several people have told me the New Democrats and left is looking for a strong candidate to run here. If they do, this could turn out to be a dogfight.”

Read the rest of her post here.

With the candidates for the mayoral contest all but locked in, the Globe and Mail looks at some of the hot races shaping up at the local level in the early stages of the election cycle:

“Ward 15 (Eglinton-Lawrence)

The contest here is shaping up to be a scrappy two-way race, assuming council’s wiliest veteran sticks it out until election day. Howard Moscoe, above left, has already registered, and says he has no plans to retire. But Rob Davis, above right, wants to force his retirement. The Catholic School Board trustee was the first black councillor elected in the former city of York; his old ward overlaps part of the modern Ward 15. So far, others are steering clear.”

Read about the other races here.

On his blog, Mez Dispenser, community activist Dave Meslin introduces us to 5 candidates running in various wards in the upcoming election:

“With all the attention being focused on the mayoralty race, I thought I’d bring your attention back to the neighbourhood level for a moment.  Don’t forget there are 45 votes on Council, and the Mayor only gets one.

Here’s a list of five candidates to watch.This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it’s a quick look at some of the most inspiring new faces we’re going to see in this election.”

Read the rest of the post here.