Ward 12, like Ward 11 faces some transportation issues pertaining to the Eglinton LRT as well as some issues of violence. TAVIS (Toronto Anti-Violence Intervention Strategy) made an appearance in 2009 in the Eglinton-Keele corridor. Although the program was successful TAVIS has picked up and left for other areas of the City, leaving citizens worried that violence may return. There is also the question of the rec centre that has been promised for years and has yet to break ground. Given the breadth of issues in the area, the incumbent holds a low media profile. 25 years in City politics and yet Councillor Di Giorgio rarely gets mentioned in the media other than visits to strip clubs with fellow colleagues.
Councillor Di Giorgio voted in favour of a pay raise in 2010, voted in favour of having tax payers cover Sandra Bussin's legal costs, for the Jarvis St bike lanes, and voted in favour of the pro-union deal ending the garbage strike.
Ward 12 is a heated race with seven candidates running against the incumbent: Angelo Bellavia, Nick Dominelli, Vilma Filici, Richard Gosling, Joe Renda, and Steve Tasses.
So far I've received 3 replies, however, so far candidate Steve Tasses is the only to have provided the answers to the questions I sent out. Mr Tasses is a business owner and former chairman of the Eglinton Hill Business Improvement Area (BIA).
- Why are you running to become City Councillor of Ward 12?
I am running for City Councillor of Ward 12 because I care about the area. I grew up here and own a business here, “Variety and Video” at the corner of Keele and Eglinton. I am a strong community leader and I founded the Eglinton Hill BIA.
I know the meaning of hard work and I want to work hard for you as your City Councillor.
- What makes you stand out among the other candidates?
I am passionate about the community. People know me simply as “Steve” the guy from Variety and Video. People who live in the West End know and trust that I can help them in any way that I can.
To have built that trust between constituents and I was not an overnight thing. I had to build and earn that trust and I am definitely taking that with me when I get into City Hall.
- Frank Di Giorgio has been around for a long while in city politics. Why is now the time to replace him?
Frank Di Giorgio has lost his drive. He has been in office too long and has lost touch with his constituents. He doesn’t understand what the people and community need in order to thrive in the West End.
- Despite his longevity, Councillor Di Giorgio is rather elusive in terms of media coverage? Is that a good or bad thing for Ward 12?
I think that hiding from the media is a bad thing. He is not doing anything “positive” for Ward 12 so why would he want the attention? He is invisible to me, the constituents and the community. Why would you still want someone like that to represent you?
- Tell me about the biggest challenge of running against a well-established incumbent?
The biggest challenge of running against a well – established incumbent is name recognition. Even though, Mr. Di Giorgio hasn’t done anything positive for the community in years, the name rings a bell to 90% of the constituents. That has been the biggest challenge so far.
It is extremely critical that I can build strong name recognition among the constituents during my campaign.
- What are the greatest issues facing Toronto as a whole?
The greatest issues facing Toronto as a whole are lack of leadership and one person running the city is a bad idea.
Toronto is a big and diverse city for one person to run.
Furthermore, our public transit is outdated.
Thanks and good luck on October 25th!
You can find Steve Tasses at http://www.stevetasses.ca/
Nick Dominelli got back to me with some of his answers.
1. Why are you running to become City Councillor of Ward 12?
There are three main reasons that I am running for City Councillor:
1. To reunite our community - Having grown up in Ward 12, I remember when it was a great place to grow up and live in, and I want to make it great once again. I want to represent our ‘community’, which not just a ‘ward’. Our community, this community, is about neighbours and neighbourhoods working together, undivided, to renew our neglected ward and make it a better place for all of our residents. Together, united, we are stronger and it will let our voice be heard.
2. To protect our residents’ best interest – We are forcing seniors out of their homes. Those at City Hall need to understand that seniors are on fixed pensions that increase by mere pennies a year, but their property taxes keep going up. Our seniors are paying high taxes that they simply cannot afford, and our small business owners have also been burdened with an unfair tax system. In fact, all of our residents could benefit from fairly distributed tax dollars, which could be used to improve our entire community. I want to help the people in our community. I want to work on beatifying our green-spaces and parks, enhance our existing community centres while making sure that the new community centre gets built on time. I want to work on revitalizing our neighbourhood with an effective and efficient transit expansion plan, and create jobs through the proper development of the under-utilized industrial lands in our ward. I want to make a difference.
3. To ensure that Toronto exists beyond the downtown core - Our community’s needs are as important as any other ward in this City, and it’s time that we had someone that fought for what we deserve. Our community pays their fair share of taxes, but City Hall hasn’t provided us with our fair share of the available programs and services. City Hall has primarily focused on improving the downtown core, and has neglected it’s suburban wards. It’s time this community got what it deserves from City Hall, and I will champion the needs of our Ward. It’s time for change.
2. What makes you stand out among the other candidates?
I am the only candidate in this ward that has over twenty years of combined municipal and private sector experience. For over a decade, I worked for three different City Councillors and the City of Toronto Economic Development Office. I understand the importance of building relationships with other levels of government, and senior bureaucrats in the City. My experience at City Hall, coupled with the ten years of private sector experience gives me the business acumen to understand the need to balance and properly manage budgets. This combination separates me from the other candidates for the job. Most importantly, I have the fullest understanding of the challenges facing our community, and the track record of building consensus while successfully navigating the government landscape.
3. Frank Di Giorgio has been around for a long while in city politics. Why is now the time to replace him?
Our community has been on the decline over the past 10 years since Frank Di Giorgio has been at the helm. Services have been cut, crime has increased, jobs have been lost, but our taxes keep going up. This community is in need of a new Councillor with vision, passion and the ability to affect positive change. When compared to other wards in the City, our community has seen more than it's share of cuts in services and spending. Now is the time for strong leadership. We need someone that can ensure that our ward gets our fair share of the services and programs that other communities take for granted. I am the only qualified candidate who can impact positive change. We cannot allow our ward to decline for another fours years. It’s time for change.
4. Despite his longevity, Councillor Di Giorgio is rather elusive in terms of media coverage. Is that a good or bad thing for Ward 12?
Councillor Di Giorgio has been eluding the media, but the real problem is that Frank hasn’t done the work necessary to highlight our ward or affect positive change. The overall lack of media coverage is absolutely a bad thing for our ward, because it’s an indicator of the lack of direction and leadership being provided by our current representative. Frank hasn’t produced anything notable for our ward, nor has he introduced any policies or plans that would help improve our City.
5. Tell me about the biggest challenge of running against a well-established incumbent.
The system that we have in place creates an uneven playing field for challengers. Incumbents can reach more voters in a traditional sense, because they use their City Hall office and staff budgets for campaign purposes. They also have there voter lists in place, ties to the community leaders through their jobs, and already have many of the expensive existing campaign material , like signage, already purchased. Challengers need to be creative and resourceful in order to counter any advantages that the incumbent may have. This creativity and resourcefulness that will enable me to get elected, will also be a part of the qualities that allow me to change the direction of our community.
6. What are the greatest issues facing Toronto as a whole?
Firstly, City Hall needs to understand that rising budgets are our biggest threat. These increases are not just an indication of rising costs or wasteful spending, but also indicative of a flawed process. I’m not suggesting that we should not be spending money, but rather, we need to implement smarter planning and smarter spending. Once we have achieved a more efficient system, we can start increasing services and addressing the obstacles facing the City of Toronto as a whole. Secondly, City Hall needs to address the needs that affect us all. We need to look at transit as a part of an overall and effective transportation plan, create jobs and provide economic revitalization, as well as become a leader in green city initiatives. Ultimately, it’s time we become a government that is proactive instead of reactive. It’s time we stop talking about being a world class city, and instead create the foundation needed to make this a reality. We need to embrace new ideas instead of continuing to do the same old policies that haven't worked for Toronto in the past. It’s time for change.
Thanks and good luck on October 25!
Joe Renda didn't answer the questions but asked that you visit his site to get a glimpse into his policies. You can find him at http://joerendaforcitycouncillorward12.blogspot.com/
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