Toronto municipal election, 2010
Encyclopedia
The 2010 Toronto municipal election was held on October 25, 2010 to elect a mayor and 44 city councillors
in Toronto
, Canada
. In addition, school trustees were elected to the Toronto District School Board
, Toronto Catholic District School Board
, Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest
and Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud
. The election was held in conjunction with those held in other municipalities in the province of Ontario
(see Ontario municipal elections, 2010
). Candidate registration opened on January 4, 2010 and ended on September 10. Advance polls were open October 5, 6, 7, 8 and 12, 13, 16 and 17.
With this election, voting day moved to the fourth Monday of October from the second Monday of November which had been election day since 1978
.
, due to the announcement by incumbent mayor David Miller
that he would not seek a third term in office. At the end of the campaign there were three major candidates who were included by the media in public opinion polls and mayoral debates: winner Rob Ford
, Joe Pantalone
, and George Smitherman
. Four other candidates, Rocco Rossi
, Sarah Thomson, Adam Giambrone
and Giorgio Mammoliti
, were considered major candidates when they launched their campaigns but later dropped out of the campaign.
. There were a number of open seats, as sitting councillors Joe Pantalone and Rob Ford chose to run for mayor, while long-serving incumbents Case Ootes
, Kyle Rae
, Adam Giambrone
, Mike Feldman
, Michael Walker
, Brian Ashton
and Howard Moscoe
announced their retirements.
, Toronto Catholic District School Board
, Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest
and Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud
.
in 2006, grassroots activist groups established a number of initiatives to encourage greater interest and participation in municipal politics.
One notable initiative in 2010 was Better Ballots, an advocacy group which sponsored a debate concerning municipal voting reform on June 1. Preparations for that debate included an online ballot to name two of the "minor" mayoral candidates to the debate panel, in addition to the six "major" ones. The winners of the online vote were Rocco Achampong and Keith Cole
. When Giorgio Mammoliti withdrew from the mayoral race on July 5, he singled out Achampong as a candidate who "needs to be heard", and asked the media to give Achampong his former space in the debates.
Another initiative was So You Think You Can Council, an event hosted by comedian Maggie Cassella
which featured Ward 27's council candidates answering questions about Toronto's municipal government in a game show
format.
comments on the election through social networking platforms. Murray4Mayor was spearheaded by National Post
cartoonist Steve Murray, while The Rebel Mayor, which was eventually revealed as the creation of journalist Shawn Micallef, was written in the persona of 19th century Toronto mayor William Lyon Mackenzie
.
invalidated the election results for Ward 9 and TDSB
Ward 4 because of "several “irregularities” in the voters list". The civil lawsuit was brought forward by Gus Cusimano. He lost by 89 votes and was the runner-up. There were missing signatures of electoral officers on 426 of 1,143 forms that allow election-day changes to the voter list.
Toronto City Council
The Toronto City Council is the governing body of the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Members represent wards throughout the city, and are known as councillors....
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In addition, school trustees were elected to the Toronto District School Board
Toronto District School Board
Toronto District School Board, also known by the acronym TDSB, is the English-language public school board for Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
, Toronto Catholic District School Board
Toronto Catholic District School Board
The Toronto Catholic District School Board is the publicly-funded Catholic school board for Toronto, Ontario, Canada, headquartered in North York. It is one of the two English boards of education in the City of Toronto, serving the former municipalities of Scarborough, North York, York, East York,...
, Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest
Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest
The Conseil scolaire Viamonde manages the French-language Public Schools in the central south-western region of Ontario. The area in which this school board operates covers 68,180 km2 of Ontario...
and Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud
Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud
Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud is the Roman Catholic separate, French language school board for the South-Central region of Ontario. It is headquartered in North York, Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
. The election was held in conjunction with those held in other municipalities in the province of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
(see Ontario municipal elections, 2010
Ontario municipal elections, 2010
The 2010 municipal elections in Ontario were held on October 25, 2010.Voters in the province of Ontario elected mayors, councillors, school board trustees and all other elected officials in all of the province's municipalities....
). Candidate registration opened on January 4, 2010 and ended on September 10. Advance polls were open October 5, 6, 7, 8 and 12, 13, 16 and 17.
With this election, voting day moved to the fourth Monday of October from the second Monday of November which had been election day since 1978
Toronto municipal election, 1978
The Toronto municipal election of 1978 held on Monday, November 13, 1978, was the first seriously contested mayoralty race in Toronto, Canada, since David Crombie took office in the 1972 election...
.
Mayor
The mayor's seat was open for the first time since the 2003 Toronto electionToronto municipal election, 2003
The Toronto municipal election of 2003 was held on November 10, 2003, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to elect the Mayor of Toronto, 44 city councillors, and school board trustees.David Miller was elected mayor ....
, due to the announcement by incumbent mayor David Miller
David Miller (Canadian politician)
David Raymond Miller is a Canadian politician. He was the 63rd Mayor of Toronto and the second since the 1998 amalgamation. He was elected to the position in 2003 for a three-year term and re-elected in 2006 for a four-year term...
that he would not seek a third term in office. At the end of the campaign there were three major candidates who were included by the media in public opinion polls and mayoral debates: winner Rob Ford
Rob Ford
Robert Bruce "Rob" Ford is the 64th and current Mayor of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was first elected to city council in the 2000 Toronto municipal election, and was re-elected to his council seat in 2003 and again in 2006...
, Joe Pantalone
Joe Pantalone
Joe Pantalone is a former Canadian politician, city councillor for Ward 19, one of two wards in Trinity—Spadina. He served as deputy mayor under David Miller from 2003 to 2010...
, and George Smitherman
George Smitherman
George Smitherman is a Canadian politician and broadcaster. He represented the provincial riding of Toronto Centre in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1999 to 2010, when he resigned to contest the mayoralty of Toronto in the 2010 municipal election...
. Four other candidates, Rocco Rossi
Rocco Rossi
Rocco Rossi is a Canadian businessman, executive and former candidate for Toronto municipal and Ontario provincial office. From 2004 to 2009 he was the CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario. In 2009 he became national director of the Liberal Party of Canada...
, Sarah Thomson, Adam Giambrone
Adam Giambrone
Adam Giambrone is a Canadian politician who was a Toronto City Councillor, representing the southern of two Davenport wards. Elected at 26, he remained the youngest member of Toronto council after re-election. He is also a former president of the federal New Democratic Party...
and Giorgio Mammoliti
Giorgio Mammoliti
Giorgio Mammoliti is a city councillor in Toronto, Canada for Ward 7 York West, representing one of the two York West wards. He is Chair of the Affordable Housing Committee and a member of the mayor's executive committee. Previously, he served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario...
, were considered major candidates when they launched their campaigns but later dropped out of the campaign.
City council
City councillors were elected to represent Toronto's 44 wards at Toronto City CouncilToronto City Council
The Toronto City Council is the governing body of the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Members represent wards throughout the city, and are known as councillors....
. There were a number of open seats, as sitting councillors Joe Pantalone and Rob Ford chose to run for mayor, while long-serving incumbents Case Ootes
Case Ootes
Case Ootes is a former city councillor in Toronto, Canada, for Ward 29 Toronto—Danforth. He represented one of the two Toronto—Danforth wards...
, Kyle Rae
Kyle Rae
Kyle Rae is a former Canadian politician. He was a city councillor for Ward 27 Toronto Centre-Rosedale in Toronto, Ontario from 1991 to 2010. Rae is now a self-described consultant.-Politics:...
, Adam Giambrone
Adam Giambrone
Adam Giambrone is a Canadian politician who was a Toronto City Councillor, representing the southern of two Davenport wards. Elected at 26, he remained the youngest member of Toronto council after re-election. He is also a former president of the federal New Democratic Party...
, Mike Feldman
Mike Feldman
Michael "Mike" Feldman was city councillor for Ward 10 from 1992 to 2010, and former Deputy Mayor, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Feldman was first elected in 1992 to the City Council of what was then the City of North York...
, Michael Walker
Michael Walker (politician)
Michael Walker was the City Councillor in Toronto, Canada, for Ward 22 from 1982 to 2010. Ward 22 is bounded on the north by Eglinton Avenue and Broadway Avenue, on the east by Bayview Avenue, on the west by Spadina Avenue, and on the south by Moore Avenue and along the North Toronto Rail...
, Brian Ashton
Brian Ashton (politician)
Brian Ashton was a city councillor in Toronto, Canada, representing Ward 36 Scarborough Southwest. He did not run for re-election in the 2010 municipal election and was succeeded by Gary Crawford.-Career:...
and Howard Moscoe
Howard Moscoe
Howard Moscoe was a city councillor in Toronto, Canada, representing Ward 15 in the western part of Eglinton-Lawrence. Among the most prominent and longest-serving councillors in the city, he is also known for an outspokenness which has landed him in controversy at times. Moscoe is a member of...
announced their retirements.
School boards
School trustees were elected to the Toronto District School BoardToronto District School Board
Toronto District School Board, also known by the acronym TDSB, is the English-language public school board for Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
, Toronto Catholic District School Board
Toronto Catholic District School Board
The Toronto Catholic District School Board is the publicly-funded Catholic school board for Toronto, Ontario, Canada, headquartered in North York. It is one of the two English boards of education in the City of Toronto, serving the former municipalities of Scarborough, North York, York, East York,...
, Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest
Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest
The Conseil scolaire Viamonde manages the French-language Public Schools in the central south-western region of Ontario. The area in which this school board operates covers 68,180 km2 of Ontario...
and Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud
Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud
Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud is the Roman Catholic separate, French language school board for the South-Central region of Ontario. It is headquartered in North York, Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
.
Participation initiatives
Continuing a tradition established by City IdolCity Idol
City Idol was a contest and part of a 2006 initiative called Who Runs This Town, a project to boost citizen interest and participation in municipal politics in Toronto.- Overview :...
in 2006, grassroots activist groups established a number of initiatives to encourage greater interest and participation in municipal politics.
One notable initiative in 2010 was Better Ballots, an advocacy group which sponsored a debate concerning municipal voting reform on June 1. Preparations for that debate included an online ballot to name two of the "minor" mayoral candidates to the debate panel, in addition to the six "major" ones. The winners of the online vote were Rocco Achampong and Keith Cole
Keith Cole (artist)
Keith Cole is a queer Canadian performance artist and political activist. Originally from Thunder Bay, Ontario, he is currently based in Toronto...
. When Giorgio Mammoliti withdrew from the mayoral race on July 5, he singled out Achampong as a candidate who "needs to be heard", and asked the media to give Achampong his former space in the debates.
Another initiative was So You Think You Can Council, an event hosted by comedian Maggie Cassella
Maggie Cassella
Maggie Cassella is a former lawyer, stand-up comedian, writer and American-Canadian actress who hosted the Canadian talk show television series Because I Said So.-Biography:...
which featured Ward 27's council candidates answering questions about Toronto's municipal government in a game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
format.
Satire
The campaign was also noted for the creation of two mock campaigns which posted satiricalSatire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
comments on the election through social networking platforms. Murray4Mayor was spearheaded by National Post
National Post
The National Post is a Canadian English-language national newspaper based in Don Mills, a district of Toronto. The paper is owned by Postmedia Network Inc. and is published Mondays through Saturdays...
cartoonist Steve Murray, while The Rebel Mayor, which was eventually revealed as the creation of journalist Shawn Micallef, was written in the persona of 19th century Toronto mayor William Lyon Mackenzie
William Lyon Mackenzie
William Lyon Mackenzie was a Scottish born American and Canadian journalist, politician, and rebellion leader. He served as the first mayor of Toronto, Upper Canada and was an important leader during the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion.-Background and early years in Scotland, 1795–1820:Mackenzie was...
.
Ward 9 York Centre and TDSB Ward 4 election irregularities
A judge of the Ontario Superior Court of JusticeOntario Superior Court of Justice
The Superior Court of Justice is the superior court of general jurisdiction for the Province of Ontario, Canada. It is the successor to the former Ontario Court of Justice , and was created on April 19, 1999...
invalidated the election results for Ward 9 and TDSB
Toronto District School Board
Toronto District School Board, also known by the acronym TDSB, is the English-language public school board for Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
Ward 4 because of "several “irregularities” in the voters list". The civil lawsuit was brought forward by Gus Cusimano. He lost by 89 votes and was the runner-up. There were missing signatures of electoral officers on 426 of 1,143 forms that allow election-day changes to the voter list.