Maurizio Bevilacqua wins re-election as mayor as incumbents sweep in Vaughan

Thestar.com
October 23, 2018
Jeremy Grimaldi

Vaughan’s municipal 2018 election was a night for the incumbents with every ward being claimed by the person in power the previous term.

Maurizio Bevilacqua won the mayoral race by a huge margin, seizing nearly 71 per cent of the vote, according to unofficial results, to beat Frank Miele and Savino Quatela.

Maurizio Bevilacqua, incumbent Vaughan mayor, waltzed to victory in the Oct. 22 municipal election to clinch a third term in office.

Bevilacqua, who clinched his third term as mayor, named a raft of issues he expects will define the next four years, including transit, the environment, economic development and housing.

About more specific and pressing issues like marijuana, he said although he doesn’t think people should be allowed to smoke marijuana in public he doesn’t want to make any decisions before an upcoming staff report and public consultation on the issue.

“It’s about consulting with people. ...It’s about what people can tolerate,” he said.

On the issue of the targeted murders in Vaughan, he reiterated his comments calling the city one of the safest places to live.

“Resources are being deployed by local, national and international police authorities,” he said. “There’s a lot being done, people feel safe in our community.”

The fight for three regional council seats involved some new faces in a tight four-way race that saw Mario Ferri, Gino Rosati and former mayor Linda Jackson claim victory, beating out challengers Eliana Di Biase, Richard Lorello, Fred Winegust, Sunder Singh, Jacob Joel Ginsberg, Frank Scarlato, Mubarak Ahmed and Skanda Singarajah.

Ferri, who garnered 23,323 votes and retains his post as deputy mayor, said he’s excited with his victory citing traffic, keeping taxes low and providing housing options in Vaughan as the three top concerns for the next council.

“My plan is to widen roads and to make sure there are places for young people to live in Vaughan,” he said.

The regional council race drew particular interest due to some of the candidates ties to past politicians and, in Jackson’s case, her own past in power.

Di Biase’s husband, Michael, served on council for decades including a stint as mayor from 2002 to 2006.

Linda Jackson defeated him in 2006 by just 90 votes.

Linda Jackson’s mother, Lorna, was a long-serving mayor of Vaughan, holding the post for seven terms, until her passing in 2002.

For his part Michael Di Biase resigned after the city’s integrity commissioner alleged that he sexually harassed a Vaughan employee.

Di Biase has repeatedly denied the allegations.

He was also reprimanded by council for allegedly using his influence to help a developer.

In Ward 1, incumbent Marilyn Iafrate claimed nearly 55 per cent of the vote in defeating competitors CarmineTucci, Vince Scaramuzzi, Fitz-Roy Gordon, John Santoro and Millad Hamidkohzad.

In Ward 2, long-time councillor Tony Carella took 33 per cent of the vote to beat Adriano Volpentesta, Nick Pinto, Simone Barbieri, Carrie Liddy, Mario Di Nardo and Nicole Elfar-Troiano.

Ward 3 saw Rosanna DeFrancesca with more than 61 per cent of the vote easily beat out Mark Pulciani, Victor Lacaria, Tony Lorini, John Yusufi, Slava Gravets and Tom Takacs.

Sandra Yeung Racco, who garnered just shy of 50 per cent of the vote, defeated her challengers in Ward 4 -- Styles Q. Weinberg and Furio Liberatore.

Ward 5 saw Alan Shefman took 55.54 per cent of the vote to defeat Allan Goldstein.

Voter turnout was 27 per cent, down from 30.28 per cent in 2014 and 40.55 per cent in 2010.

Reacting to that, Bevilacqua said although it indicates people are satisfied with the job council is doing, he also noted people around the world are dying to have the right to vote in elections like we can in Canada.

Earlier in the evening voters questioned said the biggest issue facing Vaughan in 2018 is traffic

Gerry Malisani, from Maple, said Vaughan is so congested people are beginning to avoid the city so they don’t get trapped in the traffic.

“It should take me four minutes to get to Hwy. 400 from my house on Keele,” he said, “it usually takes 20 minutes and can take 45 minutes sometimes.”

Malisani said he chose to vote for the councillors who replied to his email inquiring what their plan is to fix traffic in Vaughan.

He would like to see bridges built in order to ease congestion, including over the rail lines and on Kirby Road between Dufferin and Keele streets.

Sajila Nudrat, a Vaughan student, said it can take her between two and two and a half hours to drive from her home to York University, a drive that should take about 45 minutes.

“We can’t sit idly by and wait, if you want a voice, you have to vote,” she said.