Former MPP, councillor joins 5 others in vying for Liberal candidacy in King-Vaughan

YorkRegion.com
Jan. 30, 2015
By Adam Martin-Robbins

The Liberal candidacy for the newly created federal riding of King-Vaughan is proving to be a highly sought after gig.

To date, six people are looking to compete for the chance to carry the Grit banner there during this year’s election, currently slated for October.

Mario Racco, a former Liberal MPP for Thornhill and former Vaughan councillor, is the latest to announce he is seeking the post.

He filed his paperwork to the party Wednesday.

“I was already elected at the provincial level and at the municipal level, so I would think it’s a natural thing for me to try at the federal level,“ said the 59-year-old, who is married to Concord/North Thornhill Councillor Sandra Yeung Racco.

“We have a leader that I think very highly of. I always tell everybody that we are the only community, in Vaughan, that has statue of the late prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau and I was the one who put it together. So there’s a strong attachment for me with the Liberal Party and with the Trudeau name.”

Racco represented Thornhill at Queen’s Park from 2003 to 2007.

Prior to that, he served on city council for 21 years, representing the ward now held by his wife.

This isn’t Racco’s first time seeking a federal Liberal nomination.

In 1993, he competed for the nomination in Markham-Whitchurch-Stouffville, losing to Jag Bhaduria.

Racco’s most recent foray into politics was his failed bid to become mayor of Vaughan in 2010. He lost that race to former Liberal MP Maurizio Bevilacqua.

If Racco gets the green light from the party to become a candidate in King-Vaughan, he’ll find himself up against five contenders - Gary Gladstone, Major Abdul Khalifa, Deb Schulte, Carmine Tucci and John Dowd.

The riding association has yet to set a date for a nomination meeting to choose the candidate.

Whoever wins the nomination for the Liberals will square off against Conservative candidate Konstantin Toubis, nominated back in July.