Time to oust Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti in York: Editorial

Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti needs to go after his disastrous promotion of an NHL-size arena, says the Star. Other York Region mayors have done better.

Maurizio Bevilacqua has succeeded in calming Vaughan’s long-troubled city hall.

Thestar.com
Editorial
Oct. 26, 2014

The ills of urban sprawl - including gridlock, pollution, loss of prime agricultural land, and inadequate public transit - are top-of-mind in York Region, where some politicians are locked in tough election battles while others expect to breeze back into office.

They’ll have much to do. Residents are sick of being stuck in traffic and eagerly await expansion of Toronto’s Yonge subway into their region. Yet there’s no indication of when that will happen. Meanwhile, York is saddled with some of the highest debt levels in the Greater Toronto Area and there’s pressure to raise money by fast-tracking sprawl and cashing in on lucrative development fees. But that will only make gridlock worse.

Bold, effective and accountable leadership is needed to address these challenges. And York voters face some difficult choices. Here are candidates we endorse in some compelling races:

Stephen Kotyck for Markham

We have supported incumbent Frank Scarpitti in the past but can no longer do so in the wake of his disastrous effort to bring an NHL-size arena to Markham. This failed project remains shrouded in secrecy. To this day, the public hasn’t been allowed to see consultants’ reports that taxpayers funded to the tune of $726,000. Add to that a perception that Scarpitti has overly close ties to sprawl-promoting developers. We say it’s time for change.

Stephen Kotyck offers a better way. He’s a specialist in IT security who ran against Scarpitti in the past and is campaigning on a platform stressing accountability, openness and reform at city hall. Markham is sorely in need of all three. And Kotyck understands that development needs to “slow right down” for the sake of a livable community. He’s our choice.

Dave Barrow for Richmond Hill

There’s a vigorous battle in Richmond Hill between incumbent mayor Dave Barrow and his main challenger, councillor Carmine Perrelli. The campaign has been punctuated by lawsuits, code of conduct concerns and allegations of “dirty politics.”

Perrelli accuses the mayor of excess spending and using a “slush fund” while he himself has, in the past, improperly expensed golf clubs. And the integrity commissioner is looking into a series of town-wide mailings that Perrelli issued on a budget meant for his ward alone.

All this has generated a great deal of interest in the election - something for which Perrelli takes credit. But, on the whole, Barrow remains the best choice for mayor.

Perrelli’s caustic style doesn’t work well at the municipal level, where compromise and skill at coalition-building are essential. And Barrow has done good work in helping to advance public transit and promoting business growth.

Maurizio Bevilacqua for Vaughan

Maurizio Bevilacqua has succeeded in calming Vaughan’s long-troubled city hall. He is a strong consensus-builder, has improved the budget process and helped to establish an atmosphere of respect in council. That stability needs to continue.

Geoff Dawe for Aurora

Geoff Dawe is another mayor who succeeded in improving decorum in a fractious city council and he warrants re-election in Aurora. He has successfully kept key employment lands out of the clutches of developers and done well in promoting investment.

Tony Van Bynen for Newmarket

Incumbent Tony Van Bynen helped strengthen Newmarket’s employment base and advanced the community’s energy efficiency, among other gains. This mayor deserves re-election.

Rob Grossi in Georgina

Enhanced recreation opportunities and infrastructure improvements on Rob Grossi’s watch are two of the reasons he should return as mayor of Georgina.