Thornhill, Vaughan races off and running ahead of Oct. 27 vote
yorkregion.com
Sept. 17, 2014
By Simone Joseph
It ain’t easy being a 22-year-old politician. Just ask Josh Martow.
The Vaughan Ward 5 councillor candidate finished his speech at a Thornhill Meet and Greet event Monday night.
Then, rival candidate and incumbent councillor Alan Shefman opened his speech with: “Ah, to be 22 again.”
Shefman went on to say that with his years of experience, he could help residents solve daily problems, such as their garbage not being collected or snow not being cleared.
“Through much experience, I can solve the problem quickly and effectively,” he said.
At the event, mayoral candidate Daniel DeVito, 28, framed his younger age as a positive.
DeVito has said he plans to make social media the “backbone” of his campaign.
“I wanted to represent my generation, which doesn’t take the most active interest. It is the best way to engage my generation,” he said.
DeVito told those present he worked on Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua’s 2010 municipal election campaign.
Monday night’s event was meant to allow Thornhill-Vaughan Ward 5 voters to meet their candidates for council and the school boards. It was at Thornhill’s Garnet A. Williams Community Centre.
While campaigning door-to-door, Martow said he found residents most passionate about transit. People are concerned about the Viva rapidway route that moves from its Hwy. 7 route, down Bathurst Street, along Centre Street to Dufferin Street before linking up again with Hwy. 7.
Residents have safety concerns, Martow said. If you want to make a left turn while travelling on Centre Street, you have to do a U turn to do it.
“If there is construction or traffic and you make U turns, there is more opportunity for accidents,” Martow said. “They are putting a very urban transit system in a very suburban area...People aren’t used to that type of system”.
The top concern Shefman heard about from voters is also transit.
“People want rapid transit and we need to build it,” Shefman said.
He teamed up with other York Region councillors to lobby key players in the GTA to try to bring Vaughan closer to getting the Yonge Street subway extension, he said.
But the hospital, not transit, was at the top of other candidates’ agendas.
Mayoral candidate Paul Donofrio said one of his goals is to find out “what is happening with the hospital in Vaughan?” He ran as the NDP candidate in Vaughan during the 2012 byelection.
Regional Councillor candidate Carrie Liddy voiced the same concern about the Vaughan hospital.
“It has been 10 years. It is about time it is built,” she said, adding that taxpayers have already paid millions to help fund hospital.
Deputy Mayor and Regional Councillor Gino Rosati defended council’s record, saying council has provided ice surfaces with the lowest cost.
“Our hospital is coming forward and there is no turning back. Next year, we will start construction. The 427 extension is coming,” he said.
Regional Councillor Deb Schulte had this to say about council: “A lot of work is being done quietly. We have transformed the culture. It is more service-oriented and now there is a much improved image.”
Regional Councillor Michael Di Biase spoke about major concerns.
“We’re talking about keeping property taxes down. Traffic: everyone’s concerned. Yes, we do have a subway coming”, to which someone in the small audience of about 30 yelled out “When?”
Bevilacqua spoke about Vaughan’s progress, pointing out how newspaper headlines mentioning Vaughan have changed over recent years.
One headline mentioned Vaughan’s job growth. Another pointed to the city’s future hospital.
“These are the type of headlines I wanted to see. We are changing the headlines,” the mayor said.
