South Asia Mail
Thursday, October 07, 2010
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Most of the media attention in the municipal election campaign has been devoted to the Toronto mayoral race. But there are also hot races for the 44 seats on Toronto City Council. Incumbents generally win these races, but the Star believes it is time to shake up council by electing new people who have fresh ideas and better reflect the diversity of the city. Closer to election day, the Star will list its choices for city council in all 44 of Toronto’s wards. But today we focus on three potential new faces that merit special attention:Cadigia Ali, Ward 2, Etobicoke North. Mayoral candidate Rob Ford has held this council seat for 10 years and before that his father represented the area at the provincial level. Now Rob’s brother, Doug, is hoping to maintain the Ford dynasty in Ward 2. His main opponent, Cadigia Ali, a Somali-Canadian, is a graduate of medical school in Rome and a committed community leader with years of experience mentoring youth, advancing public health and promoting student excellence. She would be a change for the better.
Mohamed Dhanani, Ward 26, Don Valley West. This candidate was just five years old when his parents fled Tanzania and came to Canada. After living in Toronto’s Flemingdon Park area, Dhanani earned a master’s degree in public health from Yale University. He has worked as a skilled government administrator, a successful entrepreneur and an impassioned community leader. He lost by just 214 votes to incumbent John Parker in 2006. There are others on council who reflect Parker’s small-c conservative views. Dhanani would bring a new perspective to council.
Neethan Shan, Ward 42, Scarborough-Rouge River. Incumbent Raymond Cho has served on council for 19 years. That’s long enough. Shan is a strong alternative. A Tamil-Canadian, he has left his seat as a school board trustee in Markham for a crack at Toronto council. Now a Toronto resident, Shan has long been a community activist in the city’s difficult Malvern neighbourhood and heads the Council of Agencies Serving South Asians. City council would benefit from his presence.
Source: South Asia Mail