The young and the restless?
To some it's a soap opera but to others, it's a perfect way to describe some of the battles going on in Toronto's municipal election.
The final countdown to Election Day is on and some wards are so hotly contested, I'm willing to bet we're going to see some surprising changes on council after all is said and done Tuesday morning.
There are several wards in Toronto where an incumbent might find themselves without a job.
Here's a look at some possible upsets.
Ward 32 – Beaches-East York Incumbent: Sandra Bussin
Bunny suits, untendered contracts, temper tantrums…Sandra Bussin has certainly faced her fair share of controversy.
Bussin, who was first elected to council in 1997, has faced heavy criticism from the public and her council colleagues for excessively spending taxpayer money. Some of that cash went to a $205 bunny suit rental used during the Beaches Easter Parade and to sponsor team uniforms featuring her name such as the Bussin Blizzards and the Bussin Blue Jays.
She was also blasted for helping a campaign donor secure a lucrative restaurant deal in the Beaches. The contract was never put to tender.
Bussin, a close ally of Miller who has served as both Deputy Mayor and council Speaker, is facing real competition from Mary-Margaret McMahon. In fact, people are so keen to get rid of the veteran politician that two candidates have dropped out of the race in order to boost McMahon's chance of winning.
Ward 26 – Don Valley West Incumbent: John Parker
John Parker, a one-time Progressive Conservative MPP, has just had one term as city councillor, but insiders say the incumbent is set to lose his seat to challenger Mohamed Dhanani.
Parker beat Dhanani by 214 votes in 2006 but the race is expected to be much tighter this time.
The ward is home to a diverse population. The councillor will represent both the affluent and established Leaside community as well as Flemingdon Park, which has been established by the United Way as one of Toronto's 13 priority neighbourhoods. The ward also includes Thorncliffe Park where more than 85 per cent of residents are new immigrants.
What's interesting to note is that this ward had the highest voter turnout in the 2006 election at 52 per cent. (Other wards, on average, had about a 37 per cent voter turnout.)
Some say the high turnout was largely due to the fact that long-time Leaside rep Jane Pitfield was running for mayor. But could it simply be that this ward is ready for a change in leadership?
Ward 16 – Eglinton-Lawrence Incumbent: Karen Stintz
Karen Stintz, a conservative member of council, was criticized earlier this year for supporting an application in her ward that will allow RioCan to build on top of an open square at the northwest corner of Yonge and Eglinton.
RioCan owns the property and has the legal right to build a highrise there. Nonetheless, residents living in this ward are active and don't take development controversies lightly. They threw out Anne Johnston, who served on council for 31 years, after she supported building the Minto highrise condo tower in the area.
Terry Mills, a professional planner, is Stintz's main opponent.
Ward 8 – York West Incumbent: Anthony Perruzza
Anthony Perruzza, once an NDP MPP, has been battling challenger Peter Li Preti for this seat since 2000. Li Preti, once a Liberal party candidate, narrowly beat Perruzza in that election and again by an even narrower margin in 2003. However, in 2006, Perruzza had his day, beating the incumbent by 5 per cent. The 2006 campaign was heated, with each accusing each other of dirty tactics. Tensions were so high in the ward that the city hired off-duty police officers to guard voting stations to protect voters from possible harassment -- a move unheard of in Toronto municipal politics.
The race between Perruzza and LiPreti promises to be close again though it has been a much cleaner campaign this time around. It's also interesting to note that Smitherman's brother/nemesis Arthur Smitherman is running in this ward.
Ward 44 – Scarborough East Incumbent: Ron Moeser
Ron Moeser first became councillor in Scarborough in 1988 and continued to represent the area after amalgamation. He was defeated in 2003 but managed to inch past competitor Diana Hall to win the seat by just 61 votes. Hall is back for a rematch and insiders say Moeser could be in trouble.
Ward 35 – Scarborough Southwest Incumbent: Adrian Heaps
The 2006 battle between Heaps and challenger Michelle Berardinetti was a meaty one that ended in a libel lawsuit against the incumbent. Heaps ended up beating Berardinetti by 89 votes to sit in council for the first time.
Heaps, who once ran for Ontario's Liberal Party, refused city council's offer to pay the councillor's legal bill against Berardinetti.
The two are battling it out again in 2010 with Berardinetti accusing Heaps of stealing her election signs. Berardinetti is married to MPP Lorenzo Berardinetti.
Sandie Benitah is a Toronto journalist who has covered municipal politics for the CTV Toronto website and other publications. She is covering the issues of this election for CTV Toronto and CP24's websites.
