A small batch of councillors elected on Monday night will be sitting on Toronto City Council for the first time, and got a change on Tuesday to get a glimpse of their new digs. The three politicians visited city hall ahead of their official December start dates to shake hands with their supporters and their future co-workers.
This is a look at the new faces and their objectives for the next four years:
Brad Bradford
Brad Bradford was elected city councillor for Beaches-East York after receiving one of John Tory’s few councillor endorsements.
It was pretty emotional,” Bradford said. “We won this with hard work. We won this by going to the door. We went to 50,000 doors this summer.”
Bradford has a background in urban planning, having worked in both the private and non-profit sector. He also did some work with the City of Toronto prior to his councillor bid.
“Having that city hall experience is invaluable,” he said. “It’s not going to take me two years to figure this place works. I've written reports. I've been to committee. I've worked across divisions. I've done the budget.”
Bradford said he is going to focus on affordable housing and improving the public transit network.
Cynthia Lai
Cynthia Lai was elected city councillor in Scarborough North, one of the few wards where no incumbent was running. A real estate entrepreneur and past president of the Toronto Real Estate Board, Lai campaigned heavily on community safety, more programming for seniors and extending the Sheppard subway from Don Mills into her ward.
“I’m going to be knocking on everyone’s doors, the feds and provincial government, to make sure we can get it done,” Lai said. “I’m looking forward to working with my counterparts in Scarborough to fight for this so-much neglected and way overdue subway that we need.”
“I have a reputation of getting things done.”
Jennifer McKelvie
Environmental scientist Jennifer McKelvie was elected city councillor for Scarborough-Rouge Park, defeating incumbent Neethan Shan in a very tight race.
“On May 1st, I was the first candidate to sign up and I was also first candidate to sign up on August 20,” McKelvie said.
The mother of two said she will be focusing on creating safe school zones, reducing commute times and bringing well-paying jobs to her ward.
“I’m a mother and an environmental scientist and a dedicated community volunteer … you know I enjoy my professional life but I really really enjoy the work I do in my community and so I am so excited to be able to work for the residents of Scarborough-Rouge Park full time.”
