Other Councillor CandidatesThis is a featured page


Introduction

There are currently nine candidates running for Councillor in Ward 7 (including myself). Below is a brief analysis of the eight other candidates' election platforms, in alphabetical order.

It is not my intention to merely criticize their platforms; the purpose of this web page is to understand (from my perspective of course) why they chose to run, their credibility as a candidate, the passion they bring to the campaign, and finally to highlight some of their ideas.

If readers of this website wish to add to this page, please feel free to either post a comment at the bottom of this page, send me an email or give me a call. I will endeavour to respond as best I can (and will also delete any inappropriate comments if need be).

The list of candidates for Ward 7 are:

1. Scott Aitchison
2. Nick Di Nizio
3. Sergio Gizzo
4. Sharon Joseph
5. Victor Lucero
6. Christopher R. MacDonald
7. George Mammoliti
8. Stefano Tesoro

1. Scott Aitchison

The one word that best describes Scott is "personable". With his wide smile, jovial laugh and great sense of humour, there is no doubt that Scott makes friends very quickly. He also has a passion for politics and is not afraid to discuss the impact that political decisions have on him, his family and his community. I first communicated with Scott by email and we met at a presentation downtown by the Toronto Board of Trade. I took him on a tour of my community and we have spoken many times since.

Scott has strong views on a number of disparate subjects, including better access for the handicapped and vulnerable, not closing public spaces (especially parks), the problems with the Emery Village BIA and finally, more accountability and accessibility of members of Council to the people of Toronto. I would invite readers to go to his website and political facebook page to learn more.

Overall, Scott's position on the above issues is positive and there is no doubt that the people of Ward 7 will be hearing more from him in the future. I have spoken out on similar topics through deputations at City Hall and letters to the editor (specifically the closing of Rowntree Mills Park, the Emery Village BIA and accountability of Council members) and hope that Scott utilizes these other forums after the election as well, as he is an articulate and passionate speaker.

2. Nick Di Nizio

I first met Nick in the summer of 2008 in the Humber Summit community when business owners were getting harassed by various city inspectors, approximately three months before many of their parking spaces were taken away. Nick is the quintessential salesman -- loud, well-groomed and always available to shake hands. Over the years we have spoken many times, collaborated on a few community issues and followed each other's activities in our respective communities. I have also spoken and worked with many of Nick's political handlers in the Weston/Sheppard area.

Nick's political platform for this election (so far at least) is built on simple buzzwords and few specifics that attempt to portray him as a cost-fighter on the right side of the political spectrum. There is no doubt that he is following on the coat-tails of Mayoral candidate Rob Ford as well, making it somewhat difficult to engage him on specific details of his platform. For example, eliminating the land transfer and vehicle registration fees is a popular promise, but at $230 Million per year this is a promise that is unrealistic without an alternate revenue source. In other words, there is a lot of smoke but very little fire in his platform.

Of all the candidates in Ward 7 I am most disappointed in Nick's approach to this election. Portraying himself as the only alternative to the incumbent is not realistic and most likely encouraged by the few people insulating him and then pushing him forward. From my conversations with him I find he lacks political depth and understanding on most municipal issues, relying on his salesmanship and Italian-Canadian heritage for votes. Many people I have spoken to in the Ward also consider him to be a "lite" version of the incumbent. He had the time to learn about many of the serious issues facing the Ward and, except for the soccer lights at the Humber Sheppard Community Centre, did not go far enough to learn more. In my opinion, Nick is in for a great let-down on election night.

3. Sergio Gizzo

OCTOBER 17th UPDATE: I was informed by Sergio that he has a campaign website. I made the necessary changes above and apologize for the earlier misinformation.

OCTOBER 16th UPDATE: An article was published in the October 15th North York Mirror (page 14) detailing my October 4th update information below. The article can be read here. Please note that I was the person who first passed the information to the attention of the reporter. I have since spoken to Sergio about the article.

OCTOBER 4th UPDATE: On September 29th an anonymous tip was posted on my forum below (titled "Your View"), indicating that Sergio Gizzo was being looked at for "money irregularities" (as stated by the poster) by the Mutual Fund Dealers Association (go to the hyperlink here). At first I was doubtful of the claim, did some research and then contacted Sergio for his response on September 30th. He informed me at the time that it was not him and I replied to the anonymous post accordingly. However, after a little more research (including the connection of certain parties mentioned in the MFDA statement of hearing and insistence by the anonymous poster), I contacted Sergio on October 2nd and 3rd. Sergio admitted in our last conversation that in fact it was him in the statement.

ORIGINAL ANALYSIS: I first met Sergio in the Fall of 2004 when we were both on a youth advisory committee in the Humber Summit community, known at the time as the "Humber Summit Resource Centre". As the Executive Assistant for many years to current MPP Mario Sergio (until taking time off to run for Councillor), Sergio is easy to approach and a valuable resource on provincial and municipal matters. In addition, he has an educational background in Political Science, giving him additional political depth.

Unfortunately, he is relying on past goodwill as the reason to vote for him in this election. Sergio does not have a website or a means of laying out his platform and vision (such as a flyer that I have seen), and it is difficult to analyze that which is unavailable. Based on his comments at the Rogers Cable 10 debate on September 21st, Sergio's political position is based on his disappointment in local government (and the incumbent), a need to protect seniors and single Mothers, crime prevention and business incentives -- nothing new and incomplete in any event. His vision centres around "care, consideration, compassion and commitment" -- wonderful buzzwords without real meaning.

In other words, his value to the Ward is based on his work as an Executive Assistant to MPP Mario Sergio. There is value in this experience, but is it enough to step into the position of Ward 7 Councillor?

4. Sharon Joseph

I met Sharon for the first time in August 2010 at a meeting of the Toronto Board of Trade. We communicated via email prior to that time. She attended many 31 Division's CPLC meetings over the years (I am a regular attendee) but we never had a chance to introduce ourselves. Sharon is personable and responsive, qualities she no doubt developed over time in her role as Director of "Breakaway Relief Care", a youth (and family) counselling service based in the Jane/Finch community (but serving many areas of the GTA). I am glad to know her and another Director at Breakaway who is helping with her election campaign, Anthony Mattas -- we have already spoken about joint initiatives after the election.

Although Sharon has a campaign website there isn't much information available to analyze. However, the Rogers 10 debate on September 21st provided me with information about her campaign. Her vision centres around the need for more effective delivery of social services and dealing with community needs at the grass-roots level. In her opinion, issues of poverty and neglect are important for the next Councillor as well, along with a commitment to help those less fortunate. This must be done with integrity and through consultation with both the residents and businesses in Ward 7. Many small businesses in particular need tax breaks in order to survive and succeed

Sharon brought great passion to the Rogers debate and her appeal to help those most vulnerable in our society is a worthy goal. She is an effective advocate for those less fortunate and vulnerable in the Ward. I, too, share her vision to help those most vulnerable in the Ward, but my vision encompasses improving the quality of life for all people in the Ward. It is on this important point that we differ. And like Scott Aitchison, I know that Sharon will continue to be a strong voice in the Ward.

5. Victor Lucero

OCTOBER 9th UPDATE: After reading an October 8th article in the North York Mirror on the Councillor candidates in Ward 7 and visiting Victor's campaign website, he has done me the honour of utilizing two of my platform promises for the last two elections: Creating community committees throughout the Ward and community festivals. Of course, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but Victor should give credit where credit is due, should he not? Just a thought.

Illegal Election Signs in August 2010 -- shame shame shame...ORIGINAL ANALYSIS. My dealings with Victor has been unfortunate, to say the least. A mutual acquaintance promised early this year to put us together and it never materialized. I met Victor for the first time outside the Porto Churrasqueira restaurant in May 2010 (at the corner of Islington Ave. and Satterly Rd.), just after a series of verbal threats were directed against me by one of its owners for objecting to the restaurant's liquor license. Victor approached me, asked me why I chose to object to the liquor license and would not stop asking me the same question over and over, despite repeating myself numerous times. Later I found out that he lives close to the restaurant and his sister is an employee of the restaurant. It was quite inappropriate of him to approach me in this manner and I question his ulterior motives.

In August, Victor placed over-sized election signs on the lawn on his business address, an obvious violation of election by-laws. I was not the first to complain, but my complaint to Jim Hart at MLS was effective soon afterward in getting the signs pulled and charges laid. Afterward, Victor paid the fines, took back the signs, then placed them on the house, AGAIN in violation of election by-laws. I filed another complaint; the signs were pulled by MLS and charges laid again (he has not done this since fortunately). Later I found out from TWO MLS managers that his campaign office is not zoned commercial. Not only was he in violation of election by-laws, his office space was in violation of regular zoning by-laws. These are not small issues.

Victor needs to understand that a Councillor can not go around breaking the law. Victor, you are a bad boy...tsk tsk tsk. George Mammoliti, for example, did the same thing at his campaign office, but found the necessary loopholes to get away with it. May I suggest a quick conversation with the incumbent on these matters.

Victor is also spending a great deal of time denying charges made against him by others in the Ward. During the Rogers 10 debate Victor claimed not to be part of the Humberlea Ratepayers, and his website denies any affiliation with the incumbent. His website even has pictures of him with Mayoral candidate Rob Ford, under the caption "Victor Lucero Supporting Mayoral Candidate Rob Ford". Is Victor endorsing Mr. Ford? Does Mr. Ford even know that Victor is a candidate for Councillor? This is getting silly.

Under these circumstances and the actions mentioned earlier, Victor appears politically tainted in my view and not worthy of consideration or analysis. Better luck next time Victor!

6. Christopher R. MacDonald

  • No campaign website available
  • A summary election sheet of his candidacy is available here
I first met Chris at the Rogers 10 debate and do not recall ever seeing or hearing from him on any issues or in any community meeting in the Ward. This is a surprise to me, as I found out in our conversation that we live very close to each other. Chris has a comfortable personality and is very good at engaging people one-on-one. It was a pleasure meeting him and I hope to see more of him after the election.

Chris does not have a campaign website but provided a summary sheet of his candidacy to Toronto Community News (owners of the North York Mirror). He was also active in the Rogers 10 debate. His platform centres around fiscal restraint, responding to the needs of residents and businesses in the Ward, and lower taxes and fees. In other words, he is a Rob Ford supporter, going so far as to officially endorsing Mr. Ford for Mayor.

Overall, my political views are at the opposite end of the political spectrum to that of Mr. Ford, and for Chris as well. Chris is in a popular political position and many candidates have hopped on the Ford bandwagon. In my opinion I do not find Mr. Ford's platform credible and I question his financial figures as well as that of his long-term plans. The same, therefore, goes with Chris and his platform.

Having said that, the desire to respond to the needs of residents and businesses is an important factor to consider, along with the elimination of the City's problem of over-spending. Responsible fiscal controls and responsiveness are important qualities of a good member of Council. Both Chris and Mr. Ford are promoting those qualities. However, I believe to have these qualities as well, without putting the City in a political crisis.

7. George Mammoliti (The Incumbent)

One of the many reasons to stop taking the incumbent seriouslyThe National Post once referred to me as George's most frequent critic -- a handle I take with pride. Except for Howard Moscoe who found joy in mocking George mercilessly at City Council, nobody else has been able to more effectively penetrate the incumbent's political armour than myself -- and George deserves the criticism as he has been an embarrassment to himself, the people of Ward 7 and Toronto as a whole. There are far too many examples to list here and I will not bore anybody with the details. Suffice it to say that I have spoken out against the incumbent in the media, through blogs, at various committees, numerous community meetings and through formal complaints with many accountability officers and political leaders at the City and Province.

It is time for George to retire from Toronto municipal politics. Period.

Instead of analyzing the incumbent's platform and vision, I thought the best course of action would be to provide readers with my top ten list of reasons to stop taking George seriously. Over the last year or so I have continually updated the Letterman-esque list to provide readers with a more comical approach to this so-called Councillor and candidate.

So, without further ado, my top ten list of reasons to stop taking George Mammoliti seriously:

  • Number 10: Calling on the Army to rid his Ward of drug dealers and arming by-law enforcement officers with guns. I'm sure Bill Blair and members of the Toronto Police had a good laugh as well
  • Number 9: George in action on YouTube (with Rob Ford) -- www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8EpSdyB0zY . You won't believe your eyes!
  • Number 8: Endorsing arch enemy Rob Ford for Mayor in a desperate attempt to win a few votes and seek an Executive Committee position if (and that's a BIG if) George wins the election
  • Number 7: Strippergate. Not only did he embarrass himself and his Ward, he dragged Councillors Frank DiGiorgio & Cesar Palacio into it as well -- and nobody looked up at the strippers of course
  • Number 6: Trying to bring Pandas to the Toronto Zoo to help with its $250 Million fundraising goal. The silliest "junket" to China ever! AND NOW they want to partner with other Canadian Zoos while George is paying his own way to China -- oh boy!
  • Number 5: Trying to eliminate drugs and the world's oldest profession in our fair City with late-night one-man raids to bars and massage parlours, respectively. Gotham is safer now thanks to Batman, ah George
  • Number 4: A weird obsession with naming streets in his Ward after friends and contributors to his election campaigns. I wonder if he will name a street after himself too (does Oliti Court count?).
  • Number 3: Pushing through a $10 Million "special levy" on hard-working businesses in the Emery Village BIA to put up North America's tallest flagpole as a tourist destination. Of course, the BIA is mainly industrial-based and has no need to bring in tourists, but...
  • Number 2: The Emery Village BIA Board of Management. An organization so closely connected to George that the National Post referred to it as "Mammolitiville". This BIA is a dragon that must be slayed.
  • And the Number 1 reason to stop taking George Mammoliti seriously:
LOSING SUPPORT IN WARD 7 BY THE DAY, POLITICS IN TORONTO WILL NOT BE THE SAME WITHOUT HIM...GEORGE MAMMOLITI IS THE CLASS CLOWN OF CITY COUNCIL.

8. Stefano Tesoro

Missing in action.



LarryPerlman
LarryPerlman 		Latest page update: made by LarryPerlman , Oct 17 2010, 10:41 AM EDT (about this update About This Update LarryPerlman Edited by LarryPerlman


view changes
- complete history)
Keyword tags: None
More Info: links to this page

Threads for this page

Started By Thread Subject Replies Last Post
Anonymous Your View 6 Oct 3 2010, 2:50 PM EDT by LarryPerlman
 
Thread started: Sep 29 2010, 7:22 PM EDT  Watch
It is interesting that you have tried to analyze all the candidates but yourself. It almost sounds like you are trying to endorse a couple that are running against you. However, you did miss the fact that Sergio Gizzo will be appearing in court the day after the election on charges of money irregularities? It is public knowledge and can be found on the web if you doubt what I said.
The main reason for my comment, is that I am trying to figure out which candidate you are endorsing in the upcoming election, as it seems that there are 2 which you find would make a good councillor for this ward.
Do you find this valuable?    
Keyword tags: None
Show Last Reply
Showing 1 of 1 threads for this page