Josh Colle ward 15 candidate

Ex-trustee Josh Colle challenging Howard Moscoe
Son of MPP Mike Colle looks to unseat veteran councillor
Kris Scheuer
(Written June 15 for Town Crier.)

Photo courtesy of Joshua Colle.

The son of MPP Mike Colle decided to take his own political plunge today by entering the race for Eglinton-Lawrence Ward 15.
Joshua Colle is running against veteran North Toronto councillor Howard Moscoe.
“For me personally, there’s a bit of disenchantment with the way the city is run and how business is conducted,” said Colle. “In the past five years, I’ve had three kids. I see my city, community and neighbourhood through a different lens. It’s incredibly tough for families in this city.”
One of his key issues is to have the city do more for families.
“How long will it take for the city to have schools become community hubs?” asks the former Catholic school trustee for Eglinton-Lawrence. “I have a park near us that is not well maintained so no one uses it. Effective transit is a huge issue for families.”

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Rosina Bonavota withdraws Ward 15

Bonavota no longer running against Howard Moscoe
She registers instead for Catholic trustee race
By Kris Scheuer
(Written for Town Crier May 19.)

Rosina Bonavota withdrew from council race and is supporting another candidate. Photo by Kris Scheuer/Town Crier.

Councillor Howard Moscoe has one less opponent to worry about in this fall’s election.
Rosina Bonavota has withdrawn from the Eglinton-Lawrence Ward 15 race. She’s registered instead for Catholic school board trustee in North York Ward 5.
Bonavota said she wasn’t pressured to drop out but after meeting up with candidate Ron Singer decided to support his campaign.
“I think Ron Singer has a better chance of beating out Moscoe,” she said May 19.
Both Singer and Bonavota ran against Moscoe in the 2006 election.

Vacant shops on Yonge strip

Businesses find it hard to survive in Midtown
High rents, aggressive parking enforcement, few shoppers
(Written for Town Crier April 27/09)

Town Crier and Vaughan Today colleagues at the OCNA awards. Kris Scheuer in the centre with glasses, dark hair and black dress.

I wrote this story a year ago, but tonight, it was up for the Best Business & Finance Story category at the Ontario Community Newspaper Association awards ceremony. I didn’t win. I came third out of the 67 or 68 entries in that category. But it was a fun night with some Town Crier colleagues and a chance to catch up with my two favourite Humber College journalism professors Terri Arnott and Carey French.

Now here’s the story I wrote…

Clifford Wong closed his Yonge Street clothing store Basique Attitude. He was not the only struggling shop.Photo by Kris Scheuer/Town Crier.

By Kris Scheuer
By the time you read this Clifford Wong will have closed up his Yonge St. clothing shop Basique Attitude.
He’s not alone. A visit on Yonge between Eglinton and Lawrence Aves. on April 22 reveals about dozen vacant shops along this busy North Toronto strip.
“I’ve been here 16 months. It’s hard to survive,” says Wong just days before his shop was to close for good on April 25. “I love this area, but it’s very difficult to survive.”
He’s had three stores in Richmond Hill for 15 years, but says it costs $7,000 monthly for commercial rent and property taxes in Toronto for his store at 2581 Yonge St. He also mentions street parking enforcement that acts as a deterrent for shoppers.
“People are scared to park here,” he says.
The Uptown Yonge Business Improvement Area’s members have noticed the same problems.

Roy Macdonald Ward 16 candidate

Macdonald concerned about traffic and crime
First-time candidate wants to see better city services
By Kris Scheuer
(Written May 7 for Town Crier.)

Teacher Roy Macdonald's running for ward 16 council seat. Photo courtesy of Roy Macdonald.

Teacher and coach Roy Macdonald is seeking to unseat Eglinton-Lawrence Councillor Karen Stintz in Ward 16.
“I don’t see it being a stretch going from teaching to politics,” said  the 42-year-old, first time candidate. “I’m pretty good at bringing people from different personalities together.”
Macdonald’s worked as school liaison worker with students at Lord Dufferin School supporting kids both academically and emotionally. Many of the students lived in shelters or came from problem homes. He’s taught in communities from Jane and Finch to Lawrence Park.
In his spare time he coaches children’s hockey four times a week in the winter, hardball/softball in the community in the spring and soccer and baseball at school.
“I like to be a busy person,” said Macdonald, who lives in the ward.

Ron Singer ward 15 candidate

Eglinton-Lawrence candidate worried about traffic and safety
Singer runs for third time against incumbent Howard Moscoe
By Kris Scheuer
(Written for Town Crier April 22.)

Ward 15 candidate Ron Singer. Photo by Francis Crescia/Town Crier.

Ron Singer is running for councillor in Ward 15 on a platform of crime reduction, safety and traffic — especially as it relates to the new revitalization plan for Lawrence Heights.
“They will bring in 10,000 more cars (as) they want to bring in 8-9,000 more (residential) units,” said Singer, of the Toronto Community Housing plan for the under-served neighbourhood.
“With more cars, the main intersection will be blocked and people will be racing down (side) streets.”
Drivers may turn down residential side streets to avoid congested main roads, he said, which could increase safety risks for kids.
“I am fighting how this will be set up. I don’t want to see a small kid hit by a car just to say, ‘I told you so,’” he said. “Cars and kids don’t mix well.”

Rosina Bonavota ward 15 candidate

Bonavota’s running for second time against Councillor Moscoe
Eglinton-Lawrence candidate concerned about local crimes
By Kris Scheuer
(Written for Town Crier April 22.)

Candidate Rosina Bonavota. Town Crier file photo/Kris Scheuer.

When Rosina Bonavota was helping run the family business Bonamico Cafe, everyone from teenagers to grandmothers would chat about their concerns.
Lending an ear, Bonavota became known as the neighbourhood problem-solver in the Oakwood and Vaughan community she’s lived in since age seven.
Now as an Eglinton-Lawrence ward 15 candidate, Bonavota wants to tackle issues from within city hall.
The school bus driver has lived in the area since she was seven and says she has keen knowledge of local issues. One of the persistent problems in the area is crime, she says. It was a personal tragedy that hit very close to home last November.
“My friend’s son died six months ago, shot by a stray bullet. He was studying to be a police officer,” said Bonavota, who has two grown sons of her own.
She’s referring to the murder of 18-year-old Robert Flagiello, who was fatally wounded as he stood on Vaughan Road. He was not the intended victim.

North Toronto voters’ high expectations

Coun. Karen Stintz governs a very politically active ward
Residents put pressure on politicians to side with them
(Column written Feb. 5 for Town Crier.)

Eglinton-Lawrence Councillor Karen Stintz represents a very politically engaged Ward 16 that has high expectations of their local reps.
The ward has six ratepayer organizations as well as tenant associations, condo boards and co-ops.
On top of that is the very active Federation of North Toronto Residents’ Associations that represents three dozen ratepayer organizations in the broader midtown area. And they are a politically active bunch.
Stintz says this is a blessing not a curse.
“One of the strengths of the North Toronto community is they are highly engaged and relative to the city there’s a higher than average voter turnout,” she says. “The community is very engaged and that’s not just during an election year it’s throughout a person’s (political) term.”

Karen Stintz opts out of mayor’s race

Stintz won’t run for mayor of Toronto in 2010
She plans to run for re-election as Eglinton-Lawrence councillor
By Kris Scheuer
(Written Nov. 8 for Town Crier.)

Local rep Karen Stintz is no longer considering running for mayor, but she has no shortage of priorities to tackle if she’s re-elected as councillor.
“It looks like it will be a crowded playing field running for mayor,” says Stintz, who had openly mused about running for the top job. “I can best serve in another way by promoting new ideas and getting issues discussed.”
Stintz is in her second term in office and has carved out a place for herself as one of the main spokespeople for the Responsible Government Group, which was formed in opposition to Mayor David Miller.
With Miller not returning again, it will be a wide open race although few have declared themselves as official mayoralty candidates so far. Stinz has now declared she will be seeking her current seat as councillor for Eglinton-Lawrence’s ward 15.

Who will be next Toronto mayor?

Mayor David Miller won’t run in next election, he announced today
Here’s a list of early possible contenders for 2010 mayoralty race
By Kris Scheuer
(Join the debate below, see update here.)

I attended David Miller’s press conference at 10 am today when he declared he won’t seek a third term as Toronto’s mayor.
For that story, click here.
In the hours that followed myself and colleague Karolyn Coorsh heard about a number of possible candidates for mayor. Keep in mind that we spoke to just a handful of politicians and strategists, so this is just an initial list of contenders. And the next city election is 14 months away.
Tell me if you would vote for any of them or would like to see someone else run instead.
Possible Toronto mayoralty candidates for 201o that were mentioned to me and fellow Town Crier reporter Karolyn today. Keep in mind these names were told to us as possibilities only. No one has officially thrown their hat in the ring, yet.