Toronto Centre byelection Murray wins

Liberal Glen Murray voted in as next MPP tonight
NDP Cathy Crowe comes second, PC Pam Taylor third
By Kris Scheuer and Matthew Cohen
(Written Feb. 4 for Town Crier.)

Newly elected Toronto-Centre MPP Glen Murray gets congratulated by his mother Mary and Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty. Photo by Francis Crescia/Town Crier.

The Liberals are two-for-two in Toronto byelections after Glen Murray was chosen to replace George Smitherman in Toronto Centre.
Murray won handily, taking 47 percent of the popular vote with all the polls reporting. His total was just below the 47.85 percent Smitherman received during the 2007 general election.

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Toronto Centre byelection candidates

Former Toronto Centre MPP George Smitherman running for mayor
Byelection to be held Feb. 4, meet the candidates then vote
By Kris Scheuer and Christopher Reynolds
(Written Jan. 13 for Town Crier. Election night UPDATE.)

There are fabulous candidates running: Greens Stefan Premdas, NDP Cathy Crowe, PC Pamela Taylor and Liberal Glen Murray in the Toronto Centre byelection Feb. 4.
Here’s a snapshot of each of them based on interviews by myself and colleague Chris Reynolds. Scroll down to read each mini profile. We didn’t interview Freedom Party candidate Wayne Simmons or Ontario Libertarian Party candidate Heath Thomas for our story but they are both running in the byelection.

George Smitherman runs for mayor

Smitherman a 2010 candidate for Toronto mayor
Former Liberal MPP officially registers in city election
By Kris Scheuer
(Written for Town Crier Jan eight.)

George Smitherman registered as a Toronto mayoralty candidate Jan. 8. Photo by Francis Crescia/Town Crier.

It’s official. After months of talking about it George Smitherman has registered as a candidate for mayor of Toronto at 10:30 a.m. this morning.
“A vote for my campaign is a vote for a city that works,” Smitherman said at a press conference following his registration.
“I’m going to bring new energy and new direction and leadership to the challenges that confront Toronto.”“We have a lot of work to do to restore opportunities for jobs for people in our city,” said Smitherman.

Toronto Centre byelection 2010

MPP George Smitherman vacates seat to run for TO mayor
Prov political parties line up candidates for by-election
By Kris Scheuer
(Click here for candidate profiles.)

A new face will grace Toronto Centre when voters choose a new MPP in Feb. 4 by-election now that current rep George Smitherman has resigned to run for mayor of the city.
The main political parties are quickly lining up candidates.
Myself and colleague Chris Reynolds are working on a stories for the Town Crier newspaper on candidates for the Liberals, Progressive Conservatives, NDP and Greens.
I will be speaking with the Liberal’s candidate former Winnipeg mayor Glen Murray (nominated Jan.6) and I spoke to the PC’s candidate lawyer Pamela Taylor (she ran for them in 2007). My colleague Chris Spencer spoke to the NDP’s candidate poverty activist Cathy Crowe. The Green Party of Ontario nominated Stefan Premdas as their candidate on Jan. 10.
Who would you like to see elected here in the provincial by-election?

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.