Tara Crugnale
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Tara Crugnale (b. February 9, 1976 in Hamilton, Ontario) is a small business owner and politician, and a graduate of McMaster University. She is also a regular guest on The Opinionators, a political talk show which airs on Cable 14 community television in Hamilton. In the 2007 Ontario provincial election, Crugnale was a Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario candidate for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, running in the new provincial riding of Hamilton East—Stoney Creek.[1] She was defeated, finishing third behind the victorious NDP candidate Paul Miller and Liberal runner-up Nerene Virgin.[2]
At McMaster, Crugnale was a columnist for The Silhouette, the weekly newspaper published by the McMaster Students Union. She also oversaw music and talk-radio programs on CFMU, the campus radio station.
Tara Crugnale, together with her mother and sister, were very active in a charity which they established, C.R.I.E.D. (Children Refugees In need of Effective Direct aid). Initially this organization helped refugee children from her mother's native Croatia. Later, its mandate expanded to include children in need around the world.
Crugnale's father, Bruno Crugnale, is a local businessperson who was named Honorary Counsel of the Republic of Italy to Hamilton-Niagara.
[edit] Politics
Crugnale first became active in the Progressive Conservative Party during the 1995 Ontario provincial election, when she worked for Toni Skarica, the Progressive Conservative candidate in Wentworth North. During her time at McMaster, Crugnale was also an active member of the McMaster PC Association.
After the death of Liberal Party Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Dominic Agostino, the provincial Conservatives approached Crugnale to run as their candidate in a 2004 byelection in Hamilton East. The riding had not elected a Conservative in decades. Although there was public anger directed towards Dalton McGuinty's Liberal government, the New Democratic Party (NDP) candidate Andrea Horwath ended up being the beneficiary, winning a substantial victory over Crugnale and the late Liberal MPP's brother Ralph Agostino.
On May 16, 2007, Crugnale was acclaimed as the Progressive Conservative candidate for Hamilton East—Stoney Creek for 2007 Ontario provincial election. On October 1, 2007, she broke with her party's leader, John Tory, announcing that she would not support the party's proposal to extend public funding to religious-based schools, one of the most controversial issues in the campaign.[3] Crugnale ultimately finished in third place in her riding in the election.
[edit] Electoral record
| Ontario general election, 2007 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| New Democrat | Paul Miller | 16,256 | 37.6 | ||
| Liberal | Nerene Virgin | 15,171 | 35.1 | ||
| Progressive Conservative | Tara Crugnale | 9,195 | 21.3 | ||
| Green | Raymond Dartsch | 2,122 | 4.9 | ||
| Family Coalition | Robert Innes | 451 | 1.0 | ||
| Hamilton East by-election, 2004 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| New Democrat | Andrea Horwath | 15,185 | 63.6 | ||
| Liberal | Ralph Agostino | 6,362 | 26.6 | ||
| Progressive Conservative | Tara Crugnale | 1,772 | 7.4 | ||
| Green | Raymond Dartsch | 448 | 1.9 | ||
| Independent | John C. Turmel | 120 | 0.5 | ||
