Toronto municipal election, 1985
The 1985 Toronto municipal election was held to elect members of municipal councils, school boards, and hydro commissions in the six municipalities that made up Metropolitan Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The election was held on November 12, 1985.
Toronto
Mayor
The mayoral election saw progressive North Toronto councillor Anne Johnston challenge incumbent Art Eggleton. Eggleton won reelection by a significant margin, with Johnston not even winning her former ward.
- Results
- Art Eggleton - 92,994
- Anne Johnston - 59,817
- Ann Ladas - 1,473
- Gaston Schwab - 1,228
- Aaron Abraham - 1,077
- John J. Benz - 583
- Skip Evans - 557
- Fred Dunn - 513
- Gary Watson - 433
- Ben Kerr - 422
- Ronald Rodgers - 341
- Andrejs Murnieks - 266
- Warren J. Van Evera - 223
- Gary Weagle - 202
City and Metro council
The election system was changed in Toronto for the 1985 election. Previously two councillors had been elected from each ward, with the one who received the most votes also getting a spot on Metro Toronto council in addition to their city council seat. For the 1985 the two positions were split, and voters now cast a separate vote for city council and for metro council. Most pairs of incumbent councillors reached tacit agreements with one running for city council and the other for metro. The one battle between two incumbents was in Ward 5 where in a surprise upset junior councillor Ron Kanter defeated the long serving Ying Hope. Two other long serving councillors were defeated. Joe Piccininni who had represent the Corso d'Italia for 25 years lost to 28 year old Betty Disero. In the east end NDPers Dorothy Thomas lost in a surprise upset to conservative Paul Christie.
- Ward 1 (Swansea and Bloor West Village)
- Metro
- Derwyn Shea (incumbent) - 10,429
- Diana Fancher - 2,675
- Robert Szajkowski - 1,270
- City
- William Boytchuk (incumbent) - 8,491
- David White - 6,049
- Len Bugeja - 1,030
- Ward 2 (Parkdale and Brockton)
- Metro
- Ben Grys (incumbent) - 7,189
- Susan Shaw - 4,223
- City
- Chris Korwin-Kuczynski (incumbent) - 8,617
- Owen Leach - 1,638
- Hubert P. Antoic - 777
- Jimmy Talpa - 353
- Ward 3 (Davenport and Corso Italia)
- Metro
- Richard Gilbert (incumbent) - 6,745
- John Martin - 2,722
- City
- Betty Disero - 5,096
- Joseph Piccininni (incumbent) - 3,835
- Judy De Sousa - 1,871
- Nick Attarano - 282
- Ward 4 (Trinity-Bellwoods and Little Italy)
- Metro
- Joe Pantalone (incumbent) - 6,519
- Joe Pimentel - 2,429
- Antonio Nunziata - 666
- Hiwon Pak - 336
- City
- Tony O'Donohue (incumbent) - 5,617
- David English - 2,755
- Vince Nigro - 2,637
- Ward 5 (The Annex and Yorkville)
- Metro
- Ron Kanter (incumbent) - 9,788
- Ying Hope (incumbent) - 5,849
- City
- Nadine Nowlan - 7,018
- David Scott - 4,387
- Lawson Oates - 2,509
- Ward 6 (Financial District, Toronto - University of Toronto)
- Metro
- Jack Layton (incumbent) - 9,037
- Pearl Loo - 1,972
- Edward Jackson - 1,824
- Lex Dunkelman - 1,183
- Citizen Amber - 414
- City
- Dale Martin (incumbent) - 6,791
- Peter Maloney - 4,923
- Jerry Borins - 1,902
- Steve BFG Johnson - 1,059
- Ward 7 (Regent Park and Riverdale)
- Metro
- Joanne Campbell (incumbent) - 9,293
- James P. Atkins - 1,490
- Jack McLeavey - 775
- City
- Barbara Hall - 6,379
- Bill Mole - 2,807
- Mike Armstrong - 2,232
- Christopher Goulios - 613
- Ward 8 (Riverdale)
- Metro
- Fred Beavis (incumbent) - 7,637
- Richard Tyssen - 3,604
- Sam Baichoo - 494
- City
- Thomas Clifford (incumbent) - 7,068
- Sheila Cram - 4,035
- Michael Tegtmeyer - 339
- Ward 9 (The Beaches)
- Metro
- Tom Jakobek (incumbent) - 12,827
- Patterson Higgins - 2,775
- Jeremy Agar - 747
- City
- Paul Christie - 8,985
- Dorothy Thomas (incumbent) - 7,042
- Ward 10 (Rosedale and North Toronto)
- Metro
- June Rowlands (incumbent) - acclaimed
- City
- Michael Walker - acclaimed
- Ward 11 (Forest Hill and North Toronto)
- Metro
- Kay Gardner - 8,369
- Belinda Morin - 7,905
- March Tigh - 2,614
- City
- Michael Gee (incumbent) - 15,345
- Christopher Nelson - 2,810
Results taken form the November 13, 1985 Toronto Star and might not exactly match final tallies.
East York
Mayor (East York) - David Johnson
North York
Mel Lastman is re-elected mayor of the City and serves until 1997. Maria Augimeri elected to Ward 5, Peter Li Preti elected to Ward 3 and Mario Gentile re-elected as Ward 2 councillor. Esther Shiner is re-elected to Board of Control, but dies in office in 1987. Norm Gardner loses his seat on the Board of Control.
1985 Toronto municipal election, North York Board of Control (four members elected)edit
| Candidate |
Total votes |
% of total votes |
| (x)Esther Shiner |
67,345 |
19.47 |
| (x)Robert Yuill |
53,709 |
15.53 |
| Norman Gardner |
51,137 |
14.78 |
| Howard Moscoe |
42,303 |
12.23 |
| Mike Foster |
35,838 |
10.36 |
| Frank Esposito |
21,365 |
6.18 |
| Bruce Davidson |
18,926 |
5.47 |
| Sonnee Cohen |
12,822 |
3.71 |
| Bernadette Michael |
12,764 |
3.69 |
| Angelo Natale |
12,416 |
3.59 |
| Cora Urbel |
7,791 |
2.25 |
| Arthur Zins |
4,961 |
1.43 |
| Ayube Ally |
4,571 |
1.32 |
| Total valid votes |
345,948 |
100.00 |
- Cora Urbel (born Cora Kevany) was a well-known community activist in North York, serving as leader of the North York Concerned Citizens Committee in 1984. She called for an investigation into the approval of the city's Rampart Development Project, and criticized road reforms that she believed would cause increased traffic in residential areas.[1] She was endorsed by John Sewell in 1985 as one of North York's most prominent reformers, and was expected to be a strong candidate.[2] Her poor showing was a surprise to most observers. Urbel served as president of the Don Mills Residents' Association after the election, and promoted "open space" community development.[3] She campaigned for North York City Council's tenth ward in 1988, and lost to Don Yuill in a fairly close contest. She was fifty-nine years old during this campaign, and strongly opposed the extension of Leslie St. past Eglinton Avenue and the decision to widen Don Mills Rd. and Victoria Park Ave.[4] Urbel supported a series of austerity measures in the early 1990s. She called for education spending cuts in 1991, and spoke against a proposed 1% Metro Toronto tax hike in 1994.[5] She died on March 28, 1999. A road in Toronto was named after her the following year.[6]
- Arthur Zins was a self-employed businessman and former public utility administrator, who argued that North York needed his public administration skills.[7] He campaigned for a position on the North York Hydro Board in 1980, and finished last in a field of nineteen candidates.
- Ayube Ally owned a manufacturing plant, and recommended improved facilities for senior citizens.[8]
- Ward 8 Bev Salmon
- Ward 10 Marie Labatte
- Ward 12 Barry Burton
School Board Trustees
- Ward 8 Gerri Gershon
- Ward 10 Rene Gordon
- Ward 12 Kenneth Crowley
Scarborough
Mayor
Board of Control
Public Utilities
- Cavanagh ; 45,921
- Beatty ; 33,268
- Stewart ; 27,686
- Speares ; 10,960
- Nurse ; 9,445
- Alix ; 6,827
City Councillors
Ward 1 -
- Barron ; 3,100
- Dan Danielson ; NDP ; 1,985
- White ; 1,761
Ward 2 -
- Gerry Altobello ; 2,304
- Boyle ; 1,662
- McKenzie ; 1,375
- Judd ; 574
- Morton ; 476
Ward 3 -
- Wardrope ; 3,034
- Robertson ; 2,256
- McDermott ; 776
- Catre ; 769
- Zaidi ; 635
Ward 4 -
- Christensen ; 4,195
- Ligold ; 2,362
Ward 5
Ward 6
- Cruickshank ; acclamation
Ward 7
Ward 8
- Eidt ; 4,804
- Murray ; 1,912
- Chadha ; 717
Ward 9
- Mackie ; 6,134
- DeSouza ; 2,218
Ward 10
Ward 11
- Cavalier ; 3,828
- Anderson ; 1,398
Ward 12 ;
- Mahood ; 2,232
- Watson, Ron ; 1,350
- Pearce ; 1,171
- Lam, A ; 898
- Watson, Bob ; 793
- Manning ; 433
Ward 13
- Sanders ; 1,858
- Nutter ; 1,394
- Kenton ; 773
- Chana ; 767
- Chappell ; 462
- Coyle ; 340
Ward 14
- Montgomery ; 3,076
- McLennon ; 621
- Sharma ; 481
- Loughlin, B ; 386
- Russell ; 338
- Kukade ; 158
York
Ward 1
- Bill Nobleman (Acclamation)
Ward 2
Ward 3
Ward 4
Ward 5
Ward 6
Ward 7
Ward 8
School Board Trustees
School Board Ward 1
School Board Ward 2
School Board Ward 3
School Board Ward 4
School Board Ward 5
School Board Ward 6
School Board Ward 7
School Board Ward 8
Metro Toronto Separate School Trustees
- Antonio (Tony) Nigro served on the Metro Toronto Separate School Board from 1974 to 1985. He was himself a teacher with the North York Board of Education.[9] He tried to return to the Toronto Catholic School Board in the 2000 Toronto municipal election, but was unsuccessful.
- Ralph Paonessa was a first time candidate. He ran for Ward 15 again in 1988, and finished a closer second against Rick Morelli. A 1988 newspaper article indicates that he fifty-two years old, and was co-pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. He wanted students to receive "a truly Catholic education".[10] Paonessa is now Friar at Saint Lawrence the Martyr Friary in Scarborough, and is active with the National Congress of Italian Canadians.[11]
- A. Renato Lavalle was a forty-three year old school principal, who sought to maintain the religious orientation of the Catholic school system.[12]
- ^ Ross Howard, "Probe North York plans, links, group urges Davis", Globe and Mail, 7 November 1984, M1; "Price tag: $70-million plus", Globe and Mail, 27 February 1985, M4.
- ^ John Sewell, "A promise of sparks in North York race", Globe and Mail, 2 October 1985, A15; John Sewell, "Spirit of compromise for Board of Control", Globe and Mail, 8 November 1985, A13.
- ^ Lynne Ainsworth, "30-year-old Don Mills to be studied", Toronto Star, 7 October 1986, N11; Janice Turner, "Winds of change in Don Mills", Toronto Star, 11 November 1986, A6; Michael Best, "Angry residents lose bid to block home for seniors", Toronto Star, 13 October 1987, N1; Michael Best, "North York residents turn out to express desire for parkland", Toronto Star, 10 May 1988, N2; Royson James, "Traffic is choking Don Mills roadways, report concludes", Toronto Star, 5 July 1988, A7.
- ^ Lynne Ainsworth, "Building urban pressures put ward on the defensive", Toronto Star, 27 October 1988, A7.
- ^ "$72 million hacked off board budget", Toronto Star, 28 March 1991, A6; Royson James, "Labor backs, business boos tax hike", Toronto Star, 10 February 1994, A6.
- ^ "Cora Urbel: Obituary", Globe and Mail, 31 March 2006; Naming of Private Lane at 111 Barber Greene Road, Toronto City Council, accessed 19 October 2006.
- ^ Dyanne Rivers, "Traffic an issue in controllers' race", Globe and Mail, 9 November 1985, A16.
- ^ Dyanne Rivers, "Traffic an issue in controllers' race", Globe and Mail, 6 November 1985, A16.
- ^ Julia Turner, "Get rid of portables, separate school hopefuls say", Globe and Mail, 6 November 1980, P5.
- ^ "The candidates", Toronto Star, 11 November 1988, A14.
- ^ Province of the Immaculate Concept: Order of Friars Minor, accessed 18 October 2006; National Association of Italian Canadians, contact information, accessed 18 October 2006.
- ^ Sterling Taylor, "18 in North York seek separate school boards", 29 October 1985, ES10.