| Peter Li Preti | |
|---|---|
| Toronto City Councillor for (Ward 8) York West | |
| In office December 1, 2000 – November 30, 2006 |
|
| Preceded by | Ward established |
| Succeeded by | Anthony Perruzza |
| Toronto City Councillor for (Ward 7) - Black Creek | |
| In office January 1, 1998 – November 30, 2000 |
|
| Preceded by | Ward established |
| Succeeded by | Ward abolished |
| North York City Councillor for Ward 3 | |
| In office June 1985 – December 31, 1997 |
|
| Preceded by | Claudio Polsinelli |
| Succeeded by | Ward abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Residence | North York, Ontario |
| Profession | Psychologist |
Peter Li Preti was a city councillor in Toronto, Canada, who represented one of the two York West wards from 1985 to 2006.
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Li Preti received a B.A. and M.A. at the University of Toronto and went on to complete a Masters of Education in School Psychology and Clinical Counselling. He later achieved a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, and he practised as a psychometrist (any indication on other websites that suggest that he practiced as a neuropsychologist is wrong as he is not a registered psychologist in the province of Ontario). Li Preti is founder and president of the Family and Individual Psychoneurological Assessment Centre.
Li Preti was appointed to fill a vacancy on North York City Council in 1985 when former alderman Claudio Polsinelli ran for a seat in the provincial legislature. Representing the troubled Jane and Finch, he campaigned for development in the area, including extending the Spadina subway. He also argued that the media was biased against the region, and attempted to set up a fund that would sue for libel any media outlet that spoke negatively of the area.
Prior to the 1993 federal election, Li Preti had sought the Liberal Party nomination in the York Centre riding. However, Liberal leader Jean Chrétien directly appointed Art Eggleton to run in the seat. Besides Li Preti and his supporters, the appointment was criticized by several high profile Toronto Liberals including Joe Volpe, Dennis Mills, and John Nunziata. Allegations of racism against Italian-Canadians were also levelled. After battling Chrétien in the media and in the courts, Li Preti eventually chose to run as an independent, branding himself an "independent Liberal" using the Liberal colour red, and promising voters he would ask to join the Liberal caucus in House of Commons if elected. Li Preti came under some criticism for potentially misleading some voters as to his affiliation with the party. Unlike the pro-choice Eggleton, he took a pro-life position opposed to abortion. He emphasized his support for industrial development in many of the CFB Downsview lands in the riding that were being decommissioned. Li Preti came in a distant second polling 3,918 votes to Eggleton's 27, 150.
In 1997 when North York was merged with Toronto and the other parts of Metro to form the new "megacity", he was elected to the new Toronto City Council in the 1997 He was also elected in 2000 and 2003 elections. As the Councillor for Ward 8, Li Preti advocated for maintaining and preserving affordable housing stock, supporting and encouraging the provision of good child care and expanding and upgrading recreation and playground facilities. He has also supported for Computers at Home, a project aimed at providing computers to students who are unable to afford one.
Li Preti aided the formation of homeowner associations and tenant associations within his constituency. He supports their issues and concerns, and involving them in advocacy and decision making. Peter Li Preti has always been a strong supporter of the Oakdale Community Center.
In the 2006 municipal election he sought re-election against former North York colleague Anthony Perruzza. Several incidents occurred during advanced polling on the weekend of November 4–5, 2006, leading to Li Preti and Perruzza accusing each other of dirty campaigning and the breaking of numerous elections. Perruzza beat him by 579 votes. The contest was repeated in the 2010 municipal election with Peruzza prevailing by 352 votes.
| 2010 Toronto election, Ward 8[1] | ||
| Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Anthony Perruzza | 4,724 | 41.5 |
| Peter Li Preti | 4,372 | 38.4 |
| Antonius Clarke | 1,487 | 13.1 |
| Arthur Smitherman | 268 | 2.4 |
| Naseeb Husain | 243 | 2.1 |
| John Gallagher | 129 | 1.1 |
| Ramnarine Tiwari | 117 | 1.0 |
| Gerardo Miniguano | 53 | 0.5 |
| Total | 11,393 | 100 |
Unofficial results as of October 26, 2010 03:55 am
| Candidate | Total votes | % of total votes |
|---|---|---|
| Anthony Perruzza | 4,738 | 45.70 |
| (x)Peter Li Preti | 4,159 | 40.11 |
| Hau Dang Tan | 734 | 7.08 |
| Garry Green | 371 | 3.58 |
| Ramnarine Tiwari | 193 | 1.86 |
| Abdulhaq Omar | 173 | 1.67 |
| Total valid votes | 10,368 | 100.00 |