Tom Jakobek is a former member of the Toronto City Council. He was first elected to council in 1982[1] after serving as a school trustee, and remained a member until 2000.
Jakobek holds degrees from the University of Toronto. Certificate in Public Administration (CPA), 1981. Honours Bachelor of Arts, B.A., 1982. Masters of Health Science, MHSC, 2002.
Jakobek was for many years a bulwark of the council's right-wing. He became city budget chief in 1990, and held the position for the next ten years despite an attempt by Barbara Hall and others to oust him in 1994. In this capacity, he delivered nine consecutive budgets with no tax increases. Following the city's amalgamation in 1997, Jakobek emerged as a prominent ally of new mayor Mel Lastman. He retired from politics in 2000 and served briefly as a vice-president at Toronto East General Hospital.
He ran for Mayor of Toronto in 2003 following Lastman's retirement, but garnered barely 5,000 votes across the entire city, less than one per cent of the total votes cast.[2] His candidacy was hurt by allegations of improper conduct in a computer leasing deal between the City of Toronto and MFP Financial Services.[3] In prior testimony at the Toronto Computer Leasing Inquiry, Jakobek had admitted to lying about his involvement in a controversial computer leasing deal between the city and MFP.[4][5]
In 2008, Jakobek and his family appeared in the Canadian reality TV show Spoiled Rotten on Slice, which showcased the family's lavish lifestyle.[6] The show was panned by Globe and Mail TV critic John Doyle, who characterized the show as being "so appalling that normal people will just want to turn it off."[7]
Jakobek is the son-in-law of former veteran Scarborough councillor Ken Morrish.