Pitfield set to run in Ward 29
admin | Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 | No Comments »
Former Leaside representative eyes return to council
Jane Pitfield, who represented the communities in Ward 26 for eight years before running an unsuccessful mayoral campaign against David Miller in 2006, is attempting a comeback this year.
On Wednesday, Jan. 6, she made it official, filing her nomination papers at Toronto City Hall to run in Ward 29 (Toronto-Danforth), the East York ward that will be left vacant when current councillor Case Ootes retires this year.
Pitfield has been away from Toronto City Hall since she failed to unseat Miller as mayor, and in so doing, had to give up her seat representing Ward 26 (Don Valley West).
“In the past three years, I’ve had the ability to watch from the outside, although I have had the opportunity to participate in a variety of projects and a lot of volunteer work, I remain committed to the City of Toronto,” said Pitfield in an interview from her home in Leaside.
“It is my great desire to return and serve the people of the city, but also participate in a very exciting time of developing Toronto into a greater potential.”
Pitfield’s decision to run again isn’t a new one. She told Toronto Community News that she’s been considering it for some time, the only question being where she would run. When she ran for mayor, she endorsed John Parker, the current Ward 26 councillor.
“It was my intent to wait and see. I was considering a number of wards as options,” she said.
When Ootes announced he would be stepping down after this term, Pitfield said her mind was made up.
When she was first elected in a byelection in 1998, she represented all of East York as one of three councillors at large, and she ran her campaign from Ward 29.
“I’m very pleased and feel very fortunate to have a chance to run in a part of the city that is familiar to me,” she said.
She also had high praise for Ootes.
“Case Ootes has been the most valuable member of council over all these years, certainly in the first two terms after amalgamation he held the city together,” she said. “He held council together. He has just in my opinion been a symbol of integrity.”
In a news conference, she said if elected she would renew her opposition to the demolition of part of the Gardiner Expressway.
– David Nickle
