In the run-up to this month’s municipal election, the Star is profiling several key battleground races, offering intimate portraits of the candidates and the issues moving voters.
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Star → profile → voters
Siblings John and Frances have won a combined 16 elections here since 1978.
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John → win → 1978
Together, they’ve occupied almost every possible elected office, at one time or another — school board trustee, alderman, mayor, councillor and member of parliament.
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they → occupy → parliament
But while John’s last electoral victory was in 1997, his older sister hasn’t lost or sat out a single race in her 41-year political career.
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sister → lose → career
Now she is running for a ninth consecutive term on city council.
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she → run → council
There are eight people after her job, two of whom have the backing of influential advocacy groups on either side of the political spectrum.
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two → be → spectrum
One of these challengers, tenant advocate Chiara Padovani, was just 94 votes away from winning the last election.
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One → win → election
The other, Catholic school board chair Daniel Di Giorgio, is the son of the Nunziata siblings’ political archrival: former councillor Frank Di Giorgio, who beat John in 2014 but lost to Frances in 2018.
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who → beat → 2018
Across the ward, residents told the Star they struggle with the same issues any Torontonian might: high cost of living and concerns around public safety.
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Torontonian → tell → safety
On a more granular level, they say there is an epidemic of basement flooding, and a dearth of affordable homes and recreation programs.
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they → say → homes
The candidates all have their own solutions.
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candidates → have → solutions
Nunziata says she secured transformative programs and projects for the ward, she just needs one final term to implement them.
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she → say → them
Her main opponents say she’s had long enough.
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she → say → enough
In fact, they say they believe no one should reign as long as she has again.
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she → say → fact
Both say they are in favour of term limits.
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they → say → limits
“There is an appetite for change,” said voter Jae Malana, who moved to the ward in 2017 and lives there with his husband and daughter.
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who → be → husband
“We’ve had the same councillor for too long.
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We → have → long
We need someone with a fresh perspective.”
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We → need → perspective
Next term ‘definitely my last,’ Nunziata says
Nunziata told the Star on a walk through her neighbourhood Saturday this will be her last election, win or lose.
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this → say → neighbourhood
What will private life look like for her?
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life → look → her
She can’t say.
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She → say → ?
But she said if she can remain in her post long enough to see shovels in the ground on the affordable housing she helped get approved, she will ride off feeling “really proud of what I’ve been able to achieve.”
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I → say → what
The week before this interview, rumours swirled that Nunziata was inches away from dropping out of the race.
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was → swirl → race
These were lies, she said Saturday, concocted by opponents “to get rid of me.”
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she → say → me
Her and her team projected more confidence to the Star while out canvassing over the weekend.
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Her → project → weekend
Nunziata said record-breaking advance poll numbers this election convinced her that voters will show up for her.
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voters → say → her
She’s been endorsed by the same conservative advocacy group as mayoral candidate Brad Bradford, ABC Toronto.
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She → endorse → Bradford
She also said she believes she is the only candidate with the institutional knowledge to get residents what they want and need from the city.
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they → say → city
She gives the Weston Loop as an example.
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She → give → example
It’s an ambitious plan to connect and improve five parks in the ward over the next 25 years.
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It → ’ → years
Nunziata said she got local developers to pay for it by writing a creative motion that became the envy of council.
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that → say → council
“I had some of the other councillors say, ‘That’s amazing, I’d like to do it in my ward as well,’” she said.
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she → have → ward
“Experience makes a big difference.
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Experience → make → difference
It takes years to gather the experience you need to get things done.”
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things → take → experience
Nunziata was often embraced walking up to the homes of her constituents last weekend.
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Nunziata → embrace → constituents
Residents told her they remember her helping them out of binds years ago.
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her → tell → binds
They said they trust her to assuage their latest concerns, about unkempt lawns nearby, a sinking driveway and loud neighbours.
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they → say → lawns
They asked after her brother, too.
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They → ask → brother
He is, she replied.
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she → reply → ?
“These younger people are saying I’m too old,” said Nunziata, who is 74, to a woman who looked 10 or 20 years her junior.
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who → say → woman
…and 47 more, not listed.
The Aporia
