Jane Pitfield had her work cut out for her when she decided to run against incumbent David Miller in 2006 for the mayor's seat in Toronto. In the end, Pitfield was unable to unseat Miller. Pitfield thanks her friends and supporters as she concedes defeat to Miller.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
In a surprise victory Monday, political newcomer Mary Fragedakis won the Ward 29 council seat, beating out former councillor and mayoral candidate Jane Pitfield and ushering in change to a ward that hasn't seen new leadership for nearly two decades.
Ms. Fragedakis, who describes herself as a community activist, small business owner and cofounder of the Broadview Community Youth Group, will replace longtime councillor Case Ootes who announced his decision not to seek re-election earlier this year.
Mr. Ootes served as Toronto's first deputy mayor to Mel Lastman from 1997-2003, the first six years of Toronto's amalgamated government.
Despite being Ms. Fragedakis's first run at political office, she ended the night with 41.6 per cent of the vote, well above Ms. Pitfield's 27.9 per cent. Third-place candidate Jennifer Wood rounded out the group with 24 per cent of the vote.
Arriving to enthusiastic applause from supporters at the Fox and Fiddle pub on Danforth Avenue, Ms. Fragedakis told the crowd she was humbled by the support she had received.
"Losing was not an option, but winning or losing was not the goal," she said, adding that she promises to support small businesses, environmental initiatives and bike lanes for cyclists.
Ms. Fragedakis ran on a platform based on creating green spaces within Ward 29 and promoting environmental initiatives - a campaign pledge that earned her an "A" rating from the Toronto Environmental Alliance.
"I want to increase the tree canopy in this ward. There are a lot of programs the city offers that allows people to plant trees, but people don't know that," she said. "I also want to introduce solar panel initiatives in this ward. I know people in this ward have expressed interest in that."
Ms. Pitfield arrived at Ms. Fragedakis's party Monday evening to congratulate her, but declined to make a comment. Ms. Pitfield, a former councillor for Don Valley West, took a break from municipal politics after finishing second to incumbent mayor David Miller in the 2006 mayoral race. She's spent the last four years working in the not-for-profit sector, as well as several community service efforts.
Ms. Pitfield's campaign manager Chris Yaccato said she planned to spend the night with her family, adding that it's likely she'll run for office again in the future.
"This certainly isn't the last of Jane Pitfield," he said. "We wish the results could have been different, but the people of Ward 29 have spoken and we respect that."
Toronto-Danforth MP and NDP leader Jack Layton was also on hand to congratulate Ms. Fragedakis, a fellow NDP member, after celebrating with his son Mike Layton over the younger Layton's win in the Trinity-Spadina ward.
Mr. Layton told the crowd the city will face new challenges with the election of Rob Ford as its mayor.
"We have a mayor who has been elected and should be congratulated, but he also needs to know that he's going to have to work with the people who have a progressive vision for this city," he said.
Ms. Fragedakis echoed Mr. Layton's sentiments, but said she looks forward to working with Ford. Though her party was filled with mixed reaction to Ford's appearances on nearby television screens, Ms. Fragedakis said she plans to pursue a professional working relationship with all of her newly elected co-workers.
"The people of this city have voted for him. That's democracy," she said. "I've said this to many people in the past: we don't always get to pick our co-workers, and we don't have to be best friends with our co-workers, but what we need to do is get the job done."
Special to The Globe and Mail