Being Councillor for Ward 28 must be the best job in the world. Some 36 people are inviting City Council to appoint them to oversee this old piece of Toronto which sits south of Bloor St. and includes Cabbagetown and the transforming communities to the south as well as the Toronto Islands. It was held by Pam McConnell until her death on July 7, 2017. The CBC has a list of the names and a story that seems to bring the contest down to a choice between a woman like Susan Gapka, who wants to be Toronto’s first openly trans Councillor, and what writer John Rieti calls the “experienced bureaucrat choice.” The decision is to be made this week. The thing about getting appointed by Council is that it gives the lucky winner an enormous leg up at the general election in 2018. Some say they don’t plan to run in the general election but it’s perfectly legal for he or she etc to use the appointment to do just that. Councillor of Ward 28 can become a job in perpetuity, as is often done at City Hall. CBC
