Two Russian-speaking candidates proved to be one too many in Ward 10 (York West), according to unsuccessful council contender Konstantin Toubis.

Toubis and Igor Toutchinski, two Eastern European Canadians who speak Russian, ended up with close to 4,500 votes combined in last week’s ward election. Read More

Men declare mayoral run a success, now set sights on the province

From the very beginning, George Babula and his Parkdale Party said they didn’t believe they needed to spend millions of dollars or make signs in order take make a bid for mayor.

When Babula and his high school football buddies decided to enter the race for the city’s top office, they said good ideas would sell themselves. Read More

She lost the advance vote and the part of her ward west of Hwy. 400, but winning the neighbourhoods east of the highway allowed long-time York West trustee Stephnie Payne to squeak out victory, according to poll-by-poll results released by the city’s elections office.

In the second-closest municipal election race in the city, Payne emerged victorious — as she has now in seven straight elections — by only 56 votes over challenger Michael Sullivan. Payne beat Sullivan by 136 votes in the 2006 election. Read More

‘King’ at home, nobody in north

From his Variety and Video storefront at Keele Street and Eglinton Avenue, longtime York businessman and first-time city councillor candidate Steve Tasses reflects on the race he’s lost and the clear split in neighbourhood voting preferences evident in Ward 12.

“I killed, I was king,” laughs Tasses, referring to his results in polls located south of Eglinton Avenue in the neighbourhood of Keelesdale-Eglinton West. Read More

Not so very long ago, Torontonians voted in a brash mayor from the inner suburbs who promised to run a tight financial ship based on dubious accounting. There was another candidate, who came from the downtown and brought a more modest set of promises.

But she didn’t do well at all. Read More

Ford takes Scarborough, North York and Etobicoke while Smitherman tops downtown

Mayor-elect Rob Ford’s landslide victory on Monday, Oct. 25, night came almost entirely from the so-called inner suburbs — with the most dramatic levels of support coming from wards in Etobicoke and Scarborough.

George Smitherman, meanwhile, was ahead in 14 wards that roughly comprise the former City of Toronto — the downtown core where bike lanes, streetcars and left-of-centre politics have found their homes. Read More