Brad Bradford

Brad Bradford (Listen) is a Canadian urban planner and politician. He was elected to the Toronto City Council following the 2018 Toronto municipal election, and represents Ward 19 Beaches—East York.

Brad Bradford
Bradford in 2018
Toronto City Councillor
for Ward 19 Beaches—East York
Assumed office
December 1, 2018
Preceded byJanet Davis (Ward 31)
Mary-Margaret McMahon (Ward 32)
Personal details
Born (1986-08-01) August 1, 1986
Cambridge, Ontario
NationalityCanadian
ResidenceEast York, Toronto
Alma materYork University, University of Waterloo
OccupationUrban planner
Websitewww.bradbradford.ca

Bradford was appointed a commissioner of the Toronto Transit Commission Board by city council on December 13, 2018.[1] He also sits on council committees, the Budget Committee, and the Planning and Housing Committee.[2]

Prior to his election, Bradford worked as an planner for the City of Toronto.[3] He holds a bachelor of environmental studies degree, in urban and regional environments from York University, and a masters degree in urban planning from the University of Waterloo.[2]

Political career

During the 2018 municipal election campiagn, Bradford received endorsements from Mayor John Tory, Deputy Mayor Ana Bailão, former Liberal member of Provincial Parliament, Arthur Potts, Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon (the previous incumbent of ward 32, which made up a part of the current ward boundaries),[4] and former Toronto chief planner and mayoral candidate Jennifer Keesmaat.[5] These endorsements helped Bradford defeat candidate Matthew Kellway, who represented Beaches—East York federally from 2011 to 2015 as the New Democratic member of Parliament.[6]

Bradford ran as a progressive candidate, citing his background in the Toronto City Planning division as proof of his city building experience.[4]

Work on council

2019 budget

Bradford's first budget was contentious as councillors Shelley Carroll and Mike Layton presented last minute motions intended to gather information beyond the budget process. He voted against all of these motions which distressed concerned parties.[7]

Term limits

Bradford brought a motion to the city council on term limits, which was seconded by Ana Bailão and referred to the Special Committee on Governance.[8] The motion cited numerous examples[9] where term limits facilitated a more representative council makeup by eliminating incumbent advantage.[10] He was opposed by left-leaning Councillor Gord Perks ("The last thing a government should do is tell people who they are allowed to vote for") and right-leaning Councillor Jim Karygiannis ("If our constituents don’t want us they can kick us out").[11]

The motion was deferred indefinitely, but if successful it would have needed provincial approval in order to be passed into law.[12]

Hansard transcripts

Bradford also introduced a motion at city council to explore the use of Hansard (transcripts of meetings) to increase transparency and engagement at City Hall.[13]

Election results
2018 Toronto municipal election, Ward 19 Beaches—East York
Candidate Votes Vote share
Brad Bradford 14,286 38.56%
Matthew Kellway 13,998 37.78%
Joshua Makuch 2,315 6.25%
Diane Dyson 1,612 4.35%
Veronica Stephen 1,257 3.39%
Valérie Maltais 929 2.51%
Adam Smith 708 1.91%
Brenda MacDonald 601 1.62%
Paul Bura 288 0.78%
David Del Grande 283 0.76%
Morley Rosenberg 248 0.67%
Frank Marra 142 0.38%
Donald Lamoreux 141 0.38%
Norval Bryant 89 0.24%
Dragan Cimesa 77 0.21%
Paul Murton 74 0.20%
Total 37,048 100%
Source: City of Toronto[14][15]

References
  1. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2019.ST1.1
  2. "Councillor Brad Bradford". City of Toronto. 2018-12-01. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
  3. "Brad Bradford wins Ward 19, Beaches—East York, in close race". Toronto Star, October 22, 2018.
  4. https://www.bradbradford.ca/about_me
  5. "Campaign Updates". Brad Bradford. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
  6. "Toronto election 2018: Meet your new city councillors - Toronto | Globalnews.ca". globalnews.ca. 2018-10-23. Retrieved 2019-04-17.
  7. https://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2019/02/20/budget-committee-rejects-councillors-attempt-to-scrap-ttc-fare-increase-and-improve-library-hours.html
  8. "Proposal for Toronto council term limits punted | The Star". thestar.com. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
  9. "Term Limits Special Committee on Governance Presentation" (PDF).
  10. https://www.bradbradford.ca/term_limits
  11. https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/rookie-councillor-to-put-forth-a-motion-on-term-limits-at-next-city-council-meeting-1.4270015
  12. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/rookie-councillor-brings-back-term-limits-debate-calls-it-opportunity-to-bring-fresh-faces-1.5000342
  13. "Hansard Motion".
  14. "Declaration of Results" (PDF). Toronto City Clerk's Office. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  15. "2018 Municipal Election (25 Wards)". Retrieved June 15, 2020.
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