Toronto District School Board trustee, Josh Matlow will now have to change his office letterhead to St. Paul’s councillor for Ward 22. Matlow, 35, who is known for his energetic personality, will be ushering in a new beginning to the north Toronto ward, which has been represented by Michael Walker since 1982.
Monday night’s ballot count was in Matlow’s favor early on, with a constant lead of 1,000 votes over rival candidate, Chris Sellors. By 8:30 p.m., City Pulse News declared Matlow the victor with a vote count of 10,046 to Sellors lagging 6,832. A celebratory atmosphere quickly broke out at Matlow’s election headquarters, located at the Sports Centre Café, at 49 St. Clair Avenue West.
“I am very grateful to all the people that were behind me from the beginning,” Matlow told the cheering crowd. “I knew I could win and am thankful for having such talented and tremendous support.”
Matlow was surrounded by friends and family, who were just as happy with themselves as they were with their new city councillor. Various volunteers maneuvered through the packed gathering to offer high-fives and back slaps for all of the time and effort they contributed to get to this moment in time. Matlow announced his candidacy early on in the election and held a relentless pace that none of the other candidates could match.
Once the crowd finished with the initial celebrating, Matlow addressed the sweeping changes involving the mayoral election race. When he mentioned that Rob Ford was now the new mayor of Toronto, his announcement was met by various boos and jeers. Matlow addressed the crowds disdain by stating, “above all I want city hall to be functional and to be fiscally responsible towards the community.”
Matlow made it very clear throughout his campaign that he was not concerned with who became the next mayor. He even went as far in stating on his election website that, “I am not endorsing a mayoral candidate. I will work on behalf of the residents of Ward 22 as their councillor. If the new mayor proposes something that is good for our community, I will support it. However, if there is a proposal that is not supported by my residents, I will be the first to challenge it.”
This grassroots approach towards putting Ward 22 voters first and acting upon their concerns easily put him over the top on election night. Matlow was able to bolster some high profile endorsements which included former Much Music personality, Erica Ehm, Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett, and a glowing review from the Toronto Star.
Matlow’s only real competition throughout the election came from Chris Sellors, who has spent the last five years as executive assistant to Michael Walker. Major issues focused on throughout the campaign included development, public transit, and rental fees for housing. Matlow wants to see a future Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit line turned into a subway that will run to Pearson Airport. He wants rental housing to stay at affordable levels for the large section of Ward 22 residents who rent, and wants to keep residents concerns and needs met before corporate interests when it comes to new development. The only certain thing towards the future of Ward 22 will be that all eyes and ears will be focused on Matlow as he takes the reigns from a highly respected individual who held the council seat for nearly thirty years.
Before Matlow finished his victory speech, he wiped his brow and said, “time to have a cold drink and celebrate and get to work tomorrow.”
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