10.08.2010 01:21 PM

Let’s defeat Sandra Bussin now!

Statement by Martin Gladstone

Candidate for Council, Ward 32 Beaches-East York

Today, I have made a very difficult decision, one which I believe is in the best interests of our community and the residents of Ward 32.

I have come to the really hard decision that the best way to serve the community of Beaches-East York is to withdraw from the race, and request that my supporters vote for Mary- Margaret McMahon for Councillor Ward 32.

Since August 12th, our team has worked very very hard to mount an effective campaign to defeat Sandra Bussin as Councillor Ward 32. The number of concerned community members who came forward to help has been one of the most positive experiences of my life, and I am truly grateful for the support I received.

As a community, we share the strong belief that our ward desperately needs change. Every day on this campaign residents have called me, written me, and at virtually every doorstep have expressed their anger, frustration, and lost confidence with our current councillor. They have also expressed their deep concern that the vote will split between the candidates and that Bussin will be re-elected.

After reviewing current poll results, Mary-Margaret McMahon is in a slight lead in this race. The reality is if I continue to campaign it will probably be at the expense of Mary-Margaret McMahon’s support which in turn will erode her lead and allow Sandra Bussin to squeak past and be re-elected by a small margin. I care too much about our community and our city to allow that to happen.

Mary-Margaret McMahon is a hard worker. She brings fresh energy and vision to the job. She has been a proven community leader and is ready to serve us with integrity and enthusiasm. She is the change we all want.

I hope my supporters will share my conviction that by making this decision our team is doing everything possible to achieve our original shared goal, which is to unseat Sandra Bussin and bring the real change we all desire to our ward and our city.

I wish to thank all my volunteers and donors for the support and enthusiasm they have brought to this election and I hope Ward 32 will support Mary-Margaret on October 25th .

-30-

Media contact Des Brown at 416 568 1214 or des@desmondbrown.ca

Mary Margaret McMahon’s campaign: 416-690-5006

21 Comments

  1. VH says:

    Good for Martin Gladstone. Tough decision but the right one. (Note: I’m working on the McMahon campaign).
    This will massively help with the drive to unseat Bussin as vote splitting should no longer make a difference.

    Any advice, private or public, from this site’s owner will be appreciated.

  2. harold says:

    Well done Martin!!!! I hope we will see more of you soon.

  3. John Lennard says:

    Et tu, Rocco?

  4. DL says:

    I checked out MacMahon’s website – there are lots of links to anti-Bussin articles and ZERO, NOTHING, NADA about what her actual policies are. I’m not trying to defend Sandra Bussin, I don’t know her and i don’t live in the ward – but if I did I think I would want to see some concrete policies from a candidate and not just a lot of Rob Ford style negative attacks on the opposition. Who is this woman? Is she a Ford-type Tory? Is she a rightwing Liberal? Does she basically have all the same policies as Bussin only without being Bussin (I see Heather Mallick endorsed her in the Star and Mallick only ever endorses people on the very far left). What’s the story?? This is why its so frustrating not having parties at the municipal level – we end up having to rely on gossip to figure out who stands for what.

    • VH says:

      You know you could just have tried calling the candidate on the telephone. I did that and she answered all my questions for about 45 minutes.

      She’s walked every street in the ward (minus 1 or 2) and knocked on everyone’s door. Lots and lots of questions and lots of answers and conversations.

      There was an all candidates meeting 2 weeks. There are at least 2 more all candidates meetings, one of them to be on GoldHawk live I believe.

      This isn’t unique to just this ward; your critique of municipal elections and candidates doesn’t ring true to me. Not sure where you’re coming from on this on.

    • Layasha David says:

      I also checked out MacMahon’s website, her contributions are pretty inpressive, however I cannot find anything about her until March 2010. How does someone who has done so much, get no mention whatsoever before March 2010. I have exhausted ever google search, can anyone shed light on this.

      • VH says:

        Layasha,

        March 2010?

        This is the same woman who was profiled 4 years ago in 2006 in a national magazine, Canadian Living, as one of their “incredible women”.

        And 2 years ago in ParentCentral magazine.

        Not exactly front page of a daily newspaper but also no exactly nowhere either.

      • CaligulaJones says:

        I have exhausted ever google search, can anyone shed light on this.

        Sad….

        The best, and usually ONLY source for local information are locals. The MSM barely acknowledges neighbourhoods, and therefore The Google simply doesn’t have anything. Damn, I miss my barber (he knew the ‘hood, having been cutting hair since 1965….).

        For instance, a building collapsed a few years ago a few blocks away on the Danforth. Google it, and you get a kabillion stories on what happened, all of which were written within days of the collapse. NOTHING SINCE. And Dominico would have known for sure.

        Nobody on my street needs an online search to tell us about our candidates, which is as it should be. There are some things technology just can’t do very well.

    • El Lupe says:

      You sounds like a real loser, DL.

  5. Dave says:

    I’m moving in to this ward, but sadly, not until after the election. I do hope that the anti-Bussin forces are successful.

  6. IC says:

    DL – Have you looked at BussinWeb?

    Apart from taking credit for initiatives she is either lightly involved with – or not at all – it is a Hans Christian Andersen meander through her record – with a serious dollop of rose tinted spectacles to help the medicine to be administered for the next 4 years. Let’s hope not.

    If you go campaigning at the doors, the local issues are the ones the residents want solved – not political at all – and that is why Mary-Margaret and her ilk are winning the hearts and minds.

    It would however, I agree, be useful to see what she believes in as a far a City-Wide initiatives and policies are concerned more easily on the website – but it is there – you just have to look for it.

    You do the same for Bussin – and you’re treated to an arrogant display of “me me me” – so who would you prefer to represent you at the local level? Someone who can get things done or a political theorist who sits drafting strategies all day in a bunny suit outside the Tuggs Empire?

  7. J. Coates says:

    Warren`s column is an enjoyable daily read, but it has a national audience.

    I get bloody tired of reading about Toronto`s national municipal election.

    There are times like this I wish Calgary could acquire ballistic nuclear weapons.

    • James Bow says:

      You think you have it hard?

      I have lived in Waterloo Region for exactly half my life. Despite this, I know more about the average agenda of a Toronto City Council meeting than the average agenda of a Kitchener City Council meeting.

      And what’s even more sad? I don’t think I’m all that strange, where I live.

      The sheer weight of the media located in Toronto gives national prominence to their municipal election. I’m sure it’s an endless source of frustration to the politicians campaigning just outside of Toronto, as well as those located further afield.

    • Namesake says:

      or in the words of his Cobainic Hero: “I feel stupid and contagious / Here we are now, entertain us.”

  8. More dirt coming out about Bussin
    ( from the guys who brought u Ward 32 News )

    Story Where Ward 31 Janet Davis Get Her Money
    Plus Hooker On The Danny

  9. gail says:

    congrats Martin!

  10. The relentless abuse and bullying that Councillor Bussin has had to deal with these past few years have indeed taken their toll. It appears that she is constantly on the defensive and I really can’t say that I blame her. Bussin has a pretty impressive record which has benefitted the community,not her personally. The public ask for help and they get it, maybe not all of the time, you can’t solve all of the issues. Some of her latest successes are, Neville Park, Kippendavie, the Skate Park, that is terrific for keeping our youth off the street, it is also bringing in small business related to the sport,check out the fall issue of Local Magazine, the rejuvenation of Kew Gardens, securing funding for the East Lynn playground improvement. Bussin has been extremely active with tenants regarding the bedbug issues in the community, tenants are very happy to her help. Mary Margret McMahon has no past befor March 2010, why is that. Check for yourselves.
    1. Toronto Danforth Greens 2009 Apr 21 Adriana Mugnatto-Hamu writes: http://danforthgreens.ca/farmers-markets/The contact info for the East York Farmer’s Market is not listed as it is for the others. I would suggest contacting the City of Toronto, since it is held on their property. I suspect they are the organizers. At any rate, they would know who to call.

    • CaligulaJones says:

      The relentless abuse and bullying that Councillor Bussin has had to deal with these past few years have indeed taken their toll.

      Hate to say “she can dish it out but can’t take it”, because it might sound immature, but you started it.

      It appears that she is constantly on the defensive

      Phoning up a popular radio talk show, disguising yourself and calling someone who received 263,189 votes as a “loser” isn’t defensive, its pretty offensive. In both meaning of the word.

      Bussin has a pretty impressive record

      Yes, I know, I received not one, but TWO mailings from her after council let out. Funny: the only other time I’ve received anything from her was….just before the last election. I guess she has some money left over from her bunny suit account.

      securing funding for the East Lynn playground improvement.

      Hardly anything to do with her: the developer who is FINALLY putting something in that big empty hole is legally required to give the community money. Bussin, with absolutely no input from the community, including the well-established community association OR park council decided to unilaterally spend the money as SHE saw fit.

      More here: http://decadiaries.wordpress.com/2010/08/12/community-benefit/

      As for helping the ‘nabe, she certainly didn’t help Darlene Richards-Loghrin, a businesswoman who dealt with graffiti on her building by working with local kids to paint a mural. Result: no more graffiti. Not good enough for “I have an arts degree” Bussin, who ordered the mural painted over. Result: more graffiti.

      Oct 26 is going to be a second Thanksgiving for most of us. And I say that as a pretty much the most right-wing poster here. BTW, full disclosure: I have a Mary-Margaret McMahon sign on my front lawn. You see, I’ve lived in the ward since 2001, and despite your assertion to the contrary, she has a past before March of this year. Perhaps your research skills could use a brush up?

  11. DL says:

    Bussin has been on city council for many years and she has a record – whether you like what she stands for or not – everyone knows that she has tended to vote with Miller and that she has NDP ties and that she’s pro-labour etc…etc… Maybe it would be nice to see her political philosophy explicitly stated on her website – but its redundant – she is a known quantity.

    I want to know where MacMahon would align herself on council. Would she support Rob Ford’s policies to end all arts funding? Is she for or against the fair wage policy? Would she back all of Smitherman’s plans (I figure she would since the Toronto Star supports her)? Is she to the left of Sandra Bussin (I figure she must be since Heather Mallick supports her)? Its all a mystery.

    Why should we have to play a game of blind man’s buff. Everyone knows there are informal parties and alliances on council. Who will she align herself with – the right or the left or the centre???

    • VH says:

      DL,

      at this point you’re being somewhat obtuse.

      Pick up the phone and call her. Or drop by her campaign office. Or listen to a live debate on Goldhawk live. Or check your mailbox or ask one of your neighbours.

      That is, assuming you’re not just another Bussin supporter supporter carrying on the same sad “Hi this is Sandra from Toronto” tactics she used to rudely diss John Tory and embarass herself.

  12. T.McGuire says:

    I am a resident of ward 32 but I am getting sick and tired of being represented at city hall by socialists. Bussin and Mcmahon are two peas in a pod. When are we going to get real change and vote for someone credible. Mcmahon is more of a socialist than Sandra.

    When I attended the last debate there were 7 candidates and the only one that made any sense was Bruce Baker. I still have not made up my mind but it wont be Bussin or Mcmahon. It is akin to trading one bad apple for another. We need real change.

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