October 28, 2014 by admin

Josh Colle wins Ward 15 with landslide victory

It was an easy win for Josh Colle, who conquered Ward 15 for a second time Monday night, capturing 75 per cent of the vote.
His win in Eglinton-Lawrence — a central Toronto neighbourhood populated by many residents of Italian origin and constituents living in single-detached homes and apartment buildings — follows a quiet battle against former school and work-uniform business owner Chani Aryeh Bain and Free the Children worker Ahmed Belkadi.
Aryeh Bain, Colle’s closest contender, ran on a platform centred around capping property taxes and restructuring the Toronto Transit Commission and Toronto Police.
On the campaign trail this season, Colle vowed to upgrade local parkgrounds and push for additional TTC express bus routes during peak hours. He had key endorsements from former Toronto mayor Mel Lastman and deputy mayor Norm Kelly.
During Colle’s first council term, he was elected by city council to serve as TTC commissioner when Stintz left the post two years before running for mayor.
In March, he successfully brought forward a motion asking the TTC and Toronto Public Health to study the feasibility of making overnight bus and streetcar service free during extreme cold weather alerts.
In later months, he also pressed council to make it easier for food trucks to park and operate on city blocks and commercial parking lots.
Prior to his time at city hall, he worked as the vice president of an energy and infrastructure firm and served as a school board trustee between 2000 and 2003.
Information technology consultant Eduardo Harari and fellow contender James Van Sandwijk also faced Colle this election.