Tory promotes pair of councillors
Councillor Ana Bailao has been appointed one of the city’s four deputy mayors, an acknowledgment of her place within the mayor’s inner circle.
Tory made the selection official at a press conference Friday morning, where he also named Councillor Joe Mihevc as the city’s poverty reduction advocate. Both were positions left vacant after the death of councillor Pam McConnell in July.
Bailao, who will represent Toronto and East York as deputy mayor, will fill one of three positions which are largely symbolic.
Tory called her a “tireless” affordable housing advocate, a position she was given earlier this term.
“It’s about creating this sense of opportunity in Toronto because only when everyone has opportunity in our city will we succeed as a city,” said Bailao on Friday.
Council typically has one deputy mayor. Tory has made a point of picking a deputy mayor for each of the former cities.
Tory recalled Mihevc urging him to invest more in the city’s student nutrition program after it was squeezed under the mayor’s austerity measures.
“We can act, we have acted and we’re going to do more,” said Mihevc, who has voted with Tory on key items just 40 per cent of the time this term, according to a scorecard kept by Metro’s Matt Elliott.