Toronto City Council will vote to appoint a new councillor from Ward 44 today. You can watch the stream here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCoE7Q19w_8
Notably, council will be using a run-off system to determine a winner. Because first-past-the-post is terrible.
If there is a tie, names will be written down, put into a box, and then one name will be drawn. Democracy!
I should warn you all in advance that this meeting will be very, very, very boring. https://x.com/DavidNickle/status/880061434339758081
David Soknacki is making his pitch to council now. He says council has already spoken on the subway. “I won’t be raising it,” he promises.
(If you raised the subway, it would become an LRT!)
Jim Hart now making his pitch to council for appointment to Ward 44. Not sure how I feel about his past association with the Honky Tonk Man.
And the speeches for Ward 44 appointment are over. Best at the podium: Kiruthika Thayaparan, Patience Evbagharu, Vito Greto.
Councillors start loudly counting down in unison as Coun. Perruzza nears the end of his five minute speaking time.
Oh geez. Di Ciano rises to ask the clerk if the run-off voting system council will use today is same as the ranked ballot system he opposes.
Run-off systems and ranked ballots are functionally very similar. Ranked ballots are just faster.
Amendment to procedural bylaw: if any councillor screws up a vote more than three (3) times, they are immediately removed from office. https://x.com/jpags/status/880159648703291393
Jim Hart wins on the first ballot, with 27 votes to Soknacki’s 9. Hart will be the councillor for Ward 44.
John Tory voted for Jim Hart, as expected.