Newly elected Ward 2 councillor Michael Ford is promising to continue the “customer service” legacy built by his late uncle Rob Ford while also keeping his eye on the “big picture.”
Ford, 22, received 69.5 per cent of the vote in a byelection on Monday, finishing well ahead of small business owner Jeff Canning (20.5 per cent).
The win means that Ford will become the third member of his family to represent Ward 2, following in the footsteps of uncles Doug and Rob Ford.
Rob Ford, of course, represented Ward 2 for 10 years prior to be elected mayor in 2010. He then represented the ward from 2014 until his death in March.
“Our family has been serving this community for over two decades and three generations and the one message I heard at the doors loud and clear was that they want customer service,” Ford told CP24 on Tuesday, referring to the long-time political mantra of the Ford family. “That was the number one message from thousands and thousands of residents.”
Ford previously served as a Toronto District School Board trustee but resigned from the job in May to concentrate on his campaign in Ward 2.
Discussing his new role at city hall, Ford said he will carry on Rob Ford’s legacy of customer service but also wants to be someone with his eyes on the big picture, especially when it comes to transit.
“Of course it is a councillors responsibility to be answering their constituents calls — they are the ones that put you in that job — but absolutely we have to be looking at the big picture, especially in Etobicoke North,” he said, “We have to be looking at investment in our community and getting people from point A to point B quicker, safer and more efficiently.”
There were a total of 11 candidates in the Ward 2 byelection, though only Ford and Canning captured more than 10 per cent of the vote.
