Preceded by Ward Created Succeeded by City Amalgamated Education University of Toronto Preceded by Tony Mandarano Spouse Rosalee Mihevc | Succeeded by Ward Abolished Name Joe Mihevc Preceded by Ward Created Nationality Slovenian-Canadian | |
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Born February 24, 1954 (age 70)
Toronto, Ontario ( 1954-02-24 ) | ||
Joe mihevc toronto city councillor joined the antichevron musical rally
Joe Mihevc (born February 24, 1954) is a city councillor in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He represents one of the two St. Paul's wards, Ward 21 St. Paul's.
Contents
- Joe mihevc toronto city councillor joined the antichevron musical rally
- Toronto city councillor Joe Mihevc reacts to Ford crack scandal
- Background
- Politics
- Election results
- References
Toronto city councillor Joe Mihevc reacts to Ford crack scandal
Background
His family was originally from a small village in Slovenia. They became refugees in Canada in 1948. Mihevc grew up in the Toronto area of Dufferin and Eglinton, a working class area that borders the northwest corner of his ward. Raised Catholic, Mihevc obtained a PhD in theology and became an adjunct professor of ethics at the University of Toronto. Mihevc is a strongly progressive Catholic and has been active in social justice, human rights and anti-war issues.
Politics
He first ran for office in 1991 in the old City of York, and defeated incumbent Tony Mandarano, who had been facing corruption charges. Backed by the New Democratic Party, he achieved the title of deputy mayor of York.
Following the amalgamation of York with the five other municipalities of Metropolitan Toronto, which he opposed, Mihevc was elected to the new Toronto city council. In 2000, redistricting resulted in an election battle with right-wing councillor Rob Davis. The election was marred by an anonymous telephone campaign that attempted to paint Mihevc as anti-Semitic. There was no evidence to support this claim. Mayor of Toronto Mel Lastman endorsed Davis, despite an earlier pledge to remain neutral.
He was chair of Toronto's World Youth Day, and from 2000 to 2003 was chair of the health board. He was in that position during the 2003 SARS outbreak. He also was instrumental in forcing through a ban on the use of lawn pesticides.
Mihevc has been a long-time member of the Toronto Transit Commission and served as Vice-Chair from 2006 to 2010. He is a champion of the St. Clair Avenue streetcar right-of-way. The $100 million investment in new streetcar lanes, hydro undergrounding, new gas lines, and public realm improvements has led to a rejuvenation of the St. Clair West neighbourhood.
Construction was delayed by a failed lawsuit by a small group of residents. A report by a consultant for the TTC, which Councillor Mihevc had commissioned, found numerous faults with the project, among them a lack of centralized project management. This led to a number of changes to construction management protocols.
Despite a high-profile challenge from former pre-amalgamation Toronto mayor John Sewell, Mihevc was easily re-elected to city council in the 2006 election.
Mihevc was re-elected by a substantial margin in November 2010, earning nearly 10,000 of the 17,500 votes cast and approximately 56% of the ward's popular vote.
Councillor Mihevc is currently the Chair of the Board of Health, a TTC Commissioner, and sits on the Community Development and Recreation Committee and the Tenant Issues Committee. He was appointed Newcomer Advocate along with Councillor Joe Cressy in December 2015.
Election results
Unofficial results as of October 26, 2010 03:55 am