Mayor John Tory announced Friday he would appoint a Beaches-East York council candidate as his “relief line champion” if both are elected on Oct. 22. At a campaign event at Main Street subway station, Tory said he would select Brad Bradford as council booster for the subway project, despite the fact Bradford isn’t running in one of the three wards through which the line would run. Tory, who has previously said his administration was already doing everything possible to advance the relief line, didn’t specify what duties the “relief line champion” position would entail. In an email, a spokesperson for the mayor’s re-election campaign said, “as a champion for the project, Brad Bradford will have a laserlike focus on the project and work with council and city staff to make sure the relief line gets built.” “This is one more example of how Mayor Tory works with others to get things done for Toronto residents,” wrote Keerthana Kamalavasan.Explaining why the mayor had selected a candidate outside the project area, she said the relief line would “have a positive impact on Ward 19 residents and the entire city.”Read more:Which Toronto mayoral candidate is telling the truth about the relief subway line?Ward Watch: Beaches—East York sees shifting allegiances after cut to wardsCrowded buses, long commutes — why transit is top of mind for Toronto votersBradford, who is on leave from his job as an urban planner with the city, is in a competitive race against 15 other candidates in Ward 19, including former NDP MP Matthew Kellway. It’s one of only two seats in the 25-ward election that isn’t being contested by any incumbents. Councillors Mary Margaret McMahon and Janet Davis, who represented the area under the outgoing 44-ward system, are stepping down. In an interview Friday, Kellway said the mayor tapping Bradford for the relief line title was “clearly political,̶ ...
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