Councillors squabble at 1st meeting of new term & approve Colle as TTC chair

The committees at city hall have been filled, and Councillor Josh Colle is the new chair of the TTC.

Speaking to reporters immediately after the vote, Colle said it’s time to deliver some improvements back to the riders, and priority one is to improve service.

Other councillors on the TTC committee are Coun. John Campbell, Coun. Shelley Carroll, Coun. Vincent Crisanti, Coun. Glenn De Baeremaeker, Coun. Joe Mihevc, and Coun. Denzil Minnan-Wong.

Despite hopes for a fresh start, the new session of council descended into finger-pointing and accusations.

The comments got heated on Wednesday during a discussion about appointments to city committees, including Mayor John Tory’s executive.

Coun. John Filion recommended replacing Coun. Giorgio Mammoliti with Kristyn Wong-Tam on the Committee of Adjustment Nominating Panel.

“There’s very little that’s more important in this chamber than our integrity both individually and collectively,” Filion said.

“As reluctant as I am to create controversy on the first meeting of council, there’s probably no better time to set our integrity bar.”

He referred to a 2012 ombudsman’s report about problems with the city’s public appointment process and an integrity commissioner report this year which found Mammoliti had broken the Code of Conduct.

A visibly upset Mammoliti dismissed the ombudsman’s report as political and argued he shouldn’t be punished by council blocking his appointment to a committee.

“Coun. Filion [is] standing up and parading and trying to fear-monger, trying to pull at the heartstrings of people that perhaps are new in this chamber,” he said, before turning his remarks to Fillion and Coun. Mihevc.

“If you want to keep the war … going; if you want to keep the language going … then keep doing what you’re doing. I plan on moving forward.”

Filion withdrew his motion when Coun. Norm Kelly put forth another one to add Coun. Jaye Robinson and Coun. Mary Fragedakis to the panel in question.

For his part, Tory avoided his first test from the chamber floor after the challenger for the Speaker position, Coun. Maria Augimeri, did not have enough votes.

Tory’s personal choice was Coun. Frances Nunziata, who was the Speaker in the previous term when Rob Ford was mayor.

The mayor chooses his deputies and the chairs of the seven standing committees, but the Speaker is selected by a vote of council.

Nunziata was voted in as the Speaker again, 38-6.

Coun. Joe Cressy of Ward 20 Trinity-Spadina was the only one to voice that he didn’t support Nunziata’s nomination.

Shelley Carroll was is the only one nominated as the deputy Speaker. The vote carried unanimously.

Augimeri planned to declare her candidacy for Speaker at Wednesday’s council meeting. But she said that as of 8:30 a.m., she had only 19 supporters in the 44-member council, and didn’t think she could win the position of Speaker.

Augimeri was emotional as she discussed the public and councillor support she has received for Speaker.

“Some of them are willing to lose their chairmanship of standing committee and I won’t let that happen,” she said, adding “I really want to thank those 19 people.”

She also said she wouldn’t seek the role after she was voted chair of the North York community council on Wednesday morning.

“The procedural bylaw of the City of Toronto mandates that one councillor cannot sit as Speaker and chair of a community council,” Augimeri said on Wednesday.

Augimeri held the North York position before and ran unopposed, so Tory did not have to nominate her.

“I am the long-standing chair of North York community council — it’s where my heart is and where I’ll be able to continue to do good work.”

Augimeri said she’s willing to trust Tory’s choice of Nunziata, and his promise of more civil proceedings in council chambers.

“I’ve always had a lot of respect for Maria, and I always will,” Nunziata said as she and Augimeri exchanged hugs.

But after Nunziata was voted in as Speaker, Augimeri said “we’re stuck w/ her for four more years.” Realizing her microphone was still on, she asked for it to be turned off. Tory explained that the fact that the microphone was still on was his fault.

“I’m just hoping we can all work together on a positive note for this term, and I am looking forward to working with all the members of council and the mayor,” Nunziata told reporters separately on Wednesday.

She also said “it’s a relief” not to have a challenger to the role of Speaker.

“The mayor has asked to re-appoint me as Speaker, and I am very honoured and priviledged that he has asked me.”

According to earlier reports, Augimeri said she was offering herself as a viable alternative to Nunziata.

“I want to create a new and inclusive tone at council,” Augimeri told the Toronto Star.

However, Nunziata believes she did a good job and was objective, even though some councillors accused her of being biased in favour of former mayor Rob Ford.

“I believe that I have, for the past four years, kept council together, moved the agenda forward and received a lot of positive comments from the public. I believe I did a good job,” Nunziata told reporters on Tuesday.

In an interview with Breakfast Television on Wednesday, Tory defended his pick for Speaker and also addressed complaints of divisiveness.

“Frances Nunziata, if she had to do some things that were controversial in the past, was doing those things in part because some of the members of council were misbehaving,” Tory said.

“And so if everybody could agree, she was going to help me set a new tone. They were going to set a new tone as well by behaving properly.”

At a special council meeting on Tuesday, Tory and councillors were publicly sworn into office.

View the below interactive chart of Mayor Tory’s key deputies and committee heads. Data courtesy of the City of Toronto. Click here for a mobile-friendly link.

With files from Kevin Misener

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