Joe Mihevc, Robin Buxton Potts appointed to fill Toronto city council vacancies

Toronto city council has appointed a former councillor and a political staff member to fill vacancies left by the resignations of Joe Cressy and Kristyn Wong-Tam.

Joe Mihevc, a former veteran midtown councillor who lost a 2018 bid to become the councillor for Toronto–St. Paul’s to Josh Matlow, received 20 out of 22 votes to fill the Ward 10 Spadina–Fort York seat left vacant by Cressy after he stepped down to accept a position at George Brown College.

Mihevc, who has gone on to teach urban studies at the University of Toronto and York University as well as consulting with private-sector developers, said he would work on projects started by Cressy, return to his former work Toronto’s board of health and help transition to whoever is elected on Oct. 24.

“It is a caretaker role. I have absolutely no intention of running in the October election,” he told city council during a special meeting on Wednesday.

“On the invitation of Councillor Cressy, I can appreciate that I just might be the right person and the right time filling in for a short period of time.”

In Ward 13 Toronto Centre, Robin Buxton Potts received 18 out of 19 votes to fill the seat left vacant when Wong-Tam stepped down to run in Thursday’s election for the Ontario NDP in the same area.

Buxton Potts, who served as Wong-Tam’s chief of staff and previously worked for Cressy, said she was vying for the interim role since she has knowledge of the current issues the office is dealing with and her past public service. She also said she had Wong-Tam’s endorsement and support for residents’ associations.

“My intention is fully to be a caretaker and to provide a thorough transition to whoever the Ward 13 constituents duly elect,” Buxton Potts said.

The current council term ends on Nov. 14.

Applicants who were eligible to serve as councillors were invited to speak to Toronto city council for five minutes each on Wednesday. In all, 13 people applied to serve as the Ward 10 councillor and 14 people applied to serve as the Ward 13 councillor.

Under Ontario law, municipal byelections can’t be held after March 31 in an election year and seats must be filled if there are more than 90 days left in the term.