The closest race in Ward 36 on election night turned out to be the one that the whole city and perhaps the entire country was watching – the race between John Tory and Doug Ford.
In the end, Ward 36 was the only ward in Scarborough to choose Tory instead of Ford.
And, it was very, very close. Tory got 7,071 votes (39%) compared to Ford’s 6,953 votes (38.34%) – a margin of just 118 votes.
Incumbent councillor Gary Crawford is back for second term, having won 52.8% of the vote compared to 36.1% for nearest rival Robert Spencer.
This is the second time in a row that the two men have squared off and Crawford’s margin over Spencer was 4,333 votes, which is ten times the margin of victory in 2010.
Congrats to @CllrCrawford on running an excellent campaign, I know he will continue to do a great job representing #ward36
— Robert Spencer (@RobertSpencer9) October 28, 2014
Thank you to everyone in #ward36 for your belief in me and for making a difference in our community and city. We will work together. — Gary Crawford (@CllrCrawford) October 28, 2014
Scarborough Southwest (Ward 18) also elected a new public school trustee.
Parthi Kandavel defeated incumbent Elizabeth Moyer by 275 votes and it’s likely that Moyer’s controversial behaviour at the Toronto District School Board played a factor in her defeat.
Moyer was one of six TDSB incumbents who failed to win re-election to the troubled board.
A big, sincere Thank You to all for their support and faith in me. This could not have been possible without you! #Ward35 #Ward36 #SSW #TDSB
— Parthi Kandavel (@ParthiKandavel) November 2, 2014
The voter turnout in Ward 36 increased dramatically in 2014 compared to 2010, with 62.75% of eligible voters casting ballots compared to 53.29% during the last election.