Kelly re-elected to Agincourt council post in convincing win

Ward 40 incumbent Norm Kelly swept up the votes in Monday’s election and will hold his council seat another four years.

“It’s a validation of my service to the community over the last four years,” Kelly said, who won 11,578 votes, good for 62 per cent.

Text messages and phone calls came streaming in throughout night, thanking Kelly for his work in the community and congratulating him on his win, said his wife Charlotte.

“The political waters were swirling,” Kelly said. “You never know which way it would take you.”

But his supporters were confident he’d win, backed by a community with which he has developed a close relationship throughout his years in office.

Kelly sat close to a television on election night, monitoring the polls while mingling with the people who have been by his side throughout his campaign.

“These results are the product of good work between elections and hard work at election time,” Kelly said.

This year, Kelly employed the help of recent University of Toronto graduates in his campaign.

“I’ve grown up with him, I just want to get involved,” said Andres Kalogiannides, U of T graduate and volunteer. “I think he’s got an established voice in the community.”

After a long campaign, Kelly said he’s determined to show the residents of Agincourt that he has not forgotten them over the past few months.

“My opponents only had one role to perform, and that was to challenge me for the seat,” Kelly said. “But I had to be both a candidate and city councillor, so I had two roles to perform during the campaign.”

As the celebration wound down, the councillor’s focus remained centered on his platform, a major part of which was directed toward strengthening Toronto’s economy.

“We became the leading economic engine of Canada only to find ourselves in free trade and economic competition,” he said. “What we have to do is recalibrate our economy to meet this competition.”

Kelly said he is grateful to all of his supportive voters.

”If I could, I would put my arms around all of them and give them a big hug,” he said.

About this article

By: Rishma Lucknauth
Posted: Oct 25 2010 10:21 pm
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Filed under: News Toronto Votes 2010
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