Mike Feldman
Michael Feldman (born c. 1928) is a former politician in Toronto, Ontario. He was a municipal councillor from 1992 to 2010, and served as Deputy Mayor from 2003 to 2006.
Mike Feldman | |
---|---|
City Councillor for Ward 10 (York Centre) | |
In office 2000–2010 | |
Preceded by | New ward |
Succeeded by | James Pasternak |
Deputy Mayor of Toronto | |
In office 2003–2006 | |
Preceded by | Case Ootes |
Succeeded by | Joe Pantalone |
City Councillor for Ward 8 - North York Spadina | |
In office 1998–2000 | |
Preceded by | New ward |
Succeeded by | Ward abolished |
North York Councillor for Ward 7 | |
In office 1992–1997 | |
Preceded by | Irv Chapley |
Succeeded by | Position abolished |
Personal details | |
Born | c. 1928 (age 92–93) |
Spouse(s) | Sue |
Children | 3 |
Residence | Toronto, Ontario |
Occupation | Businessman |
Background
Before entering municipal politics, Feldman was a businessman who founded Teela Data Management, a company specializing in real estate information, which was sold to Moore Corporation Ltd. in 1982. He retired from business in 1988.
Feldman has served as president of the Beth Emeth Bais Yehuda Synagogue and of the Ontario Region of the United Synagogue of America, the central organization of synagogues in Conservative Judaism. He was active with the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews.
He and his wife, Sue, have three children.
Politics
Feldman was elected in 1992 in a by-election to North York council to replace longtime councillor Irv Chapley who had died in office early in the year.[1] In addition to his job as a municipal councillor, he served as chair of the Metro Housing Development Corporation, a public housing agency serving the second-tier municipality of Metropolitan Toronto. In 1997 he was elected to the newly amalgamated Toronto City Council.
Feldman was a longtime supporter of Mel Lastman, the generally conservative mayor first of North York, then of the merged Toronto until 2003. In that year's municipal election, Feldman supported John Tory, a moderate conservative, for mayor. When David Miller, a social democrat, was elected, one of his first appointments was to name Feldman one of his three Deputy Mayors, jointly with Joe Pantalone and Sandra Bussin.
Along with the appointment of fellow councillor David Soknacki as budget chief, Feldman's appointment was seen as a key outreach to conservatives on the new mayor's part. The left-wing alternative weekly newspaper Now magazine wrote that "Miller has long respected Feldman's financial acumen and his commitment to neighbourhood issues. The retired business executive is a straight-shooting conservative who can get along with both sides at council and give North York a high-profile voice at City Hall."[2]
After the 2006 election, Miller appointed a single deputy mayor, Pantalone. In 2009, Feldman joined the Responsible Government Group, a conservative caucus seen as an unofficial opposition to Miller and the centre-left majority of council.
Election results
2006 Toronto election, Ward 10[3] | ||
Candidate | Votes | % |
---|---|---|
Michael Feldman | 6,527 | 52.0 |
Igor Toutchinski | 1,940 | 15.4 |
Magda Berkovits | 1,586 | 12.6 |
Max Royz | 1,106 | 8.8 |
Robert Freedland | 561 | 4.5 |
Craig Smith | 440 | 3.5 |
Alex Dumalag | 404 | 3.2 |
References
- Gombu, Phinjo (October 16, 1992). "North York by-election puts activist on council". Toronto Star. p. A6.
- Now magazine 27 November 2003 Archived 12 January 2005 at the Wayback Machine
- City Clerk's Official Declaration 2006 Archived 2011-06-07 at the Wayback Machine