:format(webp)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/politics/provincial/2022/08/16/steven-del-duca-to-run-for-mayor-of-vaughan/steven_del_duca.jpg?w=1920&resize=1920,0&ssl=1 "Steven Del Duca to run for mayor of Vaughan")
Former Ontario Liberal leader Steven Del Duca is running for mayor of Vaughan, the Star has learned.
Del Duca, who resigned as Liberal chief after losing the June 2 provincial election to Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Doug Ford, will officially enter the vaughan contest on Tuesday.
“There is no doubt that the election result was a humbling experience,” he said in an interview on Monday.
“But I love public service and I really love the city of Vaughan, where I have lived for 35 years.”
With Friday’s deadline for entry looming, there are five other registered candidates: former Liberal Federal Minister Deb Schulte, Vaughan Coun. Sandra Yeung-Raconurse parveen ballreal estate agent Robert Gulassarian and businessman danny desantis.
A former provincial transport minister, Del Duca is running on an anti-congestion platform.
Despite his personal opposition to the proposed 60-kilometre Milton-Vaughan Highway 413 that was the cornerstone of Ford’s election promise, he vowed to work with Queen’s Park and Ottawa “to get Vaughan moving.”
“As the saying goes, I’m running to get things done,” Del Duca said, echoing the recent Tory campaign slogan, “Do it.”
Asked about Ford’s plan to extend the “strong mayor” powers given to Toronto and Ottawa to other cities, he said “it’s something that should be looked at.”
Del Duca emphasized that “input from the council and from the community should be the most important thing,” but noted that if the new governance structure provides better services for constituents, then it would be worth it.
“What matters is achieving results,” he said.
To that end, Del Duca said he would work with the other levels of government to secure GO train service for Woodbridge and Kleinburg and promote the extension of the Yonge North Subway.
In addition, it would work to widen Highway 7 in Woodbridge and connect Langstaff Road, move truck traffic from Highway 7 to Highway 407 by subsidizing tolls for commercial operators, and build new east-west connections on Teston and Kirby highways to alleviate the traffic on Major Mackenzie Drive and Rutherford Road.
It is not uncommon in Ontario for defeated provincial opposition leaders to jump into municipal politics.
Former NDP leader Andrea Horwath, who resigned the same night as Del Duca and officially resigned as MPP on Monday, is running for mayor of Hamilton.
Toronto Mayor John Tory was the Progressive Conservative leader from 2004 to 2009.
Former PC leader Patrick Brown is seeking re-election as Mayor of Brampton.
Vaughan’s incumbent mayor, Maurizio Bevilacqua, is a former Liberal MP who has been in office since 2010. He is not seeking re-election.
Del Duca said he worked closely with Bevilacqua when he was a Liberal transport minister in Prime Minister Kathleen Wynne’s government.
“I was honored to partner with him to deliver the 427 Freeway Extension, open the Vaughan Metro, secure more GO train service and parking spaces at the GO Station, and launch construction of the Vaughan Hospital,” he said.
After losing his seat in the 2018 election, Del Duca was running to be the York Region president until Ford canceled plans to make it an elective seat.
At the time, several senior provincial Conservatives were assisting him in his bid to be regional president.
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