Adam Giambrone

Adam Giambrone (born ca. 1977 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian politician who is currently a Toronto city councillor representing the southern of two Davenport wards. Elected at 26, he was the youngest member of the 2003–2006 Toronto council. He is also a former president of the federal New Democratic Party (NDP).

An archeologist by training, Giambrone has participated in excavations in Tunisia, Libya, Sudan and Yemen.cite web|accessdate=2008-04-28|url=http://www.thestar.com/News/article/168444|title=Riding high on the TTC |publisher=Toronto Star ] He speaks English, French, Italian, Portuguese and Arabic. He is of Italian-American ancestry.

Early life and career

Growing up in the Davenport area of Toronto, he first became active with the New Democratic Party in its youth wing at age 15. While studying at McGill University in Montreal, he served as treasurer of the New Democratic Youth of Canada, and ran for the NDP in the riding of Mount Royal in the 1997 federal election, in which he finished fifth out of six candidates with 966 votes. The Liberal candidate, Sheila Finestone, won with 30,115 votes.

At McGill University Adam ran for the position of Vice President Finance of the Students' Society (undergraduate student union) and lost to fellow student Duncan Reid by a wide margin, but was later elected to the student council as one of three ad hoc councilors representing McGill's student clubs.

Returning to Toronto, he took up employment with the Royal Ontario Museum, where he became vice-president of his Ontario Public Service Employees Union local. He ran for Toronto city council in the southern Davenport ward against Mario Silva in the 2000 municipal election. Giambrone lost 6,037 to 3,338.

Federal NDP president

At the federal NDP convention of 2001, Giambrone won a first two-year term as president of the party. He was initially a grassroots challenger to the "official slate" candidate customarily supported by the party brass, but the official slate candidate stood down in Giambrone's favour. The president of the NDP is the administrative chairperson of the party, chairing party conventions, councils and executive meetings. Giambrone was 24, and no younger person had ever become president (or leader) of a major Canadian party. He became a frequent guest on television and figure in the news, and travelled the country extensively speaking to New Democrats.

Seeking re-election at the 2003 convention at which Jack Layton was elected party leader, Giambrone faced a strong challenge from respected New Brunswick NDP leader Elizabeth Weir. Midway through the convention, Giambrone and Weir decided to seek a co-presidency. Many delegates balked, especially at the assumption that they could push through a sudden constitutional change in a party often dearly concerned with internal process. The joint ticket was withdrawn, and Giambrone won a second term against Weir and a challenger from the NDP Socialist Caucus.

He announced in the summer of 2006 that he would not seek a third term as federal NDP President. Anne McGrath was elected to succeed him at the party Convention in Quebec City.

Toronto councillor

Giambrone never gave up his campaign to win the south Davenport seat on Toronto city council. Mario Silva, the previous councillor, left city council and was elected a federal Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) in Davenport in the 2004 federal election, Giambrone became a leading candidate to replace him in the 2003 municipal election. With the endorsements of the "Toronto Star", "NOW", "Bloor West Villager" newspapers and councillors Joe Pantalone and Fred Dominelli, Giambrone defeated Ana Bailao, 26, Silva's former assistant, by 51 to 40 percent in a field of six.

Shortly after taking office, he was chosen as a Commissioner of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). While in City Council, he remained president of the federal NDP.

During the TTC workers' wildcat strike on May 29, 2006, Giambrone was prominent in the media representing the TTC's position as commission chair Howard Moscoe was out of town.

On Monday November 13, 2006, Giambrone was re-elected in the 2006 municipal election, taking almost 67% of the vote in his ward.

On Tuesday, December 6, 2006, Giambrone was elected by other Toronto Transit Commission members to serve as the new chairperson for the Commission.

On March 16, 2007, Giambrone and Mayor of Toronto David Miller unveiled "Transit City", a proposal to build 120 kilometres of electric light rail along seven routes at an estimated cost of $6 billion. [Tess Kalinowski & John Spears. Success driven by TTC: Miller. "Toronto Star". March 17, 2007. [http://www.thestar.com/News/article/193047] ]

After council voted 23-22 to defer the debate of a car registration tax and land transfer tax, Giambrone and Miller announced several dramatic cuts to numerous city services to save $100 million, arguing that these were necessary to make up for the budget shortfall. For the TTC, the initiatives included mothballing the Sheppard Subway line and cancelling underused bus routes. Several councillors criticized Miller's refusal to call a special meeting to discuss the service cuts. They also attacked the scope of the cuts, with the "Globe and Mail" and Brian Ashton saying that Miller was pointing the "gun" at councillors who did not support the new taxes. [Tess Kalinowski & Jim Byers. Miller's axe looms over TTC. "Toronto Star". July 20, 2007. [http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/238023] ] [Jennifer Lewington & Jeff Gray. Toronto threatens to shut Sheppard subway. "The Globe and Mail". July 20, 2007. [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070720.wttc0720/BNStory/National/home] ]

In September, 2007, City Council unanimously approved a motion to allow the Toronto Parking Authority to proceed with a plan to expropriate the Matador, a famed Toronto music hall and cultural landmark. After considerable media attention [http://www.thestar.com/News/article/260491] [http://spacing.ca/wire/?p=2332] [http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2007-10-11/news_cityinbrief.php] [http://savethematador.com/kelly.php] [http://savethematador.com/barber.php] [http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/toronto/archive/2007/10/09/saving-the-matador-let-the-wookey-win.aspx] , an organised group of citizens, including noted author Michael Ondaatje and folk singer Sylvia Tyson, successfully lobbied Giambrone to reverse his support of the expropriation yet Giambrone still noted a need for parking in the neighbourhood. [John Goddard. Is it closing time for the Matador? Toronto Star. September 24, 2007. [http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/259716] ] [Iconic Matador Club saved from expropriation. CTV.ca. October 17, 2007. [http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20071017/Matador_expropriation_071017/20071017?hub=TorontoHome] ]

March 23, 2008 Adam Giambrone's U-Pass proposal, a cheaper transit pass for university students, was overwhelmingly rejected with a 73% vote against in a student referendum. The problem was that the programme was mandatory for all students and offered no opt-out. [http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/349840]

References

External links

* [http://www.adamgiambrone.ca Adam Giambrone official website]
* [http://www.toronto.ca/councillors/giambrone1.htm Adam Giambrone profile on City of Toronto website]