Adam Vaughan wants to go from city hall to House of Commons

TORONTO – Adam Vaughan, Toronto city councillor and staunch opponent of Rob Ford, is hoping to represent Olivia Chow’s former riding in the House of Commons, according to a report in The Toronto Star.

Vaughan wants to run as a Liberal in the upcoming byelection in the riding of Trinity-Spadina, recently vacated by Chow as she seeks the city’s mayoralty.

He’d be taking on NDP candidate Joe Cressy.

His council colleagues, both friend and foe, wished Vaughan well in federal politics:

Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong said he is “delighted” Vaughan is seeking the nomination while simultaneously criticizing his municipal record.

“It means that the taxpayers are going to be in a better position, those who are looking at efficiencies in government while providing high-quality services can hope for those,” Minnan-Wong said. “Councillor Vaughan has been an obstacle to keeping taxes down and running an efficient government.”

He added, “the city’s loss will be the Liberal party’s loss.”

The seat has been won by either Liberal or NDP candidates since its establishment in 1988. Chow was won the seat three times, with slim margins in 2006, 2008 and a commanding win of over 20,000 votes in 2011.

A source reportedly told The Star that Vaughan’s disillusionment with the “circus-like atmosphere” at city during Ford’s administration motivated him to take the leap into federal politics.

But he still has to win the party nomination for the seat which recently became increasingly controversial after former candidate Christine Innes filed a lawsuit against the party and its leader Justin Trudeau. The national director of the Liberal party said Innes’ claim is “without merit.”

The riding encompasses a large swath of downtown Toronto from Dupont Street in the north to the Toronto Islands in the south and Ossington Avenue in the west to Avenue Road in the east.