Mayoral Race

Markham

By Chris Dart, David Anderson and Maxine Cheung, Centennial College

Profile

Markham is also one of the geographically largest communities in York Region, with an area of 206 square kilometers. Distributed across that are more than 270,000 residents — and that number is increasing rapidly enough to make Markham one of the fastest-growing municipalities in Ontario.

According to Alex Chiu, a councillor for Markham's Ward 8, that rapid population growth has led to serious transportation issues.

"It's chaos," Chiu said. "Transportation is an issue that's not only in Markham. It's in the whole York Region. If we can get people to start taking transit, we can help solve the problem of traffic, gridlock and help preserve the environment."

Preserving green space and beautifying the city are other issues that Chiu identified as overriding — for both council and the residents of Markham.

Campaign Snapshot

With over 20 years of service in various capacities on regional and municipal councils, Scarpitti has seen Markham's expansion. Now as a candidate for mayor, Scarpitti's primary goal is to make sure the town's services and infrastructure keep pace with the growth. Included among those services is transit, which he says will be crucial to the town's future.

"I'm a strong supporter of VIVA," he said. "I believe we need to get to phase two of VIVA to make it a true rapid transit system."

Scarpitti also wants to make sure continued population growth doesn't threaten Markham's green space.

"We need to recognize the places that need to be protected," he said. "We need to develop new standards for development so the impact will be lessened."

Finally, Scarpitti wants to make sure the many immigrants who reside in Markham feel welcomed.

"The theme I've chosen for my campaign is ‘We are Markham,'" he said. "No matter what your age, your religion, your background, people are going to be treated with utmost respect in the new Markham."

Meanwhile, one of Scarpitti's rivals, Partap Dua, says he knows exactly what's wrong in Markham.

The nine-year Markham resident and former Bay Street financial analyst says the town has become addicted to developers' fees as a source of revenue. Dua says if he gets into office, he will make sure the town can continue to balance its books if and when the development stops.

"I'll slash spending and contain costs to make sure we stay within definite sources of income," he said. "I would only carry on development if it benefited the old residents of Markham."

Dua is also concerned about the tax burden imposed on town residents by York Region.

"They will just tell us they need so many million dollars and we can't tell them ‘no,'" he said.

If the region continues to spend money on projects like VIVA, which Dua considers wasteful, he says he will pull the town out of York Region.

"We can't control the region, but if they don't check their spending, I will pull out Markham."

Another candidate, Stephen Kotyck, says he will never forget who pays his salary and the salary of both the town's and region's councillors.

He assures Markham residents that if elected, he will work for taxpayers in order to give them the best value.

"By running a local government which is focused on delivering value to the taxpayers, we will become a stronger community," Kotyck said.

For the past eight years, Kotyck has worked at Systems Consulting in Toronto. Because of this, he feels his practical business experience will help him keep his election promise of ensuring value for taxpayers.

"I will work to bring a healthy dose of reality to the running of our town and make certain every municipal service brings quantifiable value to the taxpayers," Kotyck said. "I will make certain the size of our local government stays within the means and wants of the taxpayers of Markham."

Kotyck also promises to encourage Markham taxpayers to voice their opinions to him throughout the year.

Rounding out the field is candidate Sam Orrico, who could not be reached for an interview.

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