By Peter Kuitenbrouwer, National Post
I popped into my local, Caffe Brasiliano on Dundas Street West near Euclid Avenue, the other day for an espresso and was surprised to find the place, inside and out, festooned with huge posters — like a theatre decked out for a Joseph Stalin rally — showing a smiling, grey-haired gentleman.
“George Sawision,” read the posters. “Ward 19 Trinity-Spadina. It’s time to make a difference together.”
Mr. Sawision, 50, a master electrician who has lived on Crawford Street in the ward his whole life, is a long shot …

From CHIN Radio, October 28 , 8:45 am

HiMY SYeD – Radio Interview — CHIN Radio October 28 , 8:45 am

By MATTHEW BLACKETT, Spacing Votes

As part of our partnership with the Wellesley Institute, we present the Blueprint video to help you get a better understanding of what the Blueprint is trying to achieve.

Also, Himy Syed was at the official launch of the Blueprint and has posted an 8-minute video of the press conference.

By CARRIE BRUNET, InsideToronto
cbrunet@insidetoronto.com
Few candidates have chosen to run in Ward 19 held by incumbent and deputy mayor Joe Pantalone.
Pantalone has been the councillor in the area for more than 25 years. For the last term he has been the city’s tree advocate and has worked to establish the Johnny Lombardi Memorial on College Street.
Also running in the ward this election is, U.K.-born, Himy Syed.
In his own words, Syed is an ‘artist, community and anti-war activist, author and civil rights activist, interest-free banker, photojournalist and photoblogger.’
George Sawision, is …

By Kevin Bracken, Torontoist
The Toronto Public Space Committee’s excellent new Municipal Elections website contains a veritable treasure trove of information about each candidate in the 2006 election (and a pretty sexy Google maps mashup).
The site also features sometimes-hilarious quotations from and anecdotes about our to-be-elected officials in poster format.
We have selected some gems from the site for your reading pleasure:
Ward 20: “[Adam Vaughan] is on record as wanting to gate alleyways in the ward, including Graffiti Alley, and ban the sale of art supplies to minors.”
Ward 19: “Joe [Pantalone] had no problem with …

By Matthew Blackett, Spacing Votes

Himy Syed, a candidate in Ward 19, Trinity-Spadina, has started a Flickr photo group that pools together images from this election.
If you have a Flickr account, you can add your photos to it.
Himy has also created a Toronto election group on You Tube to collect videos captured during the campaign trail.

By Ramanan Sivaranjan, A Funkaoshi Production
I thought this wasn’t a political debate.
Shima and I attended a talk last night at the Theatre Centre — it’s part of that gorgeous building at the corner Dovercourt and Queen. In attendance were 2 candidates from our ward, Adam Giambrone and Simon Wookey. Shima informed me that the remaining guests were also worth paying attention to: they were John Sewell, who is apparently a bit of a planning superstar, but is better known for being a former mayor of Toronto (before my time), and Adam Vaughan, who …

By KAREN MACKENZIE, Spacing Votes

The addictive potential of last week’s Nuit Blanche now leaves me in withdrawal. I polled candidates in wards 18, 19, 20, and 21, in hopes I could live vicariously through their tales of the all-night art party’s witching hour.
Everyone who responded vowed to support the event for another year.
Himy Syed, a candidate running in Ward 19 Trinity-Spadina, had the most enthusiastic response by far (editor’s disclaimer: Syed contributes to Spacing Photos regularly). At the witching hour, Syed was atop the CN Tower with a photoblogger crew. He posted a …