Frances Nunziata
Encyclopedia
Frances Nunziata is a Toronto city councillor for Ward 11 York South-Weston (representing one of the two York South—Weston
wards). She is the sister of former Member of Parliament John Nunziata
.
An accounting clerk, she became head of the Harwood Ratepayers Association. She was first elected to office in 1985 as school board trustee for the City of York
School Board. In 1988 she was elected to the York city council ousting incumbent Gary Bloor.
On city council she rose to prominence as a whistleblower in the Fairbank Park affair. A deal had been made to sell part of the city park to a developer to build condominiums. Nunziata leaked material to the press illustrating irregularities in the process, leading to a police investigation of several local politicians. The affair pitted Nunziata against almost the entire York city council in a bitter debate. Nunziata took fellow councillor Nicolo Fortunato to court after he reportedly called her a "slut" and threatened to kill her.
In the 1991 elections Nunziata was vindicated as six of the eight sitting councillors lost their reelection bids while Nunziata defeated her nearest rival by a ten to one margin. Eventually two York city councillors, one Metro Toronto councillor, and the developer were jailed over the affair.
In the 1994 election Nunziata chose to challenge York mayor Fergy Brown
. Nunziata was considered unlikely to defeat the incumbent, but after a spirited and often bitter campaign she emerged victorious. As mayor she ran into her own ethics issues when it was alleged she had used city money to pay a political operative. As mayor her main cause was an unsuccessful campaign to construct a subway line under Eglinton avenue.
With the creation of the megacity in 1997 she was elected to Toronto city council. On city council she mostly concerned herself with law and order issues. She also was a prominent defender of Kimberley Glasco
in her battle with the National Ballet of Canada
.
In 2010, George Berger, an executive assistant who worked for her in 2005 brought her before a human rights tribunal claiming harassment and discrimination during his employment. Berger claims that he was targeted due to a disability. Nunziata denies the claim. Berger is asking for monetary compensation and an apology.
Unofficial results as of October 26, 2010 03:55 am
York South—Weston
York South—Weston is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1979.-Electoral district:It is in the west-end of Toronto. The riding has a largely working class and immigrant population...
wards). She is the sister of former Member of Parliament John Nunziata
John Nunziata
John Nunziata is a Canadian politician. He served in the Canadian House of Commons from 1984 to 2000, initially as a Liberal and later as an independent member.-Background:...
.
An accounting clerk, she became head of the Harwood Ratepayers Association. She was first elected to office in 1985 as school board trustee for the City of York
York, Ontario
York is a dissolved municipality in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it is located northwest of Old Toronto, southwest of North York and east of Etobicoke, where it is bounded by the Humber River. Formerly a separate city, it was one of six municipalities that amalgamated in 1998 to form...
School Board. In 1988 she was elected to the York city council ousting incumbent Gary Bloor.
On city council she rose to prominence as a whistleblower in the Fairbank Park affair. A deal had been made to sell part of the city park to a developer to build condominiums. Nunziata leaked material to the press illustrating irregularities in the process, leading to a police investigation of several local politicians. The affair pitted Nunziata against almost the entire York city council in a bitter debate. Nunziata took fellow councillor Nicolo Fortunato to court after he reportedly called her a "slut" and threatened to kill her.
In the 1991 elections Nunziata was vindicated as six of the eight sitting councillors lost their reelection bids while Nunziata defeated her nearest rival by a ten to one margin. Eventually two York city councillors, one Metro Toronto councillor, and the developer were jailed over the affair.
In the 1994 election Nunziata chose to challenge York mayor Fergy Brown
Fergy Brown
James Fergus Brown is a retired politician in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He served as Mayor of York from 1988 to 1994, and was listed as eighty years old in a 2003 newspaper report....
. Nunziata was considered unlikely to defeat the incumbent, but after a spirited and often bitter campaign she emerged victorious. As mayor she ran into her own ethics issues when it was alleged she had used city money to pay a political operative. As mayor her main cause was an unsuccessful campaign to construct a subway line under Eglinton avenue.
With the creation of the megacity in 1997 she was elected to Toronto city council. On city council she mostly concerned herself with law and order issues. She also was a prominent defender of Kimberley Glasco
Kimberley Glasco
Kimberley Glasco is a Canadian ballerina.In 1998, Glasco launched a wrongful dismissal suit against the National Ballet of Canada instigated because artistic director James Kudelka dropped her from the company roster, allegedly because Glasco had questioned the allocation of funds for Kudelka's...
in her battle with the National Ballet of Canada
National Ballet of Canada
The National Ballet of Canada is Canada's largest ballet troupe. It was founded by Celia Franca in 1951 and is based in Toronto, Ontario. Based upon the unity of Canadian trained dancers in the tradition and style of England's Royal Ballet, The National is regarded as one of the premier classical...
.
In 2010, George Berger, an executive assistant who worked for her in 2005 brought her before a human rights tribunal claiming harassment and discrimination during his employment. Berger claims that he was targeted due to a disability. Nunziata denies the claim. Berger is asking for monetary compensation and an apology.
Election results
| 2010 Toronto election Toronto city council election, 2010 For information on the campaign for mayor see Toronto mayoral election, 2010The 2010 Toronto council election was held on October 25, 2010 to elect councillors to represent Toronto's 44 wards at Toronto City Council... , Ward 11 |
||
| Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Frances Nunziata | 10,544 | 66.8 |
| Fulvio Sansone | 2,290 | 14.5 |
| Leo Marshall | 1,718 | 10.9 |
| Abdi Hashised | 1,235 | 7.8 |
| Total | 15,787 | 100 |
Unofficial results as of October 26, 2010 03:55 am
| 2006 Toronto election Toronto municipal election, 2006 The 2006 Toronto municipal election took place on 13 November 2006 to elect a mayor and 44 city councillors in Toronto, Ontario. In addition, school trustees were elected to the Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest... , Ward 11 |
||
| Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Frances Nunziata | 6,469 | 49.6 |
| Paul Ferreira Paul Ferreira Paul Ferreira is a Canadian social democratic politician and one of the first openly gay politicians elected to provincial office in Canada. He also has the distinction of being the very first Azorean-Canadian MPP... |
4,812 | 36.9 |
| Rocky Gualtieri | 1235 | 9.5 |
| Pansy Mullings | 526 | 4.0 |