Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Up Against City Hall by John Sewell. John Sewell , CM (born 1940) is a Canadian political activist and writer on municipal affairs; he was the mayor of , from 1978 to 1980. Contents. Background. Raised in the Beaches neighbourhood, in Toronto, Sewell attended Malvern Collegiate Institute and the University of Toronto from which he graduated with an English Literature degree in 1961. [ 1 ] He earned a law degree from the University of Toronto Law School in 1964 and was called to the bar in 1966. Municipal politics. Sewell first became active in city politics in 1966 when he joined the residents of the Trefann Court Urban Renewal Area in the fight against the expropriation and levelling of the working class and poor neighbourhood. [ 1 ] Sewell was also involved in opposing to the building of the Spadina Expressway in the late 1969s and early 1970s. [ 2 ] He was first elected to Toronto City Council in 1969 as alderman for Ward 7, a predominantly working class area including St. Jamestown, Regent Park, Don Vale, and Cabbagetown. [ 2 ] He also initiated the founding of a community-owned newspaper, Seven News , seen as an alternative to Toronto's corporate-owned daily papers. Sewell went on to become the leader of city council's reform wing. He was elected Mayor of Toronto in 1978. [ 3 ] In the 1978 election, the right-wing vote was split between two mayoral candidates, David Paul Smith and Tony O'Donohue. [ 4 ] Sewell was able to win the election with less than 50 percent of the vote as he garnered 71,305 votes, while O'Donohue received 62,173 and Smith receiving 45,071. [ 3 ] Mayor of Toronto. Sewell was portrayed as a radical in the media and was dubbed "Mayor Blue Jeans" by the Toronto Sun at a time when wearing denim was still considered an identifier of the counterculture. As an environmentalist famous for riding his bicycle to council, he opposed the development of banking and convention centres in the central business district that would become the hallmark of the mayors who followed. Sewell also established himself as a leading critic of the Toronto Police, demanding greater accountability to the public, and was a leading defender of gay rights, endorsing gay rights activist George Hislop's 1980 candidacy for city council, at a time when it was rare for public figures to express support for same-sex rights. In the 1980 election, after two years of controversy, pro-development Conservatives and Liberals united behind the candidacy of Art Eggleton. Although Sewell maintained the support of many Red Tories, reform Liberals and New Democrats and won more votes and a larger share of the vote than in 1978, he lost the mayor's office to Eggleton. Later life. Sewell subsequently returned to city council as an alderman in a by-election, to replace Ward 6 alderman Dan Heap who had been elected to parliament, and won re-election in 1982. He retired from municipal politics in 1984 to accept a job as a columnist at the Globe and Mail . He subsequently moved to Now Magazine , then wrote a regular column in Toronto's eye weekly from 1999 to 2005. He has written a number of books and articles on Toronto urban issues. Sewell served as chair of the Toronto public housing authority from 1986 to 1988 and is an acknowledged urban affairs expert. [ 1 ] He has served as chair of the Royal Commission on Planning and Development Reform in Ontario from 1991 to 1993. Sewell was an advisor to East London, South Africa's city council from 1994 to 1999 and as advisor on the re-establishment of local government in Malawi in 2000. Sewell also taught law, politics and social science at York University from 1989 to 1991. In the late 1990s, Sewell founded the group Citizens for Local Democracy to fight the plans of the provincial Mike Harris government to abolish Metropolitan Toronto and amalgamate its constituent parts into a new City of Toronto "megacity". In the 1999 Ontario provincial election, Sewell ran as an independent candidate in the riding of --Rosedale, challenging Progressive Conservative cabinet minister Al Leach to protest the megacity. His entry into the race was controversial, with many activists accusing him of splitting the left-wing vote with the New Democratic Party (NDP). Sewell was also criticized for remaining in the race after Leach, whom he had personally targeted as the minister responsible for amalgamation, withdrew from the contest. The riding was ultimately won by Liberal ; Sewell finished third, behind Tory Durhane Wong-Rieger. In 2005, Sewell was made a member of the Order of Canada. Sewell lives with his wife, Liz Rykert in Toronto. [ 1 ] On June 26, 2006, Sewell announced that he would seek election in Ward 21 running against Joe Mihevc in Toronto's 2006 municipal election. Sewell said that he was motivated to run due to the construction of a streetcar right-of-way along St. Clair Avenue that was supported by Mihevc. He also stated that he was disappointed at the record of Mayor David Miller. "Living in a megacity demands more citizen participation and community consultation, not less," says Sewell. While his candidacy received much publicity in the local media, he was defeated by Mihevc. Sewell received a 3326 votes compared to Mihevc's 8096. [ 5 ] Sewell, a former resident of Riverdale, resides in Ward 21 and has his law office on Beverley Street. He is active in the Toronto Police Accountability Coalition. In November 2008, Sewell was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He received chemotherapy and as of November 2009, the cancer is in remission. [ 1 ] Election results. 2006 Toronto election, Ward 21 [ 6 ] Candidate Votes % Joe Mihevc 8,096 56.7 John Sewell 3,326 23.3 John Adams 2,713 19.0 Tony Corpuz 150 1.1 Ontario general election, 1999 Party Candidate Votes % Liberal George Smitherman 17756 38.9 Progressive Conservative Durhane Wong-Rieger 13640 29.88 Independent John Sewell 8822 19.33 New Democrat Helen Breslauer 4019 8.8 Green Joseph Cohen 392 0.86 Freedom Paul McKeever 344 0.75 Independent Mike Ryner 236 0.52 Family Coalition Bill Whatcott 232 0.51 Natural Law Ron Parker 205 0.45 1982 Toronto election, Ward 6 (Two elected) Candidate Votes % John Sewell 13,419 Jack Layton 9,892 Gordon Chong 8,213 Oscar Wong 2,479 Bill Beatty 1,563 Martin Amber 546 1980 Toronto election, Mayoral Candidate Votes % Art Eggleton 87,919 John Sewell 86,152 Anne McBride 3,429 Bob Bush 2,479 Fred Dunn 1,100 Armand Siksna 867 Ronald Rodgers 846 Chris Faiers 590 Andrejs Murnieks 571 1978 Toronto election, Mayoral Candidate Votes % John Sewell 71,885 Tony O'Donohue 62,173 David Smith 45,071 Joe Martin 1,658 Ron Morawski 1,546 John Beattle 1,239 Louis Thomas 826 Richard Sanders 778 Zoltan Szoboszloi 439 Hardial Dhir 379 Walter Lohaza 336 Andries Murnieks 323. Works. Inside City Hall: The year of the opposition (1971) A.M. Hakkert. ISBN 0-88866-507-5 Up Against City Hall (1972) James Lorimer and Company. ISBN 0-88862-021-7 Rowland Travel Guide to Toronto (with Charlotte Sykes) (1985) Rowland & Jacob. ISBN 0-921430-00-0 Police: Urban Policing in Canada (1986) James Lorimer and Company. ISBN 0-88862-744-0 The shape of the city: Toronto struggles with modern planning (1993) University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-7409-X Houses and Homes: Housing for Canadians (1994) James Lorimer and Company. ISBN 1-55028-437-1 Redeveloping public housing projects (1999) Caledon Institute of Social Policy. ISBN 1-894159-67-5 Doors Open Toronto, Illuminating the City's Great Spaces (2002) Random House. ISBN 0-676-97498-8 Mackenzie, a political biography of William Lyon Mackenzie (2002) James Lorimer and Company. ISBN 1-55028-767-2 A New City Agenda (2004) Zephyr Press. ISBN 0- 9734112-2-8 The Shape of the Suburbs: Understanding Toronto's Sprawl (2009) University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-9587-9. Mackenzie: A Political Biography. The work is a biography and historical defense of William Lyon Mackenzie, the first mayor of Toronto and leader of the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion. John Sewell. John Sewell , (Order of Canada), (born Dec. 8, 1940) is a political activist and writer on municipal affairs; he was the mayor of Toronto, Canada from 1978 to 1980. Raised in the Beaches neighborhood, in Toronto, Sewell attended Malvern Collegiate Institute and the University of Toronto from which he graduated with an English Literature degree in 1961. He earned a law degree from the University of Toronto Law School in 1964 and was called to the bar in 1966. Sewell first became active in city politics in 1966 when he joined the residents of the Trefann Court Urban Renewal Area in the fight against the expropriation and leveling of the working class and poor neighborhood. He was first elected to Toronto City Council in 1969 and became leader of the reform wing. He was elected Mayor of Toronto in 1978. In the 1978 election, the right-wing vote was split between two mayoral candidates: David Paul Smith and Tony O'Donohue. Sewell was able to win the election with less than 50% of the vote. Sewell was portrayed as a radical in the media and was dubbed "Mayor Blue Jeans" by the Toronto Sun at a time when wearing denim was still considered an identifier of the counterculture. As an environmentalist famous for riding his bicycle to council, he opposed the development of banking and convention centers in the central business district that would become the hallmark of the mayors who followed. Sewell also established himself as a leading critic of the Toronto Police, demanding greater accountability to the public, and was a leading defender of gay rights, endorsing gay rights activist George Hislop's 1980 candidacy for city council, at a time when it was rare for public figures to express support for same-sex rights. In the 1980 election, after two years of controversy, pro-development Conservatives and Liberals united behind the candidacy of Art Eggleton. Although Sewell maintained the support of many Red Tories, reform Liberals and New Democrats and won more votes and a larger share of the vote than in 1978, he lost the mayor's office to Eggleton. Sewell subsequently returned to city council as an alderman in a by-election and won re-election in 1982. He retired from municipal politics in 1984 to accept a job as a columnist at the Globe and Mail . He subsequently moved to NOW Magazine , then wrote a regular column in Toronto's eye weekly from 1999 to 2005. He has written a number of books and articles on Toronto urban issues. Sewell served as chair of the Toronto public housing authority from 1986 to 1988 and is an acknowledged urban affairs expert. He has served as chair of the Royal Commission on Planning and Development Reform in Ontario from 1991 to 1993. Sewell was an advisor to East London, South Africa's city council from 1994 to 1999 and as advisor on the re-establishment of local government in Malawi] in 2000. Sewell also taught law, politics and social science at York University from 1989 to 1991. In the late 1990s, Sewell founded the group Citizens for Local Democracy to fight the plans of the provincial Mike Harris government to abolish Metropolitan Toronto and amalgamate its constituent parts into a new City of Toronto "megacity". In the 1999 Ontario provincial election, Sewell ran as an independent candidate in the riding of Toronto Centre--Rosedale, challenging Progressive Conservative cabinet minister Al Leach to protest the megacity. His entry into the race was controversial, with many activists accusing him of splitting the left-wing vote with the New Democratic Party (NDP). Sewell was also criticized for remaining in the race after Leach, whom he had personally targeted as the minister responsible for amalgamation, withdrew from the contest. The riding was ultimately won by Liberal George Smitherman; Sewell finished third, behind Tory Durhane Wong-Rieger. In 2005, Sewell was made a member of the Order of Canada. Sewell lives with his wife, Liz Rykert in Toronto. On June 26, 2006, Sewell announced that he would seek election in Ward 21 running against Joe Mihevc in Toronto's 2006 municipal election. Sewell said that he was motivated to run due to the construction of a streetcar right-of-way along St. Clair Avenue that is supported by Mihevc. He also stated that he is disappointed at the record of Mayor David Miller. "Living in a megacity demands more citizen participation and community consultation, not less," says Sewell. While his candidacy received much publicity in the local media, he was easily defeated by Mihevc. Sewell, a former resident of Riverdale, Toronto, currently resides in Ward 21. Member Profile. John Sewell is a lawyer by training, but has spent most of his working life involved in different aspects of local politics: Toronto city councillor 1969-84, Mayor of Toronto 1978-80; community organizer and activist 1966-present; urban affairs columnist for The Globe and Mail 1984-6; chair of the Toronto public housing authority 1986-8; chair of the (Royal) Commission on Planning and Development Reform in Ontario 1991-3; advisor to East London city council, South Africa, 1994-9; advisor on the re-establishment of local government in Malawi 2000 - 1; urban affairs columnist for Toronto's NOW Weekly 1988-99, and for eye weekly, 1999-2007; an organizer of fight against the megacity in Toronto, 1996 - 7; frequent speaker on local politics and land use planning issues. Up Against City Hall. During the 1960s, city politics changed dramatically in Canada. The comfortable world of old-guard municipal politics was challenged by citizen groups and reform-minded candidates. In this book, John Sewell provides a frank, informal account of his involvement in the key issues in Toronto city politics during this period of change. The result is a valuable look at how city government really functions and how citizens and reform-minded politicians can have an impact on city hall. First published in 1972, Up Against City Hall is a inside look at a period of remarkable change in Canadian municipal politics penned by one of the nation's most effective reformers. John Sewell. JOHN SEWELL served as an alderman on Toronto City Council during the 1970s and was mayor of Toronto from 1978 to 1980. He chaired the Metro Toronto Housing Authority from 1986 to 1988 and the Commission on Planning and Development Reform in Ontario from 1991 to 1993. Sewell wrote an urban affairs column for The Globe and Mail from 1984 to 1986, currently writes for Now , a Toronto weekly, and is the author of Up Against City Hall , Police: Urban Policing in Canada, and the recently published The Shape of the City: Toronto Struggles with Modern Planning . Sewell to head reform panel if Smitherman is elected. Former Toronto mayor John Sewell has agreed to head a municipal “government reform” panel if George Smitherman is elected mayor on Oct. 25. An announcement made Thursday morning outside the York Civic Centre named Sewell to head a seven-member panel that would release recommendations by next April. Also on the list are former Toronto chief planner Paul Bedford; development lawyer Stephen Diamond; former Metro councillor Joan King; Empire Club executive director Julie Dzerowicz; Waqar Khan, co-chair of the Scarborough Civic Action Network; and community health centre director Russ Ford. With Sewell at his side, Smitherman said the voters have become disconnected from municipal government since the amalgamated city was formed. “Amalgamation in 1998 made one city from six, but it’s now harder for citizens to connect with their government,” Smitherman said. “And there’s a sense that city hall doesn’t listen too well and that it spends money with little to show for it.” One area to work on is involving neighbourhood residents more closely in development proposals, he said. The panel would be unpaid and its recommendations would have to be cost-neutral. But Smitherman said its work could lead to freeing up some money for better urban planning. Too often, he said, developers focus on bypassing the city’s plans by making their case at the Ontario Municipal Board, which has a reputation of ruling against the city. “The city of Toronto doesn’t mind spending millions of dollars on lawyers that go and fight hopelessly at the Ontario Municipal Board. Instead of doing that, we can transition those resources to an upfront, community-based planning board.” Sewell agreed there’s a “serious disconnect” between citizens and city hall. He said he strongly believes a review is long overdue. “I think it’s a spectacular opportunity,” Sewell said. “I congratulate George on it. If that means I’m endorsing him because of it, so be it; that’s fine with me.” Don’t expect a stream of other ex-mayors to weigh in on the election. David Crombie, Mel Lastman and Art Eggleton all told the Star they have no plans to endorse a candidate. Smitherman was chief of staff to Barbara Hall when she was mayor. Hall’s office said that as chief commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, she can’t advocate for any candidate. Asked if he sees himself as a natural supporter of Joe Pantalone, who’s received Mayor David Miller’s endorsement, Sewell said he’s not “a natural supporter of anyone.” “I’ve been an independent most of my life. I’m coming here today because I think George is doing exactly what’s called for.” Sewell added he believes Pantalone has adopted a rosy view of the past seven years under Miller. “If I can say one thing about Joe Pantalone, he’s representing the position that Toronto’s working well right now. I don’t think a lot of people share that. It’s not an opinion I share.” Before the news conference even began, rival candidate Rocco Rossi slammed Sewell’s appointment as “municipal patronage of the worst kind.” Smitherman said support costs for the volunteer panel shouldn’t run much beyond a “pot of coffee.” “If it was a patronage job, it would be the first one I’d ever gotten in my whole life,” Sewell said. “In fact, I wouldn’t take it if it was a patronage job. This, to me, is public service.” As Toronto mayor from 1978 to 1980, Sewell was known for a populist style that included wearing jeans and riding his bike to city hall. A lawyer and urban affairs consultant, he remains active on the political scene as a member of the Toronto Police Accountability Coalition and with various causes. A Smitherman announcement involving a left-wing political figure — albeit one with a strong independent streak — will be seen as another blow to deputy mayor Pantalone, who is running as the standard-bearer of council’s left wing. On Wednesday, Councillor Joe Mihevc, a veteran colleague and member of the left-wing circle, endorsed Smitherman, citing his belief that he’s the only candidate who can beat Etobicoke Councillor Rob Ford. Loading. The same morning, Miller endorsed Pantalone, saying the other candidates want to “tear down” Toronto. Pantalone has posted a web page featuring photos and words from those who have endorsed him, including Miller, activist-musician-journalist Andrew Cash and John Cartwright, president of the Toronto and York Region Labour Council. Sewell attempted a political comeback in the 2006 election, running against Mihevc in Ward 21 — opposing the streetcar right-of-way on St. Clair Ave. W. that Mihevc supported as TTC vice-chair. Sewell lost by a wide margin.