David Miller (politician)

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David Miller

David Raymond Miller (born December 26, 1958 in San Francisco ) is a Canadian lawyer, politician and was the 63rd Mayor of Toronto from December 1, 2003 to December 1, 2010 . Miller was a member of the New Democratic Party from 1985 to 2007 ; since then he has been independent . Since 2013 he has been President and Executive Director of the Canadian section of the WWF .

Professional career

Born in the United States , Miller is the son of the American Joe Miller and the English Joan Miller. In 1981 the family moved to Toronto . Because of this, Miller has citizenship of the UK and the United States in addition to Canadian citizenship .

David Miller went to school in Lakefield, Ontario and then studied economics at Harvard University , where he earned his doctorate in 1981. He then went on to study law at the University of Toronto , which he completed in 1984 with a Bachelor of Laws . After graduating, he worked as a lawyer for the Toronto law firm Aird & Berlis LLP , where he specialized in labor law, immigration law and shareholder rights. In 1985 he represented the residents of the Toronto Islands in arbitration proceedings. Miller himself later referred to this event as the beginning of his interest in local politics.

Political career

As a city councilor

David Miller joined the New Democratic Party (NDP) in 1985 and first ran for political office on Metropolitan Toronto's city ​​council in 1991 . At that time he lost to incumbent Derwyn Shea. He then became the NDP candidate for the 1993 general election, in which he finished fourth. In 1994 he ran again for the elections to the Toronto City Council and was able to win a seat for the constituency Parkdale-High Park. In his office he was a member of the committees responsible for the public transport system and anti-racism. In 1996 he stood for the election of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and was defeated by the liberal politician Gerard Kennedy. Even after the city was reorganized in 1997, he was re-elected to the city council. During this phase, too, he was responsible for the public transport system. During his tenure, he also campaigned for the establishment of park landscapes along the shore ( waterfront ). He rejected plans to build residential complexes on High Park and instead advocated the construction of affordable housing.

Miller is generally considered a strong advocate of the local public transport system and advocates the interests of the socially disadvantaged.

As mayor

Miller's plans to run for mayor were already known to the city government in 2002. He announced his official candidacy in January 2003. He successfully built his campaign on broad support across many political camps. During the election campaign, he metaphorically used a broom to signal that he wanted to clean up the city. During one period of the election campaign, he proposed that tolls be levied on the Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner Expressway city highways . However, he rejected these proposals after widespread criticism from other competitors who called him a "highway robber". He was elected mayor of Toronto in his first election in 2003 with 43.26% of the vote. He prevailed in front of his conservative competitor John Tory , who got 38.03% of the vote, as well as the former mayor Barbara Hall , who only got 9.21% of the vote. His predecessor, David Crombie , did not stand up for election. In 2006 he was confirmed in office with 56.97%, defeating his competitor Jane Pitfield, who received 32.32%. When his party membership expired in 2007, he did not extend it, stating that he did not want to be regarded as biased and has so far remained non-party.

David Miller on Labor Day 2006

During his first term in office, Miller campaigned for the construction of a bridge to Toronto City Center Airport , but was unable to assert himself. In 2006, instead, a permanent shuttle ferry was set up between the mainland and City Center Airport. This made the short-haul flights offered by this centrally located airport more attractive. There were also considerations of expanding Downsview Airport, which is also located in the city center and is used as a test airport by Bombardier Aerospace . Miller argued against this, pointing out that the city would have to choose between an industrial or a revitalized waterfront. Proponents of the extensions saw this comparison as wrong and argued that an extension of the airport could bring about a revitalization. However, the population did not share the opinion of those in favor of enlargement.

In April 2005, Miller asked the city council to come up with proposals to prepare the city to host the 2015 World's Fair . In May 2006 the proposal was accepted by the city council, but failed at the federal and provincial levels due to a lack of concessions. Councilor Brian Ashton described the provincial government's behavior as embarrassing.

On September 25, 2009, Miller announced that he would not stand for re-election in the mayoral election.

Private

David Miller has been married to lawyer Jill Arthur since 1994. The marriage had two children.

Web links

Commons : David Miller  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Former Toronto Mayor David Miller joins WWF Canada , June 4, 2013 article, accessed October 20, 2015
  2. ^ Posner: Miller time? , Globe and Mail on November 8, 2003
  3. ^ Alison Gzowski: Alison Gzowski revisits a standoff that shook the city , Globe and Mail on July 23, 2005
  4. ^ Morgan Campbell: Group wants study of condo plan , Toronto Star on August 29, 2001
  5. ^ Paul Moloney: Low-income housing project endorsed , Toronto Star, September 13, 2000
  6. ↑ Jennifer Lewington: Councilor opens mayoral campaign , Globe and Mail on January 9, 2003
  7. ↑ Official results of the mayoral elections 2003 ( Memento of October 5, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (pdf; 123 kB)
  8. ↑ Official election results of the mayoral elections 2006 ( Memento from October 23, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (pdf; 1.3 MB)
  9. ↑ Jim Byers: Miller leaves NDP, shifts to neutral , Toronto Star on April 18, 2007
  10. ↑ Jennifer Lewington: Plane order reignites island-airport feud , Globe and Mail on February 2, 2006
  11. ↑ Christopher Hume: Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory , Toronto Star on February 4, 2006
  12. ↑ Kelly Patrick and James Cowan: Expo bid dead , National Post on November 3, 2006
personal data
SURNAME Miller, David
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Miller, David Raymond (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian politician and 63rd Mayor of Toronto
DATE OF BIRTH December 26, 1958
PLACE OF BIRTH San Francisco