A University of Toronto student came one step closer to becoming city councillor on Saturday.
Bahar Aminvaziri, an Engineering grad student at U of T, beat out five other finalists to become the first of four winners of the Toronto’s City Idol competition. Aminvaziri, 27, will be supplied with a team of volunteers to campaign in her North York ward in the run-up to local elections on Nov. 13.
The City Idol competition was begun with the aim of reinvigorating the Toronto’s political scene and spurring voter turnout. “Our local democracy has become dysfunctional,” the competition’s website declares. “Toronto needs new leaders with energy, hope and imagination.”
Aminvaziri emerged from an initial pack of one hundred candidates representing regions all across the GTA. In the final round, six North York finalists-three of them U of T students-returned to deliver a final speech. Winners were voted in by the audience. From the six, one candidate held a law degree and a Master’s in Commerce, and another an MBA and a PhD.
The day before her final speech, Aminvaziri was still unsure of what exactly she would say. “You can know what you want to say, but you never really know for sure until the moments before you speak,” she said. Evidently, though, her message struck a chord with voters.
Aminvaziri is currently working full-time at the Ministry of Environment, and pursuing her master’s in Engineering part-time while, duties she’ll juggle during her campaign. “The work is only now beginning,” she said, after her victory was announced.
Still to come are contests for the Scarborough (June 10), Toronto-East York (June 12), and Etobicoke (June 13) regions.
