Vaughan mayoral candidate Steven Del Duca unveils election platform

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Steven Del Duca has won a key endorsement in his campaign to be mayor of Vaughan.

Current Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua, who is not seeking re-election, is throwing his support to Del Duca, who has previously represented the area as an MPP.

Vaughan has been transformed over his last 12 years as mayor with a new hospital, university, downtown core, 900-acre park and 70,000 more jobs, Bevilacqua said.

“Steven, given his experience and his willingness to serve, will be able to remain on the same path and that’s, I think, the way we’re going to build the potential of our city,” he said.

Del Duca, a former Ontario Liberal leader and minister of transportation, will release his platform for the Oct. 24 election on Thursday, which he says follows on accomplishments that he and Bevilacqua worked together to achieve for Vaughan.

The candidate is vowing to keep property taxes low, find ways to provide financial relief for vulnerable residents, champion the Vaughan Advantage effort to attract businesses and jobs to the city, enhance green spaces and trail systems, and sign the Vaughan Accord to work constructively as a council.

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“I’ve been around this community for over 30 years and prior to 12 years ago, prior to Maurizio arriving on the scene as mayor, we went through a bit of a rough ride as a community — we had a challenge internally, a little bit of chaos, a lot of bad publicity.  Over the past 12 years, we’ve watched as that’s been turned around,” Del Duca said. “I think what the people of this community are looking for is continued stability and continued thoughtfulness in terms of the leadership at city hall.”

Traffic gridlock is a significant priority in the city, and Del Duca promises to lead a regional campaign to reduce truck traffic on Hwy. 7 by moving it to Hwy. 407, building key roadway links and advocating for the Yonge North Subway Extension.

Longtime Vaughan Councillor Sandra Yeung Racco, Parveen Bola, Danny DeSantis, Paul Donofrio, Robert Gulassarian and Lino Mancinella are also running to be the next Vaughan mayor.

aartuso@postmedia.com