They wasted no time lining up to unseat Raymond Cho, but Cho seems unconcerned.
The longtime Scarborough-Rouge River councillor's Ward 42 has become Toronto's first ward to have three registered contestants. Cho, who has held the council seat in northeastern Scarborough since 1991, said the early emergence of potential opponents this week, the first for registering candidates in the 2010 city election, was good news."The more the merrier," he added Wednesday, Jan. 6.The three opponents, however, said a change in the ward is long overdue.Neethan Shan, a York Region public school trustee, said he won't seek a second term in that office and is moving to the ward this year from Markham. A youth worker and activist who also ran for the New Democrats in Scarborough-Guildwood in the last provincial election, Shan (registered for now as Neethan Shanmugarajah) said he's familiar with Scarborough and is prepared for the challenge. Shamoon Poonawala, a paralegal and president of a ratepayer group for the recently-built Rougeville community, is also registered. He said Cho only does "half the job" because he doesn't get residents' concerns resolved at council."I want to see the community improving, not just staying where it is," Poonawala said.A third contender, Mohammed Ather, came third behind Cho in the 2006 city vote, but the computer consultant said he's now more experienced and in a better position to win over voters. "I'm pretty sure they'll make the right decision this time."Shan and Poonawala already have campaign websites running.Cho said he "most likely" will run for his seat again and make a decision soon, but added the election isn't until October. In 2006, he beat three opponents and won 52 per cent of the votes cast.