CITY LIFE | POLITICS

The Passionate Persuader

A new municipal star digs into her homework and Ward 5 may never be the same.
Words and photography by Mike Douglas.

I lost the election I expected to win, and won the election I thought Id lose. Thats politics, I guess.
Bonnie Crombie, Councillor Ward 5

Its all too rare that a defeated politician gets an immediate opportunity to mend their broken heart as Bonnie Crombie did last summer. You have to watch where the taxpayers dollars are going. Thats Crombies mantra now. She admits to having mastered talking points while serving as a Liberal MP in Ottawa, but her nature is to cut to the point. Where others might expound on the philosophy or vision behind what they do, Councillor Crombie describes her new job as retail politics, and this youthful organizer intends to succeed. And why not? In many ways, the role of City Councillor is a continuation of Crombies track record of putting her powers of persuasion into action. Her professional life has largely been spent making public things happen from behind the scenes. Its just in the last five years that the effective backroom organizer has gone public. It feels natural enough because reaching out to people drove her early interest in politics. She met her future husband, Brian Crombie, at a Young Liberal convention. We dated for three months and then I graduated with a degree in international studies from St. Michaels College at the University of Toronto. I went to France to study French; my parents came from Poland through France, so there was always this attachment to France. When she returned, she found that jobs in the diplomatic and political world were hard to come by. Brian had moved to Vancouver. She snagged a media buying position at a Toronto advertising agency and was quickly moved to the McDonalds account. A year and a half later she married Brian Crombie and they moved to New England so he could take post graduate studies at Harvard. Bonnie Crombie got a job in PR with McDonalds. Upon graduation, her husband was hired by The Walt Disney Company and they moved to Los Angeles, where Bonnie found work on Disneys communications team. My claim to fame as a Manager of Corporate Communications was getting Mickey Mouse selected as United Nations Goodwill Ambassador in honour of his 65th birthday, she says with a shrug. But California was not for them. Im not a sun worshipper and we werent really in show business, so we were always outsiders. Her husband got a new position in Vancouver and once there, she discovered a vibrant arts scene that welcomed her public relations experience. I got involved with arts and
In her office at city hall, Councillor Crombie reports on her first six months and adds, I love my job!

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CITY LIFE | POLITICS

TOP Cutting the ribbon on a huge residential project that promises economic benefits up and down Hurontario Street. BOTTOM Surrounded by supporters in a neighbourhood pub on election night, Crombie savours her hard-fought win.

fundraising in Vancouver; I loved networking with Arts Umbrella [a non-profit arts centre for kids in the heart of Granville Island] and its huge outreach program. Coming Home The Crombies North American journey finally brought them home as Brian was hired by Mississauga-based pharmaceutical manufacturer Biovail. Crombie started working with Toronto Fashion Week to help them grow their sponsorships, and she returned to school to take her Master of Business Administration degree from York University. She got involved with the Credit Valley Hospital Gala and fundraising. She served on the Mayors Blue Ribbon Task Force on the Arts to provide recommendations for the future sustainability of the arts in Mississauga. Her ascension to political office was prompted in 2007, when former car dealer and Pakistan Air Force pilot Wajid Khan, (Member of Parliament for Mississauga-Streetsville at the time) discovered that he preferred to work with the Conservative minority government and agreed to become Stephen Harpers special envoy to the Middle East. This immediately raised the temperature in Liberal households across Mississauga, especially amongst his most dedicated campaign workers, including Crombie. Six months later, when Wajid Khan walked across the floor to join the Conservatives, the people who got him elected would turn to work against him in the next electionled by newly elected Liberal candidate Bonnie Crombie. It was a betrayal, she offers succinctly. Crombie defeated Khan in the 2008 elections. Once on the Hill in Ottawa, she became the noticeably red-clad chair of the Liberals GTA caucus and was paired with fellow newcomer, Justin Trudeau, as co-chair of the partys Outreach Committee. She enjoyed working on the NATO committee and her languages served her well; she speaks Polish, Ukrainian, French and English.

The Blue Wave On May 2, 2011, her career as an ebullient hard-working member of Parliament was shattered by a surprising defeat at the polls. Conservative candidate Brad Butt won the riding easily as part of the blue wave that swept Mississauga. After a previously charmed professional life, Crombie was not equipped for defeat. I didnt see it coming. It was big loss. I loved being the community advocate. I thrived on it. I was doing a good job but the tide was against me. Immediately, her old friend Hazel McCallion suggested that Crombie run for the seat on Mississaugas City Council, vacant after the departure of newly elected MP and former Ward 5 Councillor Eve Adams. I had experience, integrity and leadership, and would support the Mayors teamand there were candidates who didnt, she notes, recalling the case for her candidacy. Stepping into the political ring against a strong candidate like Carolyn Parrish was daunting, but Crombie needed to win. Winning gave her a way back and she bent to the task of getting to know far-flung Ward 5the biggest, most populous Ward in the City. Six weeks later, after a tumultuous campaign as one of 27 candidates, Crombie was elected to City Council with only 241 more votes than Parrish, the runner-up.

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SPIRIT of the CITY May/June 2012

Six months later, at this interview, I was given a list of Bonnie Crombies initiatives during her first six months on the job. While it sounds similar to lists that other Councillors work with, these issues represent new and exciting challenges for the Citys newest Councillor. Shes held public meetings on Pinnacles grand new residential development, Uptown, and promoted meetings on secondary units to address the challenge of providing affordable housing in the City. Shes working to change provincial legislation regarding the proximity of crematoriums to residential areas; shes brought forward a motion to Council for a new Governance Committee to strengthen the Citys ethical infrastructure, and another to encourage the Ontario government to preserve the longgun registry information. Shes also developing a youth program, joined the Regions Child Care Task Force, and hosted the Wards 1st Annual Skate-a-Thon.

Bonnie Crombie is just getting warmed up. But she worries about how she can become a better business ambassador for Ward 5 and lift the economy. To that end, shes already helping neighbourhoods establish residents associations, and is organizing a Business Improvement Association in Malton to raise funds for community improvements. Shes delighted that Pinnacles Uptown will incorporate a major public art component, a particular interest of hers. One longer-term priority is to work with the City of Brampton for the much-needed construction of the Goreway Drive overpass at the CN Rail line, south of Steeles Avenue. Every day my staff and I ask: What we can do to make things better in Ward 5? Weve got a list, so we know whats needed; but what could we do, she asks, passionately looking for new ideas. n

Locating Ward 5
The boundaries of Ward 5 are as follows: Starting east from the Ontario Hydro Corridor/ City of Brampton limits at Fletchers Creek to Hwy. 427, then south along the 427 to Eglinton Ave., then west along Eglinton to Mavis Rd., then north along Mavis to Hwy. 401, then east along the 401 to McLaughlin Rd., then north along McLaughlin to Fletchers Creek, and north along Fletchers Creek to the City of Brampton limits.

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