With 12,899 votes cast in her favour, Rachel Chernos Lin handily won the by-election called to elect the councillor for Ward 15 on November 4 after the death of Councillor Jaye Robinson in May. With 31.8% voter turnout in 52 polls, Rachel’s percentage of the votes cast was 54.76%, while runner-up Anthony Furey received 31.17% of the votes cast after what was at times an acrimonious campaign.
This is just the latest chapter in our councillor’s story, which has more than a few twists and turns.
Rachel originally intended to become an academic historian. She completed all the course work and exams for her PhD, but then didn’t defend her dissertation, so she is technically an ABD (all but dissertation). She was studying the slave trade, specifically slave trade investors. She loved the research but found working by herself a lonely pursuit.
So, when she and her husband Ken moved to Leaside 22 years ago, and their three daughters enrolled at Northlea, she found she really enjoyed volunteering at the school for 10 years.
“[I] loved connecting people and adding to the collective good,” she says of those early years. “There was a social piece to it.” Her academic background came into play as she became involved in advocacy about education levy charges. This led to her decision to run as a Toronto District School Board (TDSB) trustee when long-time trustee Gerri Gershon retired in 2018.
As trustee Rachel connected with the schools in her ward, but she also set up regular community coffee gatherings for parents to meet her more informally. For the past two years, she was elected by her peers to be the chair of the TDSB, a position which gave her many more opportunities to connect at the municipal, provincial and federal levels.
Even before Jaye’s death in May, Rachel had been pondering her next move. While she thoroughly enjoyed her time as a trustee, and especially as chair, she knew she was ready for more challenges. As well, her youngest daughter, now in Grade 11, would soon be following her sisters to post-high school opportunities, in all probability, away from home.
So it came to be, after a family holiday and time “to consult with my husband and do some soul searching,” that Rachel decided to run for the councillor position and registered on July 24.
At times, going door to door, she says she felt “like the Pied Piper.” She’d be walking along, someone would stop to chat, and then keep walking with her – and introduce her to other friends along the way. At least one member of her canvassing team is a friend from university days. Others came from her book club or had Northlea connections from way back. Her eldest daughter came home for Thanksgiving from Alberta, ended up canvassing with her mom, and enjoyed it so much, she’s now looking for more opportunities to get involved, in the west.
Calling it “running for office” is an accurate description of the campaign process. Even the week of the by-election and after she had won the seat for Don Valley West, there wasn’t time for a break. On the Wednesday was the TDSB meeting at which she needed to tender her resignation as a trustee. Then there was onboarding at City Hall on the Thursday and being sworn in as councillor on the Friday. Why the rush? She wanted to be able to play an active role in the City Council meeting the following Wednesday so that “her” ward wouldn’t be without representation for another month.
Future hopes? Possibly a bit of a pipe dream, but, harking back to her community coffee meetings, Rachel wants to find a way to have a not-downtown constituency office. There’s also the immediate need for her and her office staff to get to know each other. They also have a novel challenge: There are not one, not two, but now THREE Rachels in that office (though one is a Rachael). Listen carefully when you call the office!
