Writer-actor looks to replace Rae
[attach]1717[/attach]Rob Salerno likes big projects.
“I’ve been that way since high school,” says Salerno. “I started a model UN club and it wasn’t enough to just have the club, it turned into a big conference and we had delegates from all over the country.”
Now, the 26-year-old is hoping his penchant for projects will come in handy at an assembly of a different sort. The actor/producer/journalist is running for a seat on city council in the upcoming municipal election. And if he likes the projects big, he’s in luck as he’ll be battling 12 others looking to fill the spot being vacated by Ward 27’s longtime councillor, Kyle Rae.
But Salerno says he’s up to the challenge and different enough to stand out from the crowd of candidates.
“I have a different voice from the other candidates,” he says. “I’m young, I’m not a politician, I haven’t been running for this job my entire life.”
Growing up in Etobicoke and Downsview, Salerno went to Montreal after high school to study at McGill, where he was president of the Arts Undergrad Society. After a stint working in Vancouver, he returned to Toronto and picked up a master’s degree from the University of Toronto in 2008.
Although that makes him a relatively new resident in the ward, Salerno says the area has always been close to his heart.
“This part of the city is Toronto to me. Even when I didn’t live here this was the most important part of the city to me. It’s basically where I spent all of my time. It’s where I worked, where I played,” he says.
Luckily for Salerno, work and play are sometimes the same. Heavily involved in the city’s arts scene, he acts, writes and produces shows, in addition to a regular freelancing gig with Xtra!, a bi-weekly gay and lesbian newspaper.
His most recent show, the title of which is a description of a sex act involving Stephen Harper, merged politics and drama to critique what Salerno sees as a policy of homophobia in the federal government.
“I used a sensational title to grab headlines and get people to come see a play about issues that I really care about … these rights issues that have been trampled on in the last four years,” says Salerno.
Although it might seem as if his work places him on one side of the political spectrum, Salerno says the big issues in municipal government are not left-right issues.
“The biggest issue for me is transit. There are big and important things we have to do to improve transportation downtown for all users, including cyclists, pedestrians and motorists,” says Salerno.
He says he’d push for a new downtown relief line to be added to the subway system. He also points to a need to upgrade heavily used TTC stations by adding more entrances and ensuring better wheelchair access.
“I honestly feel that downtown issues are relevant to the entire city. This is the base of the city we put forward … I love Toronto and I want to see it be the best it can be.”
