22-year-old wants 22

[attach]1770[/attach]William Molls wants to change the way the city communicates with residents – sometimes using 140 characters or less.

“We’re experiencing a revolution in communications technology, with social media and the Internet,” said the 22-year-old candidate for Ward 22.

A recent graduate from Ryerson’s Radio and Television Arts program, Molls said city hall should be using social networking platforms like Facebook and Twitter to reach out to residents and get them involved in the civic process.

“Right now, our definition of community consultations is having a meeting on a Tuesday at 7 p.m. And then if you don’t come to that, your voice isn’t heard.”

The web and graphic designer has a website, Twitter account and Facebook page for his campaign, and he says he’s received a lot of good ideas from residents this way.

However, Molls said face-to-face interaction between councillors and constituents is still important.

He has met with several community groups since he announced his candidacy at the end of April.

Transparency and accountability at city hall are the main issues raised by residents, he said.

“They want city hall to speak to them directly. They are tired of city hall being an old boys’ network, and I’m hoping to break that.”

Molls describes himself as the ‘young blood’ candidate in Ward 22. He is a decade younger than the two other candidates currently registered to run, Toronto school board trustee Josh Matlow and Councillor Michael Walker’s former executive assistant, Chris Sellors.

But Molls says with his experience in communications, he’s more qualified than his challengers to bring a new style of community engagement to city hall.

Even so, Molls’ young age means some residents don’t take him seriously, he said.

“It is a bit of a disadvantage because I think people worry that I don’t have the same kind of experience that Josh and Chris would,”
he said. “But a democracy at the end of the day is anybody being able to step forward, run and get elected.”

Molls is campaigning on three priority issues: creating a better transit system, revitalizing public spaces and improving affordable housing.

A self-professed transit geek, Molls said the city’s transportation system is a mess.

He supports the construction of light rail transit instead of subways because they are cheaper to build and have the same riding capacity, he said.

“People are being misled in this debate by other politicians promising to build subways. I think we need to learn from the mistakes of the Sheppard (subway) line. We can’t have another stub of a line on Eglinton.”

Molls is also campaigning on improving and protecting the city’s public spaces.

He pointed to the redevelopment plans for Yonge-Eglinton Square, saying the problem with the old space was that there was no green space, just concrete.

“We need a new hub for the midtown area. We need a new neighbourhood square that would bring us together as neighbours.”

Indoor spaces also need to be protected from commercial development, he added.

Molls said the school board is looking to sell underused schools, potentially to condo developers.

“I would stand in the way of that kind of development,” he said. “These spaces are very important to our community and our community’s ability to come together.”

In terms of affordable housing, Molls said the city must reduce the waiting list.

“People on the waiting list for affordable spaces is about 60,000 or more people,” he said. “That’s twice the population of a small
town.”

Molls said the way to tackle this issue is to use inclusionary zoning to demand developers provide more affordable places in their buildings, and to bring the commercial and non-profit sector together to improve access to affordable housing.