Sarah Thomson (publisher)
Sarah Thomson, also known as Sarah Whatmough-Thomson,[1] (born 1968) is publisher and CEO of the Women's Post magazine.[2][3] She was a Toronto mayoral candidate in the 2010 municipal election.[4] Thomson was the Liberal candidate in the riding of Trinity—Spadina in the 2011 provincial election.
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[edit] Childhood
Thomson was born Sarah Whatmough in Toronto. She began working at a gas station at age 16 and progressed through the ranks to become manager, franchise dealer, and eventually leaser of various service locations. After this, she formed a company to benefit under-performing gas stations and was one of the first to introduce retail stores to service stations. The company grossed over $30 million a year for various stations.[5]
[edit] Career
After forming the company, she returned to McMaster University, studying philosophy and English. Thomson became involved in restoring old homes, she created a small bookstore in her home and went through a long and drawn out rezoning process that drew her into politics. Thomson ran the following year for the Hamilton Council, she lost by just over a thousand votes.
[edit] Publishing
After running a community newspaper in Hamilton, the Examiner, she sold it and established the Women's Post in 2003. The Women's Post prints every other month and has a weekly website www.womenspost.ca with a community of over 50,000 unique visitors.
[edit] Mayoral run
Thomson registered as a candidate for election as Mayor of Toronto on January 4, 2010.[6]
She was endorsed by Conrad Black.[7][8]
An April 2010 poll by the Toronto Star stated that Thomson had the support of 7% of respondents, but by June a poll showed her support had risen to 17%, putting her in third place.[9] [10]
Thomson was supported by former mayoral canadidate John Tory's two sons. George Tory was appointed her campaign manger while John Tory, Jr., was a key campaign strategist.[11]
Among Thomson's ideas for the city was a call for tolls placed on the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway to cover the cost of subway expansion in Toronto. Thomson also expressed the need for restructuring Toronto Community Housing Corporation to enable non-profit organizations already providing key care to obtain the funding they needed.
In early June Thomson climbed to 3rd place in the race [1] beating out candidate Rocco Rossi and Joe Pantelone but her lack of funding eventually saw Thomson withdraw from the campaign on September 28. She subsequently supportted George Smitherman in a failed effort to prevent frontrunner Rob Ford from becoming mayor.[12]
[edit] Provincial politics
On March 9, 2011, Thomson announced that she was planning to run as a candidate for the Ontario Liberal Party in the riding of Trinity—Spadina in the provincial election taking place in October.[13] Thomson was officially nominated as the party's candidate at a nomination meeting on March 27.
In the 2011 Provincial election Thomson came 2nd with 18,731 votes, shy of the front runner by only 1139 votes. http://www.wemakevotingeasy.ca/en/general-election-district-results.aspx?d=09
[edit] References
- ^ "Personal loss opens new door for Post editor", The Publisher, March 1, 2004
- ^ "Women’s Post goes glossy" - Marketing Magazine
- ^ "Wink Intimates: Entrepreneur Andrea Clair Named Women's Post 'Woman of the Week'" - Marketwire
- ^ "Sarah Thomson — fringe or force?" - Toronto Sun
- ^ "Lone woman runs in race for mayor's chair"
- ^ "On your mark ... Race for change at City Hall begins", National Post, January 5, 2010
- ^ "Convict Black wades into T.O. mayoral race", Toronto Sun, April 17, 2010
- ^ "Conrad Black backs candidate in T.O. mayoral race", CTV News, April 19, 2010
- ^ http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/torontomayoralrace/article/823103--mayoral-race-rob-ford-catches-up-to-george-smitherman?bn=1
- ^ "Ford makes early impression", National Post, April 17, 2010
- ^ "A Tory family affair — on the Thomson campaign", Toronto Star, Wednesday, July 28
- ^ "Smitherman welcomes Thomson to his corner", Toronto Star, September 28, 2010
- ^ Sarah Thomson to run for Ontario Liberals in Trinity-Spadina "National Post"
