IT COULD BE déjà vu if Terry Mills ousts Karen Stintz, councillor for Ward 16.

In 2003, Karen Stintz beat out incumbent Anne Johnston, who at the time disappointed some constituents by approving the Minto Midtown towers on Yonge Street just south of Eglinton Avenue. Now, Stintz finds herself on the other side of a similar controversy.

Stintz recently backed a development on the corner of Yonge and Eglinton, a half a block north of the Minto Midtown towers, which some of her constituents were opposed to. In response, Mills registered to run with a platform to reform the community consultation process to involve the community in the designs of developments.

Patrick Smyth, a member of the Avenue Road Eglinton Community Association, who worked as part of Stintz’s election team, said Stintz has not represented her community on the Yonge and Eg development.

Smyth said that, similar to what happened to Anne Johnston during the election in 2003, Stintz could be ousted by Mills over the issue.

“If he does what we did to Johnston, then I think he has a very good chance of winning — basically exposing the current councillor’s unwillingness to represent her community,” Smyth said.

Mills is using his experience designing a development strategy for the TTC block on the southwest corner of Yonge and Eglinton to demonstrate that compromises can be made. “By enabling the consultation process, the community was able to say our interests and have them implemented into this portion of the block,” Mills said. The urban design guidelines, which were first brought forward to Coun. Michael Walker from the Oriole Park Association, were approved by council in early 2010. They include designated public space and an internal street.

Stintz said she doesn’t think her decision to allow the development at Yonge and Eglinton will have an impact on her re-election as councillor.