The sudden death of former TDSB Trustee Howard Kaplan has prompted a by-election call in York Centre. The election will be held on Monday, July 25^th.To find out where to vote you can go to the following website www.toronto.ca/electionsAt the time of publication 10 candidates signed up for the by-election and The Downsview Advocate contacted them in order to provide a profile on each one to our readers. The following are the profiles for the candidates that responded.Name: Sue MathiEmail: info@suemathi.comWebsite: www.suemathi.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/suemathiward5trusteecandidate/I am eager to serve this diverse community. A trustee should be interested in advocating for the needs of the entire community and I will do that with vigor. I do not have a personal agenda, nor am I using the role as a gateway into politics. To show my commitment to service, I have promised that if elected, I will donate my entire first year’s salary directly to the schools in Ward 5 to be used at their discretion. I value education, children, and proper use of tax-payers money. I am eager to give back and help the children in our community get the best out of our education dollars.Name: Jordan GlassEmail: glass4yorkcentre@gmail.comWebsite: http://glass4yorkcentre.webs.com/Twitter: @Glass4YorkCenFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/GlassInYorkCentre/I believe I can help make our school system better. As a parent of a child with special needs, I’ve spent years trying to navigate my way through the obscene red-tape in the TDSB. Dealing with our school board should not be this hard. My priority would be to create a parent facilitator to guide parents through a system that was not built with the concerns of them or their children in mind. This individual would assist families by empowering parents to speak for the needs of their children, especially those with special needs. Name: Erica ShinerEmail: info@ericashiner.comWebsite: ericashiner.comTwitter: @ericashinerFacebook: facebook.com/ericashinerTOMy son's first experience in kindergarten this year was a real eye-opener to the challenges that children and parents face when navigating the system. Classes are overcrowded and repairs are woefully underfunded. I love being of service by amplifying the voices of others, and I'm passionate about implementing the changes necessary to better our school system. If elected, my priority would be implementing better planning to avoid overcrowding and the short-sighted sale of schools. I'm also committed to creating a more effective system of parent engagement to resolve issues at schools. Whether there are concerns with special needs, bullying, health issues, or anything else, parents need more accessibility to work with their schools.