Karen Stintz is giving up her place at the head of the TTC

Councillor Karen Stintz, who has been the chair of the TTC since the beginning of Rob Ford‘s mayoralty, announced on Friday that she’ll be giving up the coveted post to concentrate on her run against Ford in the 2014 mayoral election. “There is a lot of work that has to be done, like the implementation of Presto, and the chair should devote their full time and attention to those initiatives,” she told the Post. Her resignation is effective on February 22.

The Globe reports that two councillors are already jockeying for Stintz’s position: Josh Colle and Maria Augimeri, both of whom already sit on the TTC’s board. The winner could make a serious impact on a favourite project of Stintz’s: the Scarborough subway extension, which was approved by city council in October, but is now apparently back up for debate. Colle voted for the extension, but Augimeri voted against it. Council gets to decide who replaces Stinz, so this could mean another showdown over the suburban subway in the new year. Stay tuned.