9When politicians say we can’t afford nice things, Keesmaat fights for them anyway. She has shattered the traditional role of bureaucrat as behind-the-scenes advisor, replacing it with strident advocate and social media powerhouse. She won the mayor’s backing for an eight-hectare Rail Deck Park covering the rail lines downtown and for the one-stop subway to Scarborough, which should leave enough cash for a 17-stop LRT connecting the Eglinton Crosstown to U of T’s Scarborough campus. Last summer, she revved up her 30,000 Twitter followers to rally for the demolition of the eastern part of the Gardiner.
Up next:
She wants cars off King Street so streetcars, cyclists and pedestrians can move more freely.
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/city/toronto-50-most-influential-2016-jennifer-keesmaat/&title=Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #9, Jennifer Keesmaat&picture=https://cdn.torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/jennifer-keesmaat.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_405097" align="alignright" width="350"] Jennifer Keesmaat [/caption]
Jennifer Keesmaat
Chief Planner
9When politicians say we can’t afford nice things, Keesmaat fights for them anyway. She has shattered the traditional role of bureaucrat as behind-the-scenes advisor, replacing it with strident advocate and social media powerhouse. She won the mayor’s backing for an eight-hectare Rail Deck Park covering the rail lines downtown and for the one-stop subway to Scarborough, which should leave enough cash for a 17-stop LRT connecting the Eglinton Crosstown to U of T’s Scarborough campus. Last summer, she revved up her 30,000 Twitter followers to rally for the demolition of the eastern part of the Gardiner.
Up next: She wants cars off King Street so streetcars, cyclists and pedestrians can move more freely.
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