At 26 years of age, Fenton Jagdeo happens to be the youngest commissioner the TTC board has ever produced, and he feels his outstanding perspective and eagerness to listen can go a long way in making travelling through Toronto better for everybody.
During a recent interview the media Jagdeo said: “I’m trying to be a good listener.
“I want people to just look at me like everybody else. This is an invitation to hit me up on the street, to hit me up in the DMs whether it’s Twitter or Instagram and truthfully give me your unsolicited advice.”
Apart from being the youngest commissioner to be ever produced by TTC, Jagdeo has added some highly needed diversity to a board that has been majorly white throughout most of its existence. He the third Black man to ever offer service as a member of the commission and he is the first Black man since Councillor Michael Thompson.
Before his role with the TTC, Jagdeo served in corporate strategy consulting, oversaw the affairs of Toronto Public Library board and even became the Chairman of the strategy planning committee. He believes these outstanding experiences in life and business distinguished him from other board members.
Jagdeo said: “I think it’s often rare to find a commissioner who actually takes the TTC which is a bizarre concept in itself, so I want to do things that are atypical of most of the commissioners.
“I understand the struggles, I get the fundamental elements of what riders want. And to this day I still trot to the corner of my street and wait for the TTC… so it gives me a unique perspective.”
As commissioner, Jagdeo possesses one of the ten TTC board’s votes that factor into driving initiatives and making important decisions. He hopes to help push a sense of innovation in a bid to improve the TTC for many years.
He said: “It’s innovation, creative ideas and getting shit done that helps us move reliably.
“I’m not going to know all the answers and that’s why having conversations with everyone in Toronto is so crucial and so important. Especially when it comes to making good decisions that impact everyone.”
