The secret list of civilians the Ford administration supposedly wanted to sit on city boards and agencies — a list opposition councillors charge is proof of at best, inappropriate interference and at worst, flagrant cronyism — has been obtained by the Star.

But the details of this hotly disputed document seem to raise more questions than answers.

Nine of the 26 people on the list appear to have ties to Conservative politics. Of those, half donated to Mayor Ford’s election campaign but some also donated to the campaign of Rocco Rossi, a conservative candidate who dropped out before the election.

The Star could not confirm the identities of five of those on the list. The remaining 13 people are a mix of business executives, bored civilians looking for a challenge, artsy types and Liberals. All 14 “preferred candidates” reached by the Star expressed genuine surprise they were on the list they’d been reading about in the media.

One of those people is Donald Franczak, who learned he could apply to be on the convention centre board from a newspaper ad.

Contacted at his Etobicoke home Thursday, Franczak sounded shocked and then flattered someone had highlighted his resumé.

“I wasn’t aware of the fact I was a preferred candidate. I did get an interview though,” said Franczak, who was not ultimately chosen for the position.

The 66-year-old man retired earlier this year from his job as a film technician. “Rather than have my kids put me in a wheelchair and shove me a corner I thought I’d do something with my life.”

The controversial list, which came to light in ombudsman Fiona Crean’s damning report on the civic appointments process, does include Tory heavyweights, such as Andrew Pringle and Jim Ginou — both of whom were appointed. In fact, of the 26 individuals, 13 were appointed.

There is no suggestion any of the individuals on this list were not deserving of the positions in question.

The mayor’s office has categorically denied it assembled this list.

• Lindsay Colley

Appointed: Not initially, but later appointed to replace Stephen Dulmage.

Who she is: Colley is the manager of sustainability at Tim Hortons Inc. She became a chartered accountant in 2007 and received a certificate in environmental management in 2010. Colley is on the board of the Canadian Environmental Law Association. She is on maternity leave and could not be reached for comment.

• Stephen Dulmage

Appointed: Yes, but resigned in May 2012.

Who he is: Dulmage is a chartered accountant and the former CFO of Dominion Securities in the 1980s. When appointed to the library board in 2011 he was a principal at Gravitas Capital Corp. During his short stint on the board, Dulmage shocked colleagues when he advocated closing 38 branches, warehousing books, eliminating computers, and other budget measures that baffled board colleagues of all political stripes. In 2010, records show a Stephen Dulmage donated $500 to Rocco Rossi’s mayoral campaign.

• Michael Foderick

Appointed: Yes

Who he is: Foderick is a former executive assistant to Councillor Cesar Palacio, a Ford ally. Foderick supported George Smitherman for mayor and said he doesn’t know why his name is on this list and that he is “fiercely independent.” Foderick noted the library board is asking for a small increase for 2013, not the freeze requested by the Ford administration. “It’s extremely frustrating to put your name forward in the normal way and then see it ping-pong back and forth (in political debate). I can see how it discourages people from putting their name forward.”

• Cameron McKay

Appointed: Yes

Who he is: McKay is vice-president and partner of the Devon Group, a prominent public affairs firm. He is the past director of the Winnipeg Art Gallery and a director of ArtsScene in Toronto. McKay, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, worked under Manitoba’s Conservative premier Gary Filmon in the late 1990s.

• Ross Parry

Appointed: Yes

Who he is: Parry has had dealings with politicians of every stripe. He sat on the Casa Loma board during the David Miller years, served as chief of staff to a provincial environment minister under PC premiers Bill Davis and Frank Miller, and worked as a spokesman for the minister of public infrastructure renewal during Dalton McGuinty’s tenure. Parry heads his own communications and public affairs business and sometimes acts as a lobbyist. “I don’t have any political connection or family to this administration.” Parry donated $1,000 to the George Smitherman campaign and $300 to Councillor Frances Nunziata’s campaign.

• Ken Stewart

Appointed: Yes

Who he is: Stewart is a senior consultant at The Capital Hill Group, a government relations and lobbying firm. He started his career answering mail in Liberal prime minister Pierre Trudeau’s office and later held senior posts under two Ontario Liberal education ministers. Stewart said he asked Earl Provost, a senior official in Ford’s office who is a well-connected Liberal, how he could help serve the city. Stewart said he made a similar approach to the David Miller administration but got no reply. “If there was a change of mayors, I would ask to serve again, do the same thing.”

• Michael Hiltz

Appointed: No

Who he is: The Star could not confirm information about Hiltz.

• Sean Karmali

Appointed: No

Who he is: The Star could not confirm information about Karmali.

• Jose Perez

Appointed: No

Perez ran unsuccessfully for council in pre-amalgamation York and for school trustee in 2010. He knows councillors Cesar Palacio, Frances Nunziata and Gord Perks, and met Mayor Ford at a 2010 debate, but had no idea he was on the list. “I just applied — my application must have impressed (Ford),” Perez said.

• Karen Zheng

Appointed: No

Who he is: The Star could not confirm information about Zheng.

Toronto Port Authority:

• Jim Ginou

Appointed: Yes

Who he is: A prominent provincial Conservative fundraiser and close friend of former Conservative premier Mike Harris, Ginou is the CEO of Art Printing Company. He is also a former chairman of Ontario Place. Ginou has sat on a number of boards, including the port authority board as provincial appointee, the Toronto Raptors Foundation and the George Brown College Foundation. Ginou did not respond to a request for comment left with his assistant. Records show a Jim/James Ginou donated $2,500 to both Rocco Rossi and Rob Ford’s mayoral campaign.

• Dr. Benson Lau

Appointed: No

Who he is: Lau is the founder of the Chinese Canadian Conservative Association. He unsuccessfully ran for the Conservatives in the 2008 federal election in Scarborough-Agincourt. Lau previously sat on the police services board. Lau said he knows the mayor and Councillor Doug Ford but did not ask them, or any councillors, for help when he applied for the appointment. “I like to serve the community in different capacities. I think it should be a fair process. If I’m qualified, I’m qualified,” he said. Lau donated $500 to the Rob Ford campaign, and the following amounts to the campaigns of successful council candidates: $250 for Gloria Lindsay Luby; $300 for Mike Del Grande; and $250 for Norm Kelly.

Police Board:

• John Hamilton

Appointed: No

Who they are: The Star could not confirm Hamilton’s identity.

• Andrew Pringle

Appointed: Yes

Pringle is John Tory’s former chief of staff, a well-respected business executive and former chair of the Upper Canada College board. He is close with Police Chief Bill Blair. He is married to television personality and journalist Valerie Pringle. Records show an Andrew/Andy and Valerie Pringle donated $2500 each to both Mayor Rob Ford and Rocco Rossi’s 2010 mayoral campaigns. A spokesperson for the police board declined to comment on Pringle’s behalf.

Parking Authority:

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• Sylvia Bielak

Appointed: No

Who she is: A Sylvia Bielak, president of Lazar Gourmet Foods, was contacted by the Star and asked whether she was aware her name was included on a list of preferred candidates for the Toronto Parking Authority. Bielak said “I’m not really interested, but thank you” before hanging up.

• Angelo Carnavalle

Appointed: No

Who he is: Carnavalle is president of Construction & Contracting Solutions. As an Etobicoke resident, he has met the mayor on several occasions. Carnavalle is a PC supporter and has attended a few fundraisers in the past. He was unaware he was on a list. Asked why he put his name in for the parking board: “I get a lot of parking tickets. The parking is horrible in the city so I wanted to get involved and see what I could do to help out. You need the normal folk to get in there and see the problems with the bureaucracy.”

• Darryl Fisch

Appointed: No

Who he is: Fisch is 50 and retired from an import distribution business he owned eight years ago. He saw the ad for city boards in a newspaper. “I like to think I’m just as smart as the average bear . . . I thought I could bring some practical common sense to these boards.” He has never met Ford. In 2010, he donated $250 to his local councillor Joe Mihevc’s campaign.

• Darius Mosun

Appointed: Yes

Who he is: Mosun lives in Toronto with a young family and is the CEO of Soheil Mosun Limited architectural firm. Records show a Darius Mosun donated $300 to Ford’s mayoral campaign. Reached at his office, Mosun asked questions be sent to him in an email and he never replied.

• Shimshon Posen

Appointed: Yes

Who he is: Posen, who unsuccessfully ran against Councillor Joe Mihevc in the last election, is a lawyer who was called to the bar this past summer. He politically aligned himself with Rocco Rossi during the 2010 campaign. “I did not know a list existed and I did not know I was on this list.”

• Mary Lea Ruscetta

Appointed: No

Who she is: The Star could not confirm Ruscetta’s identity.

• Paul Scargall

Appointed: Yes

Who he is: Scargall is a partner with Rueter Scargall Bennett LLP and focuses on real estate-related litigation. Scargall is associated with numerous organizations and is a past director of the Children’s Aid Society Foundation of York Region. He did not respond to an email and phone request for comment.

• Namby Vithiananthan

Appointed: No

Vithiananthan is a 54-year-old CFO for a contracting company. He is also president of his local Henry Farm community homeowners association near Don Mills Rd. and Sheppard Ave. During the election, the group hosted a mayoral debate. Vithiananthan — who has no official political connections — afterwards told the Toronto Observer: “I think here, it comes to a matter of who can you trust? In my opinion, I would be able to trust Rob Ford,” he said. “I feel more comfortable that he will look after our dollars better. Some of the others’ track records have not been so good.”

Convention Centre:

• Charles Cutts

Appointed: Yes

Who he is: Cutts, who doesn’t publically align himself with any political group, is the long-standing president of the Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall. He joined Tourism Toronto’s board 11 years ago and served as chair for three of those years. “During that time I realized how important it is for culture and tourism to go hand in hand.” While on that board, Cutts got to know fellow member Barry Smith. Smith also sat on the convention centre board and urged Cutts to apply.

• Steve Smith

Appointed: Yes

Who he is: Smith is the CFO of Cara Operations Limited, which owns Swiss Chalet, Montana’s, Milestone’s, Kelsey’s and Harvey’s. Prior to this he ran the finance group at Loblaws. “I’m the epitome of independent… I have zero political affiliations quite honestly.” Smith saw the ad for civic appointments in the newspaper and applied to three, hoping to land the convention centre posting. “I’m getting to the stage in my career where I’d like to do a little for the community and also put my toe in the water in terms of board work.”

• Donald Franczak

Appointed: No

Who he is: Last week, Franczak threw his name in the hat to be a Catholic school board trustee. At 66, he retired earlier this year from a career as a film technician with Deluxe labs. “Rather than have my kids put me in a wheelchair and shove me a corner I thought I’d do something with my life.” Franczak has no political affiliation “I’m a total novice” but characterizes himself as “fiscally responsible.”

• Marylene Vestergom

Appointed: No

Vestergom, who has no political connections, received a mass email from her councillor, Jaye Robinson, about positions on civic boards that were open to civilians. “I looked at them and thought: oh I used to work at the convention centre and I have a marketing background and I thought it’d be interesting.” Vestergom had no idea she was a shortlisted as a preferred candidate by the administration.