Through fours years of chaos, conflict and embarrassment at Toronto city hall some councillors distinguished themselves in opposition to Mayor Rob Ford (open Rob Ford's policard). His inexcusable excesses, service cuts and ill-judged policies aroused staunch resistance. Others were content to play a lesser role, while a small minority of councillors remained Ford supporters to the bitter end.

It’s vital to move forward from the tainted Ford era. Toronto needs thoughtful leaders and energetic city-builders, not shallow skinflints obsessed with finding bureaucratic “gravy.” With that in mind, here are our choices for Wards 1 to 21:

Ward 1, Etobicoke North:Idil Burale is a young woman with impressive credentials as a social activist, especially in the Somali-Canadian community. She faces incumbent Vincent Crisanti (open Vincent Crisanti's policard), a die-hard Ford loyalist.

Ward 2, Etobicoke North: Andray Domise is a financial planner born in Toronto to an immigrant Jamaican family. He is waging a spirited campaign against Rob Ford to represent this area after the mayor, diagnosed with cancer, and opted to run here. Domise would do a far better job of serving residents.

Ward 3, Etobicoke Centre:Stephen Holyday. We’re not big fans of political dynasties but the son of the long-time councillor in this ward, Doug Holyday, gets our endorsement. He’s an experienced civil servant and a lifelong Etobicoke resident with a strong grasp of local issues.

Ward 4, Etobicoke Centre:John Campbell, a former chair of the Toronto District School Board, is a proven leader who effectively handled the difficult issue of school closings. He came close to unseating lackluster incumbent Gloria Lindsay Luby (open Gloria Lindsay Luby's policard) in 2010; now that she has retired he deserves a chance to show what he can do.

Ward 5, Etobicoke-Lakeshore:Justin Di Ciano, a businessman and co-founder of a non-profit centre for disadvantaged young women, gets our nod. He’s a conservative with a social conscience.

Ward 6, Etobicoke-Lakeshore:Russ Ford is a strong community activist and executive director of the LAMP Community Health Centre whose slogan is: “Get to know a different Ford.” He would be far more effective than incumbent Mark Grimes (open Mark Grimes's policard), a painfully low-key councillor and ally of the mayor.

Ward 7, York West:Nick Di Nizio is a competent contender with a background in business and some modest community involvement. He’s far better than the reprehensible incumbent, Giorgio Mammoliti (open Giorgio Mammoliti's policard).

Ward 8, York West:Anthony Perruzza (open Anthony Perruzza's policard) is a progressive voice on city council who deserves to return.

Ward 9, York Centre:Maria Augimeri (open Maria Augimeri's policard) took over as chair of the TTC after Karen Stintz (open Karen Stintz's policard) launched a fruitless bid to become mayor and immediately began steering transit in a new direction — toward reversing her predecessor’s ill-judged service cuts. Augimeri deserves office far more than her main rival, Gus Cusimano, a Ford favorite.

Ward 10, York Centre:James Pasternak (open James Pasternak's policard) is a council centrist who has voted more frequently with the Fords than we would like. But he follows his conscience and hasn’t hesitated to break with the administration on key issues. He deserves to return.

Ward 11, York South-Weston: With almost 30 years in local politics, incumbent Frances Nunziata (open Frances Nunziata's policard) has lingered far past her sell-by date. Painfully ineffective in recent years, she has been one of council’s most complacent Ford followers. Dory Chalhoub, a young entrepreneur, is energetic to the point of being brash. We disagree with some of his policies, such as his support for a casino, but this ward needs a dose of vitality. Chalhoub gets our nod.

Ward 12, York South-Weston:Nick Dominelli came close to defeating incumbent and Ford budget chief Frank Di Giorgio (open Frank Di Giorgio's policard) in 2010 and deserves victory this time. He’s a restaurateur and a former city hall policy advisor with a strong record of volunteering.

Ward 13, Parkdale-High Park:Sarah Doucette (open Sarah Doucette's policard) is a thoughtful, forward-looking presence on council who has sound links to the community and deserves to return.

Ward 14, Parkdale-High Park: Environmentalist Gord Perks (open Gord Perks's policard) is a forthright advocate of progressive causes and has the best attendance record of all current councillors, having missed just 2 per cent of votes.

Ward 15, Eglinton-Lawrence:Josh Colle (open Josh Colle's policard) has been a bright light on council, for example by leading the way in 2012 in rolling back some of Ford’s reckless budget cuts. Expect even more from this principled centrist in the coming term.

Ward 16, Eglinton-Lawrence: Karen Stintz represented this ward and her highly capable former assistant, Jean-Pierre Boutros, is best positioned to replace her. He is highly regarded at city hall and knows its inner workings, is familiar with the ward, and has an excellent grasp of the transit file.

Ward 17, Davenport:Alejandra Bravo is the clear choice here in her third effort to unseat inept incumbent Cesar Palacio (open Cesar Palacio's policard). Previous match-ups between these two have been among the most bitter in the city and the current contest is no different. Bravo is the obvious choice. She’s a progressive with strong history of grassroots community work who speaks Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and French. She’s precisely what this multicultural city needs.

Ward 18, Davenport: We endorsed Ana Bailao in the last election and she has been a reasonable, centrist voice at city hall. But a better choice is Alex Mazer. He’s a bright young lawyer, policy advisor and community volunteer with a deep understanding of budget and urban issues. He worked as policy director to former Ontario finance minister Dwight Duncan, playing a role in four provincial budgets. City hall needs his expertise.

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Ward 19, Trinity-Spadina: Mike Layton (open Mike Layton's policard) has been an outspoken advocate for his ward and for progressive issues on council. He definitely deserves re-election.

Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina: We favour Joe Cressy in this crowded race. He has an admirable record of working on environmental, anti-poverty and human rights initiatives. He knows the ward, having worked for Olivia Chow while she was MP for the area, and has demonstrated a sound understanding of urban issues and budget realities. Council needs more like him.

Ward 21, St. Paul’s: Left-of-centre Joe Mihevc (open Joe Mihevc's policard) has provided invaluable service as a voice of reason in the face of Rob Ford’s policy and personal outrages. He deserves to return.

Tuesday: Our endorsements for Wards 22 to 44.