social issues with voters and was more concerned with fundraising and member recruitment. In 1952 she helped form a committee with Bill Temple, Mary Ramsay and Avis McCurdy, called the "Ginger Group". The committee met prior to the CCF provincial convention to discuss party issues. They resolved to try and nominate Bill Temple as leader against Ted Jolliffe. At the convention Temple withdrew at the last minute, allowing Jolliffe to be acclaimed. Davidson and Temple were subsequently elected to the executive as vice-presidents. In 1954 Davidson walked out of a party conference that called for parties in municipal politics. She felt that party politics should stay out of local councils. After that she became more involved in local politics and drifted away from the party. When the CCF merged with the Canadian Labour Congress in 1961 to form the New Democratic Party (NDP), she refused to join due to its partnership with the unions. She said, "I never joined the NDP. I didn't like the NDP from the beginning. I came to believe that socialism wouldn't cure the ills of the world. I couldn't see it." East York Davidson moved to East York in 1947 after the death of her mother. Shortly after moving she was diagnosed with cancer at Princess Margaret Hospital. Feeling that she had not much time left Davidson immersed herself in community issues. It turned out that the cancer diagnosis was incorrect but she continued her involvement. She established a neighbourhood kindergarten which led to her being elected as a school trustee in 1948. In 1952 she became the first woman to chair the East York Board of Education. In 1958, she was elected to East York's town council. In 1960 she ran for the position of Reeve of the Township of East York against incumbent Jack Allen. The main issue at the time was uncontrolled development on land bordering the Don Valley beside Bayview Avenue. The development, later dubbed the Bayview Ghost, was a rallying cry for her campaign. She beat Allen by 5,065 votes to 3,458. Davidson was a dedicated politician, often attending community meetings, up to 40 per month. She was also a formidable debater, with an abrupt and abrasive style that annoyed her fellow council members. Yet the voters loved her and she was re-elected six times. In 1966, East York was amalgamated with the Town of Leaside, and Davidson found herself