Much ink is being spilled and many bytes of web copy being posted pondering the progress of the populist pugilist Rob Ford.
Canada's largest city, Toronto, is not blessed with a particularly strong slate of candidates for mayor. And those with interesting ideas, Joe Pantalone, the lone progressive and Sarah Thompson, the lone female, get far less attention than the twin bloviators Rob Ford and George Smitherman and the quasi-revitalized Rocco Rossi.
In fighting the Ford über-recht phenomenon, Smitherman has played the slippery middle; he's right, he's sorta left, but a floundering attempt to straddle the middle has resulted in merely a muddle.
Rossi, slightly behind Thompson and Pantalone (or an inch ahead, depending on the poll-du-jour), has himself a new campaign manager, has recruited political ass-kicker Warren Kinsella, and has issued a series of promises, some odd and 1950ish. The latest is a cavernous tunnel, 'neath the Earth's crust, funneling cars (and cyclists!) from the traffic-jammed north end of Toronto to its congested south. This highway through Hades smells of brimstone and the old Spadina Expressway -- a cause well-known to Jane Jacobs acolytes that was 86'd in '71.
Rossi and Smitherman are attempting to fight Ford on his own turf. They've bought into Ford's political frame -- the voters are ragin' for City Hall fixin'. The irate electorate hates taxes, unions and services that help lower-income Torontonians. They see City Hall as a black hole where money slips past the event horizon, never to be seen again or benefit the beleaguered taxpayer.
In a "what's the matter with Kansas" scenario, Ford has regular folk all ginned up to oppose the very programs that many of these regular folk rely on and use regularly.
The tenor of the mayoral campaign has fallen into the Ford frame and with the exception of Pantalone (and to some degree Thompson), all have been suckered hook, line and sinker into this pernicious, populist politicking.
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In a semi-recent poll, Ford claimed a fifth of his support from self-identified New Democrats. Gadzooks! I'd prefer to see the poll's methodology and questions before drawing any firm conclusions, but my initial opinion is "say what"? I feel like the Double Rainbow guy minus the mind-altering narcotics. I keep asking what it all means between sobs and heaves of disbelief.
The real attention on the municipal election, so the news pundits tell us, happens post-Labour Day. Whether that's true or not (I've been railing on Smitherman, Ford and Rossi since early 2010), now is the time to voice your opposition to the politics of fear and loathing.
Attend mayoral debates, send your questions to campaigns, write op-eds and letters to editors, join an activist group, pledge your support for progressive politicians, and vote goddammit. In the 2006 Toronto election less than 40 per cent of Torontonians voted. That's pathetic.
Don't like the electoral system? Then do something about it. Vote for those who make your city inclusive, progressive and refuse to get drawn into hate-mongering Ford politics. Hell, run for office yourself.
My friend Mary Fragedakis wasn't pleased with Case Ootes' 22-year treatment of Ward 29, so she's running for Toronto City Council. Good for her. And she eschews the malingerers and anger-monkeys. She's bucking the Ford frame.
Indeed, all non-Fordaholics should not get sucked into his brand of divisive politics. Change the channel and turn Ford News off.
When Rossi gave his first campaign speech in front of the Toronto Board of Trade, I thought he could win the election. Then, I realized that he gave his first speech in front of the Toronto Board of Trade. Perhaps the BOT has a safe audience. However, he did not demonstrate that he could speak with average Torontonians right away. I think he still hasn't spoken to us.
Rossi's proposal to dig a hole in the ground to extend the Allen Expressway south of Eglinton is faulty. It's not only faulty because of the social and environmental impact it could have on the local neighbourhoods. It's faulty because nowhere did he state that Torontonians are clamouring for a tunnel. I must assume that this hair-raising idea came from Rossi's campaign office. If Rossi can't consult with citizens during the campaign, why would he bother to consult with citizens if he were to be elected mayor of Toronto? Also, I am not sure if Rossi is running for mayor of Toronto or MPP for southern York Region based on his platform and campaign promises.
While Rob Ford is Rob Ford, both George Smitherman and Rocco Rossi are campaigning to be more like Rob Ford. This will not convince the Ford voters to switch to the Ford-lites.
Sarah Thomson has interesting ideas. However, she should have run for a council position first. After four or eight years, she could then run for mayor.
I won't let Joe Pantalone off lightly. I think his biggest mistake is that he has not distinguished himself from David Miller. Sure, be proud of your record. However, every candidate needs to offer something new. When Pantalone supports "Transit City" as is, the message to me is "I'm not willing to listen to voters to make changes for the better." If Pantalone offered one new subway line such as a downtown relief line and cut back on a few light rapid transit lines, it would demonstrate that he has flexibility. I think Pantalone is ready for retirement.
Torontonians will be electing a four-year interim mayor. I hope we get a better selection of candidates four years from now.
Thanks for this Skinny.
But I might ask why Thompson should have to serve on council before having a shot at mayor. Neither Smitherman nor Rossi have served on council and while Smitherman was chief of staff to former Toronto mayor Barbara Hall, Rossi has never served municipally, provincially or federally. Also, Thompson has run municipally before (in Hamilton).
I'm not a Thompson supporter, but she shouldn't be subjected to a different set of expectations than her male opponents.
I agree that Pantalone should do more to distinguish himself from Miller. Ready for retirement or not, the fact is that the last thing we need is a blow hard ideologue, or Liberal shill heading up the mayors office. What we actually need, is a steady administrator and consensus builder, and Pantalone fits that bill far more than the others.
Let's not get caught up to much in the need for a "vision". This is not federal politics. This is a job for a good manager, and so, in some senses, having someone who is not "brimming" with exciting ideas is perfect for the position of mayor, really.
I'd like to see Pantalone strike out in a direction of questioning the gigantic police budget, and the actions of the Toronto PD at the G20. No one has staked out this ground, and most worrisome of all is the fact that the police budget or the administration of the police force is a sacred cow that no one seems willing to touch. People in this city have got to get tough on police accountability now, before the monster is too hard to break.
Fiddling with transit plans is just recipe for not getting anything done. No plans are perfect, but constantly coming up with a new unfinished plan with each new mayor means at the end of the day that no plan goes ahead. We need TTC expansion. "Transit City" is good enough, if not perfect. Pantalone is right to stick to the plan that the province already agreed too and stick the responsibility for failure where it belongs, on George Smitherman's buddies as Queens Park.
As General Patton once said, "even a bad plan is better than no plan at all", and switching up transit plans every couple of years is simply not doing the job at all.
Poor Rob Ford
He has done nothing but try and protect citizens and hold politicians accountable for egregious behaviour.
He has done an incredible Job for Etobicoke for 10 years, and all your read is how he should not be Mayor.
Proven himself able to spend wisely without cutting service.
and all you read is how terrified we should be if elected.
VERY TRUSTWORTHY he has my vote....
the only ones that should be scared are the ones who are up to no good...
Poor Rob Ford??! Huh?
It's this level of ignorance from Ford's supporters that has me worried for the city. Ford has shown, too, that being on council does not automatically make you competent enough to run for mayor. Oh, yes, and let's not forget his attendance record (or lack thereof) with council votes:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/torontomayoralrace/article/812942--reduc...