Next Mayor of Toronto?

[eddiek]

Found this in the metro today

Urban Compass by John Sewell
METRO CANADA
January 22, 2010 8:00 a.m.
Be the first to comment
Print article

One disadvantage of being a former mayor is the number of times one is asked on the street to comment on those running to be the next mayor of Toronto.

There are three leading candidates already declared, and a few more in the wings with the election still 10 months away. When asked about them, I have three kinds of answers.

First, if there’s a candidate running because he or she wants to solve problems at city hall, then I’ll treat that candidate seriously. So far that hasn’t happened. George Smitherman, Rocco Rossi and Joe Pantalone have all said they want to run because they want to be mayor, and not much else. Making the city a better place isn’t as great a priority for them as becoming mayor. Who can respect them for that?

Second, I want someone who recognizes that city council doesn’t work.

The megacity is a mess for everyone — for councillors who find the 2,000-page agendas unreadable, for residents who find city hall untouchable, for businesspeople who find city staff unresponsive. It is time to dismantle the megacity and try something else, preferably something smaller and more manageable with councillors eager to serve the public interest. Why aren’t candidates clamouring to solve this issue?

Third, in the city’s 176-year history, no one has been elected mayor who has not first served on council. Why do Smitherman and Rossi, neither of whom has been a councillor, think they can break that strong tradition? And if they haven’t cared enough to serve in the past, how much do they care for the city now?

The other side of the coin is that Joe Pantalone has been an insider at city hall for what seems like the last century. He’s already made the changes he thinks are needed. No one can expect him to say it’s not working well.

These are three simple answers. Sure, there are big issues candidates must address, but when asked, I judge them right now on these questions.

More about John Sewell , Toronto Municipal Election


Well we Know where Rossi stands, I guess if Smitherman and Pantalone are smart, they'll just keep on saying they want to be mayor for change or to make Toronto a better place and not give any specific ideas. lol

There has to be someone else?

 

[jn_12]

Has miller built ANY transit in his 8 year term? (lots' of plans, soundbytes, ideas...)

The difference is that those "plans, soundbytes and ideas" have money to push them forward. They haven't been feasibility studies. They've been concrete plans that are moving forward. We're seeing two subway extensions, Transit City, new streetcars and new subway cars all coming through the pipeline in the near future (not to mention service improvements), all stemming from Miller's time in office. While we can't give Miller all of the credit, none of that would have happened without the willingness of leadership to promote it. It'd be incredibly shortsighted to think that anything significant would be built in 7 short years, especially since no great transit improvements from Mayor Nooobody's term carried over into Miller's term.

 

[Archivist]

To further jn_12's response to js97, what you're saying is that Miller has failed because no transit has been built in his 8 year term, so you support a candidate whose stated preference is a moratorium on almost all transit projects that are due to begin in the next year and for which funding has been secured, so that everything can be reviewed again?

 

[nfitz]

That's a little presumptuous no? the doomsday scenario? and just as a sidenote... Has miller built ANY transit in his 8 year term?

Miler has been mayor for just over 6 years. During that time he has significantly expanded bus service and also built the new York BRT. Construction has started on both the Spadina subway extension and Sheppard East LRT, both of which he has been pushing. They've already started the tendering process for the tunnel boring machines for the new subway under Eglinton, and he has also secured funding for the Finch LRT and SRT extension; both of which should be ready to start construction about the time of the next election.

I can see that one might criticize Miller on a few issues. But criticizing him on not building transit infrastucture? Miller campaigned on building transit, and he's done so. Rossi appears to be campaigning on stopping construction on transit, and studying it more. Yikes!!

I wonder what it would take for Miller to change his mind and run again. Rossi just talked himself out of the race. Tory has changed his mind. And I can't imagine Smitherman isn't going to stick his foot in his mouth like he normally does.

 

[eddiek]

To further jn_12's response to js97, what you're saying is that Miller has failed because no transit has been built in his 8 year term, so you support a candidate whose stated preference is a moratorium on almost all transit projects that are due to begin in the next year and for which funding has been secured, so that everything can be reviewed again?

Rossi Makes a good point. If you mess up on a project and it's plagued with Time delays and Terrible cost over runs, then why would you make the same mistake twice. There are plans to make 127 Klms of LRT are running street level with the cars and the planning resembles the St Clair ROW. So Why make the Same mistake twice. It's bad what happened on St Clair, thing of how bad it will be across Ellington.

He's not saying he's not going to eliminate new Transit, he wants stop the current plans and review them so that there will be a better system in place. He’s not wrong…

 

[W. K. Lis]

Rossi does not like the bike lanes? Oh, oh, I wonder if he read the article on how to discourage bicycling, by legislating the wearing of helmets. He just might do that to discourage bicycling. See this link for the article and study.

 

[js97]

Miler has been mayor for just over 6 years. During that time he has significantly expanded bus service and also built the new York BRT. Construction has started on both the Spadina subway extension and Sheppard East LRT, both of which he has been pushing. They've already started the tendering process for the tunnel boring machines for the new subway under Eglinton, and he has also secured funding for the Finch LRT and SRT extension; both of which should be ready to start construction about the time of the next election.

I can see that one might criticize Miller on a few issues. But criticizing him on not building transit infrastucture? Miller campaigned on building transit, and he's done so. Rossi appears to be campaigning on stopping construction on transit, and studying it more. Yikes!!

I wonder what it would take for Miller to change his mind and run again. Rossi just talked himself out of the race. Tory has changed his mind. And I can't imagine Smitherman isn't going to stick his foot in his mouth like he normally does.

See... this i where SPIN get's out of hand. I don't think anyone running for the city is against public transit. His comment was to a reporter that he wanted to review the finances that's it. not stop/halt etc. I can see where he's coming from considering the ST. Clair subway job was grossly over budgeted and late. As a finance guy, I'm sure he won't let allocated federal and provincial funding. This is a private sector guy, if anyone knows efficiency, it would be him.

And to be quite frank, my comment about miller was simply a shot (out of frustration with city council, I think building public transit is excellent) I live in the core, and anything that sounds remotely like a 'street car' just frustrates me.. (anyone that's takes the queen /king street car can relate)

we're ten months away and I don't think people should lines in the sand yet.

I'm fully open to a candidate that makes sense, but all the other candidates have said nothing.

 

[js97]

Rossi does not like the bike lanes? Oh, oh, I wonder if he read the article on how to discourage bicycling, by legislating the wearing of helmets. He just might do that to discourage bicycling. See this link for the article and study.

Not true, he wants to move them to safer/ side streets.

last comment folks... happy friday!

 

[nfitz]

And to be quite frank, my comment about miller was simply a shot (out of frustration with city council, I think building public transit is excellent) I live in the core, and anything that sounds remotely like a 'street car' just frustrates me.. (anyone that's takes the queen /king street car can relate)

The solution to the King streetcar was to eliminate most vehicle traffic from King Street through downtown,and put in a streetcar ROW. Even the current mayor and council have been avoiding tackling that. I can't see Rossi touching it!

I wouldn't say anyone ... I use both! Thogh I'm on the relatively functional Carlton, Dundas, and Bathurst cars more frequently.

 

[fiendishlibrarian]

Rossi seems to be running for mayor of Ajax, or Vaughan. Only a few days in he already seems woefully ill-informed. WRT to Transit City, the TTC is completely revamping how it will construct future LRT lines, as a new Transit City Department is going to oversee all elements of construction, and the kind of disarray that plagued the St. Clair line should (one hopes) not be repeated.

 

[Archivist]

His comment was to a reporter that he wanted to review the finances that's it. not stop/halt etc.

No. You are mistaken. The following is from the Globe: Asked whether that [ie., the review of transit] constituted a moratorium, he replied: "On anything that we can stop right now, yes." Any funding in place for Transit City would almost certainly be gone as a result of his moratorium.

 

[eddiek]

No. You are mistaken. The following is from the Globe: Asked whether that [ie., the review of transit] constituted a moratorium, he replied: "On anything that we can stop right now, yes." Any funding in place for Transit City would almost certainly be gone as a result of his moratorium.

Once again, not necessarily a bad thing, would you want projects to continue with the possibility of same cost overruns that we are facing with the subway extensions and the St. Clair row. It's doesn’t mean he's stopping plans for a transit system altogether, he's just stopping the current ones that are doomed to be subject to poor planning and cost overruns.

You have to ask yourself, if you know there is a project for 60 million and it ends up costing 90 million, would you not ask why? Also, if you know that a good number of projects are going to go up 30% then would you examine the budgets and try to re-establish the costs?

 

[vz64]

There is another Rossi-related article in TS, http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/torontomayoralrace/article/754281--mayoral-hopeful-rocco-rossi-targets-ttc-unions

From the article:

"Cars are neither good nor bad," he said, adding that until a first-class transit system is built, "cars are simply a necessity for many people."

So, considering that it is too expensive to build a first-class transit system, let's just make it car-friendly... He didn't mention anything suggesting that he is pro-transit (no transit plans whatsoever). He sounds like another Common-Sense-Revolution advocate. What upsets me that he might win on his anti-urban sentiments; look at readers comments after the article, there is overwhelming support of his platform (I would assume that the TS readers are more representative sample of Toronto than the member of this forum ).

 

[Woodbridge_Heights]

1. Rip out bike lanes on busy roads and make biking less safe
2. Many people don't feel safe on these roads, so the number of people cycling decreases
3. Therefore the number of cycling deaths/injuries decreases
4. Therefore cycling is now more safe

Genius!

I think there is some logic there. Arterial roads specific purpose is to move traffic as quickly and effeciently as possible. I wouldn't dare cycle on Finch, or Steeles, or Hwy 27, or even Eglinton for that matter. Barring grade separation of the lanes from open traffic. There are a number of primary and secondary roads that parrallel the arterials that could easily accomodate a bike lane, Dupont is a perfect example of this.

 

[Woodbridge_Heights]

Any "review" of transit city, given the dynamics of agreements and funding from other levels of government, amount to flushing millions of dollars down the toilet. Rossi himself admits that the "review" is really designed to cancel the project, since he's already stated that his "review" is a moratorium. That's not only the federal and provincial cash gone - all gone - it's every hour that every person put into the plans for Transit City. It's all lost, over, meaningless. A "review" of transit city, even if we were generous and assumed what he means is deciding on other approaches to transit, means that nothing happens on the transit front for an additional decade. Imagine a Toronto in 2020, with an additional one million extra people scattered across the CMA, with nothing new on the transit front save the York University extension and the Sheppard LRT. If that's your goal, vote for this demagogue.

Yet show me the studies that lead the TTC to determine the TC routes. Show me the actual work that went into the TC plan rather than political drawing of lines on a map.

What of the RTES? What of Network2011? What of all the studies done before TC? All that money was equally flushed down the toilet