Darwinkgo
Active Member
The Calgary waste collectors union bid with their department management for the new curbside recycling contract from the city and won - they beat private sector bidders by $3 a household per month. Managed competition works!
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Next Mayor of Toronto?
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The Calgary waste collectors union bid with their department management for the new curbside recycling contract from the city and won - they beat private sector bidders by $3 a household per month. Managed competition works!
MetroMan
Senior Member
It looks like Joe Pantalone is starting up his campaign machine's secret weapon: his Ward19 constituents.
Pantalone is being underestimated in this race but many are forgetting that he's been a councillor for over 25 years and he's well liked in this ward. Today, his campaign used his massive e-mail list to add Joe as a friend on his constituents' Facebook.
I look forward to hearing his platform. While I like Miller and believe that they share similar ideals, I hope for his sake that his policy isn't "stay the course".
His campaign's official launch:
VIVA TORONTO! Joe Pantalone For Mayor Official Campaign Launch
Time:6:00PM Wednesday, March 24th
Location:3710 Chesswood Drive, Toronto ON
Pantalone is being underestimated in this race but many are forgetting that he's been a councillor for over 25 years and he's well liked in this ward. Today, his campaign used his massive e-mail list to add Joe as a friend on his constituents' Facebook.
I look forward to hearing his platform. While I like Miller and believe that they share similar ideals, I hope for his sake that his policy isn't "stay the course".
His campaign's official launch:
VIVA TORONTO! Joe Pantalone For Mayor Official Campaign Launch
Time:6:00PM Wednesday, March 24th
Location:3710 Chesswood Drive, Toronto ON
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urbandreamer
recession proof
Oh god, I'd rather have Sarah Thompson as mayor!
I can just imagine the types that will be at that dinner....
I can just imagine the types that will be at that dinner....
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unimaginative2
Senior Member
No, private sector businesses operate on the premise of maximizing net revenues. Businesses routinely deliberately shrink their gross revenues by shedding marginal operations in an effort to become more profitable.
Joe Pantalone's a likeable fellow but after what he's done on Ossington and College, having him as mayor would be a disaster.
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brockm
Active Member
Sure, but there's a certain amount of realism built-in to the profit driven model. What you're describing only becomes a problem when there is a complete monopoly. Obviously, any privatization cannot be done within the auspices of giving the entire market to a single contractor. That's not truly free market at all.
If we were talking about the TTC, you probably wouldn't want to outright privatize it. Especially things like the subway. But the city could continue to nominally own the assets, like the streetcar and subway network and open up the operation of routes and lines to competitive tender. Network integration could be maintained simply by having those contracts demand compliance with system-wide scheduling, etc. Otherwise, individual transportation contractors could bid to run certain bus routes, street car routes, and subway lines.
In a situation like this, where contracts would be renewed every few years, operators who have reduced service to squeeze out profits would certainly not be favoured for renewal. They would have an incentive to offer the best service at the lowest cost.
This of course isn't unprecedented. What I am describing is the exact model used in London, England.
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Eug
Senior Member
Not really. He doesn't have a chance, unless Smitherman does something really, really stupid between now and election day.
And for those who actually follow city politics, his closeness to Miller is going to be a big negative for his campaign. His Ossington shenanigans haven't helped him much either.
adma
Superstar
Though I think he's being underestimated by default, i.e. as a quiet, tortoiselike dumpster for "the left vote". Maybe not enough to win; but enough to finish way above John Nunziata levels, I suspect...
MetroMan
Senior Member
That said, even though he was my councillor and has done great things only his constituents are aware of, I probably wouldn't vote for him at this stage.
If the race is between Rossi and Smitherman, I'll vote for Smitherman out of fear that Rossi could become our Mayor.
If the race is between Rossi and Smitherman, I'll vote for Smitherman out of fear that Rossi could become our Mayor.
Eug
Senior Member
One may suggest that, but my recollection was that Hall was a shoe-in only in the sense that there seemed to be nobody else in the running, until Miller came along. Remember, Hall didn't exactly inspire people, but was just the default candidate. Anyways, "left" is correct. It was left against left with Miller and Hall. Miller just happened to latch onto the ban-the-bridge campaign that unfortunately the electorate latched onto as well.
Now we have left against a centre to centre-right almost-populist, and one that is very well-recognized. P.S. I find it amusing that almost-populist is Smitherman.
Northern Magus
Active Member
With the greatest of respect, I believe your recollection might be a bit off. A mere 3 months before e-day Hall was indeed a shoe in with something like a 30-point lead over the nearest challenger, John Nunziata. What happened after that was both unparalleled and unprecedented -- but it was not at all a battle of ideology, as you seem to suggest with your political spectrum argument.
The defining issue that decided the day emerged out of nowhere and had absolutely nothing to do with a "left" vs "right" analysis ... and everything to do with wedging all the other candidates while simultaneously implying a specific pro-urban vision and values. In fact, one of the major reasons behind the Miller victory is quite arguably the fact that he successfully found the key issue that spanned the political spectrum and allowed people who would not normally support an NDP candidate to join his coalition.
Who ever can do that this time around will sit in the big chair come November.
Eug
Senior Member
I think you missed the point of my post.
Nunziata didn't matter in that race. Miller and Hall's ideologies were very similar... except that Miller wanted to ban the bridge. Hall didn't. At that point, it was the only thing that mattered.
OTOH, the situation in 2010 is vastly different. The public is in a mode of belt tightening, and Miller and Pantalone are the now old school big spenders, while Smitherman is the popular new face who is actively going after the centre and centre-right.
If there is some new defining single issue that pops up that Pantalone gets on the appropriate side of, then perhaps he can pull off an upset, but it's precisely because of Pantolone's left vs. right stance that puts him at great disadvantage in the 2010 economic climate.
unimaginative2
Senior Member
That's a vast oversimplification. The difference was that Miller seemed like a fresh, impressive face. The eloquent speaker with the Harvard degree was an appealing change from Mel Lastman. Barbara Hall was marginalized by her decision to run a winner's campaign without taking any significant stands and by the fact that she had already had a middling stint as mayor.
MetroMan
Senior Member
You nailed it unimaginative.
Do we have a similar candidate in this race? I'm not quite sure we do. Giambrone would have provided that. Nonetheless, this election will favour the candidate who can rein in the messy budget and the yahoo's on council. Smitherman's experience and tough demeanour put him in a good position to win.
As much as I'd like a charismatic Mayor, Smitherman will do the job of cleaning up our city's problems and provide the kind of cooperation with the province that we need at this time.
Do we have a similar candidate in this race? I'm not quite sure we do. Giambrone would have provided that. Nonetheless, this election will favour the candidate who can rein in the messy budget and the yahoo's on council. Smitherman's experience and tough demeanour put him in a good position to win.
As much as I'd like a charismatic Mayor, Smitherman will do the job of cleaning up our city's problems and provide the kind of cooperation with the province that we need at this time.
T.O.Fanatic
Active Member
Smitherman would seem to be at least tolerable as mayor, except he seems to want to steal Rossi's thunder by contracting out garbage and TTC routes to please the suburbs. Lost my vote right there.