While Ford may not have started his campaign yet, I've seen a number of "Ford for Mayor" signs and even some T-shirts. Always makes me shudder.
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Next Mayor of Toronto?
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JasonParis
Moderator
Some taxi drivers have Rob Ford bumper stickers too. This isn't allowed. Report them. I did and it worked.
kEiThZ
Superstar
Now now. The downtowners had their turn to ruin the burbs. It's only fair to get paid in kind.
It's precisely this kind of mentality that's caused outer 416 residents to feel alienated and is now propelling Ford skyward. Smugly suggesting that Scarborough residents are morons who don't know any better for suggesting that subways shouldn't end at random intersections (Kennedy/Eglinton) is a perfect example of this kind of attitude. Transit City's planners pretty much handed Ford Scarborough on a silver platter with the decision not to extend the subway to STC, something that's been a concern of Scarborough residents for years. Their smugness in rejecting the concerns of Scarborough residents pretty much confirmed the parochial attitude that downtowners have towards subarbnites (expressed so well in your post here).
And that's just one example.
You want to stop Ford? How about acknowledging for once that there's at least some legitimacy to the complaints that suburbanites have, instead of expressing panic that the same residents that downtowners have been dumping on for years will now have their turn at helm.
ps. I'm no Rob Ford fan. But I understand where his popularity is coming from. And I warned about it early on. I'd like to see somebody better in the big chair. But that'll only happen if candidates emerge who genuinely care about the concerns of voters, and are not insistent on playing the us vs. them, downtown vs. suburbs game.
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Coltaine79
Active Member
I for one welcome our new, overly corpulent, overlords.
Coltaine79
Active Member
Too late for that to happen this election, maybe next one?
We need Jack Layton to come back! COME BACK JACK! You suck at the Federal level anyways since you couldn't even save the gun registry.
JasonParis
Moderator
Ummm, it looks like it has been saved.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2010/09/20/ns-stoffer-ndp-gun-registry.html
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2010/09/20/ns-stoffer-ndp-gun-registry.html
kEiThZ
Superstar
Jack's part of the downtown elite. Have your forgotten his opposition towards downtown subway expansion a few decades ago?
There's no way Jack will be able to understand the mentality of Malvern or Rexdale voters, even though he might well think he can.
Blovertis
Active Member
And let's not forget that Jack flopped in his run for mayor of the old city of Toronto, back in 1991. He'd have no chance in the megacity.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
Keithz:
The inner burbs is going through the typical trajectory of neighbourhoods - aging infrastructure, poor land use planning and demographic transition did it, not "downtowners". No offense, the desirablity of Scarborough as a whole has nothing to do with whether there is a subway running through it - and that's coming from someone who think extending BD to STC is a good idea. What I do find ironic is that on one hand you claim that you aren't interested in the whole downtown vs. suburbs game and those in the very same post to play it.
AoD
The inner burbs is going through the typical trajectory of neighbourhoods - aging infrastructure, poor land use planning and demographic transition did it, not "downtowners". No offense, the desirablity of Scarborough as a whole has nothing to do with whether there is a subway running through it - and that's coming from someone who think extending BD to STC is a good idea. What I do find ironic is that on one hand you claim that you aren't interested in the whole downtown vs. suburbs game and those in the very same post to play it.
AoD
ladyscraper
man alive
What about this idea?
Since it seems like the candidates won't decide for us who should be the sole person running against Ford, maybe the best solution would be to start a facebook group called "Anti-Ford voters (let's decide who we will vote for)"
You could have everyone in the group make a vote on who they want to win. However, everyone must agree that no matter who gets the most votes- they will agree to vote for them.
After the results are in people could make websites and press releases and call in all the news shows and say "the anti-Ford voters have all agreed to come together to vote for XXXXXXXX"
Could that work?
Since it seems like the candidates won't decide for us who should be the sole person running against Ford, maybe the best solution would be to start a facebook group called "Anti-Ford voters (let's decide who we will vote for)"
You could have everyone in the group make a vote on who they want to win. However, everyone must agree that no matter who gets the most votes- they will agree to vote for them.
After the results are in people could make websites and press releases and call in all the news shows and say "the anti-Ford voters have all agreed to come together to vote for XXXXXXXX"
Could that work?
js97
Senior Member
what's so bad about a ford mayoralty?
Lastman was fine, so Ford will be a little more eccentric than lastman.
Lastman was fine, so Ford will be a little more eccentric than lastman.
Coltaine79
Active Member
Whoops, haven't been paying too much attention to the news this morning. The last article I read was about Jack losing MPs to the Tory side.
I sorta disagree. He has a certain charisma that none of the mayoral contenders have. I've noticed that some of my family members (suburb-dwellers) like him more than the other Federal party leaders and I see them as having a lot in common with the middle-class Malvernites/Rexdalians.
I'm sorry but that just sounds silly.
TrickyRicky
Senior Member
Keithz, I'm curious to explore what exactly it is you mean. The present composition of city hall is no doubt downtown centric and as such I can understand a shift to more suburban minded council. But at the core of the argument I don't really understand the suburban anger other than in a" mommy loves me best" kind of way.
A recent article (I forget what the source was) showed that service levels and expenditures on key city services were roughly equal throughout the city. When you couple that with the huge shift of residential tax burden towards the downtown created by CVA and surging property values in the old City of Toronto you get the scenerio where the old city of Toronto is starting to heavily subsidize the suburbs. What this means is from the perspective of money, taxes and finances in the scope of areas where the city government is concerned the downtown should be pissed and want to kick out Miller not the suburbs.
I sense that larger macro economic factors are weighing heavily on the minds of many suburban voters. Unfortunately, these are not areas where the city government has much influence and voters cannot seem to make the distinction of who has jurisdiction over what.
A recent article (I forget what the source was) showed that service levels and expenditures on key city services were roughly equal throughout the city. When you couple that with the huge shift of residential tax burden towards the downtown created by CVA and surging property values in the old City of Toronto you get the scenerio where the old city of Toronto is starting to heavily subsidize the suburbs. What this means is from the perspective of money, taxes and finances in the scope of areas where the city government is concerned the downtown should be pissed and want to kick out Miller not the suburbs.
I sense that larger macro economic factors are weighing heavily on the minds of many suburban voters. Unfortunately, these are not areas where the city government has much influence and voters cannot seem to make the distinction of who has jurisdiction over what.
Glen
Senior Member
There is nothing typical about it. There are many neighbourhoods in Brampton, Mississauga, Vaughan, etc, that have near identical land use characteristics and age of infrastructure, yet they have experienced a far different fate than those in Toronto. Keith is bang on.
GraphicMatt
Looking forward to a FRESH START for Toronto
Ford's an unprecedented type in Toronto politics. The Lastman equivalent in this race would be Rossi.
An Old School Tory with a populist streak is something Toronto can handle. It's not my preference, but I'm cool with it. Ford is a blustery neoconservative type - the kind they see in the US. We've never had anything like this before.