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Next Mayor of Toronto?

Can we at least have a smart conservative? Stephen Harper for mayor?
 
ducati0000 said:
Sue Levy would make a great mayor..imagine her and Rob Ford or Denzel Wong as the righty bunch.It would make the special interest groups shake in their earth sandals and the unions rethink about going on strike in a deep recession.I vote for her as mayor.
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It doesn't matter who is elected, left or right, there will always be special interests, whether its unions or corporations, treehuggers or developers. Someone always has a direct line to the Mayor.
 
mjl08 said:
It doesn't matter who is elected, left or right, there will always be special interests, whether its unions or corporations, treehuggers or developers. Someone always has a direct line to the Mayor.
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Spot on.
 
ducati0000 said:
Sue Levy would make a great mayor..imagine her and Rob Ford or Denzel Wong as the righty bunch.It would make the special interest groups shake in their earth sandals and the unions rethink about going on strike in a deep recession.I vote for her as mayor.
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I really hope you're joking.

On a related note, I remember a few years ago somebody on this forum posted a rant trashing Sue Ann Levy most savagely and I think it was one of the funniest things I've ever read here. I really wish I could remember who wrote it and which thread it's buried in.
 
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/691368

Tory or Smitherman to take on Miller

It's all but a done deal: George Smitherman or John Tory will run for the city's top job, writes Royson James

ROYSON JAMES

Deputy premier George Smitherman is all but ready to announce he will run for mayor of Toronto, sources close to the politician say.

"It's a lock, he's running," one source confirmed this week.

Another Smitherman operative, ready to build a campaign team, says "a rainbow of political stripes" is urging Smitherman to take on the flagging Mayor David Miller in next year's elections.

"The voices he's hearing are from serious political types," the source said. "A serious politician is not able to disregard these voices. You have to give it a strong, hard look. It's his decision to make and he's an astute politician."

Smitherman, 45, is clearly warming to the idea after spending most of the summer denying his interest in the mayor's job.

After refusing to speak on the record about the growing buzz, Smitherman told the Star he will announce his intentions "at the right time."

The municipal election is not until November 2010. But serious candidates usually declare officially on or near Jan. 1, the day they can start raising funds.

Backers say Smitherman needs to announce soon to get a jump on John Tory, another high-profile name under mayoral watch. Tory lost a close race to Miller in 2003 and was provincial Conservative leader from 2004 until earlier this year.

But both men have indicated they are in close contact and have a deal that only one will run against Miller.

Another source says both sides understand that "the winning formula requires we don't have a crowded field."

"If someone is going to challenge (Miller), it has to be one person," Tory told the Star. "This will give the voter a clearer choice. It's a far more preferable setting of the table for the voters."

Tory said Smitherman has not yet decided whether he is running, and neither has he. "I haven't heard anyone say they're running. I don't want to put a time or date on it."

What is clear is that Miller's performance during the 39-day municipal strike has emboldened challengers and created a feeding frenzy among the political class. Backers for both Tory and Smitherman report huge interest in finding an alternative to Miller. Often, would-be supporters cross political lines to queue up behind Liberal Smitherman and Conservative Tory.

Jaime Watt, a Mike Harris Conservative and party strategist, said yesterday he is busy handling public relations for Michael Bryant, the ex-deputy premier involved in the deadly confrontation with a cyclist on Bloor St. this week. But Watt is juiced about a possible Smitherman run.

"I bet he'd be a formidable candidate. I'm very interested in him running. He'd be a fantastic candidate," Watt said.

Smitherman could challenge Miller for votes in the downtown area, as he represents the Toronto Centre riding in the provincial Legislature.

He held the troublesome health portfolio for several years, and is now minister of energy and infrastructure and deputy premier in Dalton McGuinty's government.

Considered a bit of a bulldog with a tenacious spirit and street smarts, Smitherman would also run as an ordinary guy who knows how to get his nails dirty.

Just this week, announcing provincial funding for the film industry, he waxed on about being the "son of a truck driver from Etobicoke."

During this year's strike by city workers, Smitherman went about picking up trash with citizens and other politicians several times. He joked that he knew how to use a broom – a dig at Miller, who ran his first election with the broom as a symbol for sweeping City Hall clean of scandals.

Tory joined Smitherman on one of the garbage strike cleanups. At the time, both Smitherman and Tory denied their garbage-picking forays had anything to do with a potential mayoral bid.

But backers from both camps say the potential candidates are now more clearly enamoured with the idea of running. Tory still has to convince his wife and is watching the polls and level of support to gauge his chances. Smitherman, who would potentially be the city's first gay mayor, is obviously flattered by the support at street level as he moves around town.

Smitherman has knowledge of the workings of City Hall. He was chief of staff in Barbara Hall's office when she was mayor of Toronto, prior to amalgamation. In 1997 Smitherman was Hall's campaign manager when she took on Mel Lastman for megacity mayor.

His people boast that Hall started that race 30 points behind Mel and closed to within single digits on election day.

As many as four right-leaning city councillors are considering a run for mayor but the general consensus is that none has the name recognition, fundraising ability, public profile or heft to challenge Miller. If either Smitherman or Tory runs, those councillors are likely to abort what would be a kamikaze mission.

As such, one Smitherman source this week tried to tamp down expectations and suggest it might be too early to announce a run for mayor.

"It's not even the start of the political playoffs yet," much yet championship time, he said.

Tory said it is prudent for a mayoral challenger to hold off and assess if the current drop in Miller's popularity sustains itself beyond a few weeks after the unpopular strike.
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Interesting. Smitherman ... that's astounding, I thought that his lack of awareness of what's going on in Toronto would hurt him. His claim to have not have heard that the city was buying new streetcars, despite lots of media coverage, and various letters from the city to the province was astounding.

It would also be surprising if there is no serious right-wing challenger.
 
While I supported and even campaigned for Miller both times, I welcome a serious challenger from the centre-left. Choice is always good.

Smitherman is an intelligent, articulate and seasoned politician. Not discounting his other achievements and abilities, the best thing about Smitherman is that he is the deputy Premier. With Dalton McGuinty as Premier and George Smitherman as Mayor, our city will have it smooth sailing with the province for as long as the Dalton & George show goes on.

I don't think Tory can win. He was running in a very crowded race where Miller hadn't yet made a name for himself. John Tory's name is synonymous with "loser", not being able to win a small riding while being head of a party. If he runs, he'll be the Jane Pitfield of 2010.

None of the councillors currently vying for the position has the heft to get the job done, but Miller-fatigue has set in for this two term mayor so a serious challenger with Smitherman's profile is almost a done deal.

I like Miller and am able to see that -- using a car analogy -- his work has focused on fixing the engine while most politicians tend to work on the more visible paint job, buffing it up shinier when elections come along.

Mayor Miller was able to bring Toronto into adulthood, away from the parenting of the province, an achievement that no mayor in our history has come close to. A lot of the outcome from that achievement will come across as unpopular (fees, levies, tolls, etc) so he may be outcast. However he's given future mayors the tools to bring Toronto to prosperity.

I'll be considering that come election time and listening to what Miller has planned to do with that new power. A third term for David Miller could see him go on a kamikaze mission to bring a Strong Mayor system to City Hall, something only an outgoing mayor can pull off, and the benefits of which he as mayor won't be able to enjoy but the city will.
 
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I can't see this staying a two-way race, especially when neither Miller or Smitherman come from the burbs. The right wing on council are hungry for victory and they won't let some "Miller-lite" like Smitherman squash their opportunity.

If Smitherman announces his candidacy then a lot of Miller's former big L liberal allies like Kyle Rae, Shelly Carroll and John Fillion will abandon ship, all of whom will have their plum committee positions at risk if Miller were to sneak in a third term.

I expect at least one "Responsible Government" member to throw their hat in the race, probably Karen Stintz or Michael Thompson.
 
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Michael Thompson is already in the race. There, I've said it. Let's say I heard it from the mouth of a person very close to him. ;)

...but that doesn't matter. If Smitherman runs, it will become a 2 man race. Miller and Smitherman are both high profile. Thompson and other councillors will be out shined.

Just because hundreds of citizens are running for mayor doesn't make it a hundred man/woman race. The focus will be on Smitherman and the incumbent.

If Smitherman doesn't run, I can see Thompson becoming the default adversary, and a very good one at that.
 
More accurately, Smitherman = Miller with friends. With McGuinty looking like he might be a Bill Davis-style premier who stays in power for a very very long time, there's a big upside to Toronto having a mayor who's in good with the province.
 
If the right wingers on council think Miller is a bully, wait until Smitherman takes office. His antics as a cabinet minister alone make Miller look like a cowering tortoise.
 
However I think at least some things will get done.

Or you may argue pretend to get done.
 
Because of his [ahem] forceful personality, Smitherman will be a polarizing figure, no doubt about it. But hasn't that also been the case with Lastman and Miller?

But one thing he'll be able to do better than the current occupant of the mayor's office is use his "bully pulpit" to mobilize public opinion in favour of his agenda. Salesmanship has never been one of Miller's strong points.
 
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