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Pitfield for Mayor in 2006?

E

elook

Guest
God help us all...


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from CTV Toronto:

Jane Pitfield to take on Miller in 2006

CTV.ca News Staff

City councillor Jane Pitfield will challenge Mayor David Miller for the city's top job by running in next year's mayoral election, CTV's Alicia Kay-Markson has learned in an exclusive interview.

"I have made a decision that I will be running for mayor in 2006," Pitfield told Markson on Tuesday.

The city councillor said Miller is falling short on making tough decisions and leading.

"If there are tough decisions that need to be made I can make them," Pitfield said. "I would lead by example… the solution is not to continue having round-tables and task forces."

As mayor, Pitfield said she would get the city's spending under control, overhaul the budget and hold off on any future tax increases.

"Public consultation is important but we are elected to lead and people expect results."

Her slogan is "Always think like a taxpayer."

During her time at City Hall, Pitfield has tackled a number of important issues including the city's crumbling infrastructure and trash problems.

Unlike Miller, she is open to incineration as an alternative to trucking Toronto's garbage to Michigan.

Pitfield's riding is Don Valley West and she has served on the Toronto City Council since 1998.

The councillor is very popular with constituents winning re-election in 2000 and again in 2003 with an overwhelming 87 per cent of the vote.
 
I'll welcome Pitfield's mayoral bid to be rid of Pitfield on council.

During her time at City Hall, Pitfield has tackled a number of important issues including the city's crumbling infrastructure and trash problems.
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Like the Eucrap monster bins?
 
As mayor, Pitfield said she would get the city's spending under control, overhaul the budget and hold off on any future tax increases.
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I thought part of the problem was the Cities spending was under control for nearly a decade while everything started to crumble...
 
Oh yes, while at the same time there were no tax increases, and the lead stooge from the city's right wing promised no tax increases for the next ten years. Look what that got us.

I'll admit, Pitfield is likely one of the most credible of council's right-of-centre group, but that's in comparison to intellectual and poltical heavyweights such as Rob Ford, Georgio Mammolitti and Frances Nunziata, amongst others.

It isn't a bad thing for Miller to get a bit of a fight, but I'll be glad to see Pitfield lose both the mayorial race and her council seat.
 
Unlike Miller, she is open to incineration as an alternative to trucking Toronto's garbage to Michigan.

Pitfield's riding is Don Valley West and she has served on the Toronto City Council since 1998.
Click to expand...

that's fine. she can burn the garbage in her own backyard.


p.s

they need to get with the times...

process_illustration2.gif
 
Just one *little* question. How has/did she tackle the infrastructure issue? I mean, the last time I've checked, it isn't something one councillor alone has a hands on, and she certainly wasn't instrumental in any particular scheme.

GB
 
If Pitfield in the game can wake Miller up a bit it is a good thing. If his competition for the election is Ford or a transvestite supermodel it will be a bit of a snooze.
 
I wonder who will pick up Ben Kerr's block of votes? It could make all the difference in a tight race.
 
Pitfield has about as much experience on council as Miller did when he ran (7-8 years), so I think she should, at a minimum, get the same number of votes as Tory did. Miller, as far as I know, never chaired a committee as complex as Works. Hardly a cakewalk for Miller, especially if we get 80-plus murders this year (72 now, a month to go). I can tell you, living in North York, and seeing downtown areas get cleaned so much more often than my area, Pitfield will at least have my consideration if she promises to get away from Miller's downtown-centric administration, and "spread the wealth", so to speak.
 
I agree Pitfield's not to be sneered at--at the very least, she's a conscientious "John Tory Tory", and a notch above true suburban-resentment reactives like Paul Sutherland...
 
As a Ward 26'er looking forward to not having Pityfield as my rep at city hall, I heard a good explanation on her campaign this morning from Matt B of Spacing fame.

He suggests that Jane is merely looking to gain some name recognition out of the campaign, and knows she can't. From there, she'll run provincially and maybe score a decent Toronto-related portfolio from John Tory if they win.
 
Couple of flaws with that argument. The first is that Pitfield has a known profile to begin with, given her time at Works. Works is an extremely high-profile committee, which covers everything from pipes, sewage, and road work, to litter and garbage pick-up. When she headed that committee, it was her face you saw when construction season began and the infrastructure backlog was brought up, or when the litter clean-up commenced and how much money was spent there, or when the debate over hauling trash to Michigan occurred. I'd argue, in fact, that her profile is higher than Tory's was when he ran for mayor. I had little idea who Tory was when he ran. Pitfield, I suspect, has more name recognition going in.

The second flaw is it makes no sense for her to contest the riding provincially. That riding seems to vote Liberal provincially (or at least red Tory), and conservative locally. Seems to work for them, and I don't see that pattern changing. Unless McGuinty's government really screws up towards the end of its mandate, I don't see Kathleen Wynne losing that seat. Pitfield must know this, and wouldn't risk a sure thing at City Hall.

Besides, if Miller continues to drift, if the bodies pile up, if another scandal breaks at City Hall, if the waterfront gets stalled again, or if McGuinty lets him down with the new Toronto Act, or some other thing, her campaign is written for her. I'm sure there are a lot of former Lastman voters stewing and waiting behind their big lawns and driveways to get back at downtown for hogging all the time, money and effort that Miller has put these past two years into it (and don't underestimate the impact from the Fantino episode; I suspect that will rear its head at some point).

The problem last time, I think, was that Tory (the best of an admittedly sorry bunch) was a bit over his head, a bit too unknown and unconnected to the North York political culture, which has long been the hidden-hand of Metro/Toronto going back to Allen, Godfrey and Tonks through to Lastman. It's time for it to reassert itself, and I think Pitfield represents that. Pitfield's not a raving, Rob Ford-esque figure that would make an easy target in a campaign. I'm not saying she'll win, but I think it will be close.

And besides, I've always thought Miller was using the Toronto mayoralty as a stepping board to either the provincial NDP leadership, or even the federal. What Layton and Chow are doing now, I can see Miller doing in five to ten years' time. So it cuts both ways.

(And keep in mind someone from an outfit like Spacing would probably not be looking forward to a right-of-centre mayor arising to challenge St. David. I sense some projection happening here)

Incidentally, a ward 26'er NOT voting for Pitfield? How many of you are there? You could all fit on a TTC bus, as she consistently wins with something like 80-85% of the vote.
 
Where's Enza Anderson gonna run next?

A super city deserves a supermodel!
 
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