Will you be voting for or against David Miller in the 2010 election

[nfitz]

I've always figured Miller would have a lot of support in 2010. But other posters seem to think otherwise.

So how about a straw poll?

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

Will you be voting for or against David Miller in the 2010 election

i will be voting for or against david miller in the 2010 election.

 

[junctionist]

I'll probably be voting against him if there's a relevant alternative. I don't think very negatively of Miller as it's undeniable that he's accomplished a lot, but Transit City has been a real disappointment.

I wonder what the major issues will be in the 2010 election. They will likely include transit, economic growth, and crime.

 

[nfitz]

Transit City a disappointment? That's a tough call, given that they only start construction this year, and it's less than 2 years since the scheme was announced. I'd say it's way too early to say that. And given that Miller has supported more subway construction than since the 1960s, and has significantly expanded bus service, it's not like he can be accused on doing one thing.

 

[Whoaccio]

No* The only thing I will give him credit for is the Tower Renewal project, and that hasn't even started yet and it will probably be screwed by the housing downturn (given that it was supposed to be funded via new condos...). That and parts of the RGS. Other than that, spending has been rising at roughly 4% p.a. (in 2008 dollars) and I can't really see what we have gotten in return.

*On the condition that whoever opposes him isn't a complete dolt (i.e. Rob Ford).

 

[junctionist]

Transit City a disappointment? That's a tough call, given that they only start construction this year, and it's less than 2 years since the scheme was announced. I'd say it's way too early to say that. And given that Miller has supported more subway construction than since the 1960s, and has significantly expanded bus service, it's not like he can be accused on doing one thing.

With Transit City, it is the end of the line for completing the Sheppard line and downtown subway construction was not prioritized. Hence, it is a disappointment and a subpar proposal. It clearly doesn't reflect the kind of transit system most Torontonians want and lacks any ambition.

The invaluable DRL wasn't even an issue until the Facebook page was started and the media took notice. It was then said that they'll at it in 2018. If Eglinton didn't get heavy rail, it should have been a fully grade separated LRT.

 

[Hipster Duck]

I will either vote for someone other than David Miller or abstain from the next election because I do not support the idea of voting for the lesser of a bunch of evils. David Miller has consistently disappointed me. While I find fault with individual programs such as the street furniture proposal, the street vendor fiasco and most notably Transit City, I think that Miller's ultimate failure was in what he didn't do rather than what he did.

First, there's the litany of empty promises: bike lanes, leveling the Gardiner, beautifying NPS, making the streets safer, etc. Then, I have to shake my head at his inability to control the raucous post-amalgamation kindergarten that is city council. Similarly, I feel that his "One Cent Now" campaign was too Mickey Mouse and ineffective to counter the injustice of provincial and federal downloading to municipalities, while throwing money at attempts to brand Toronto internationally just made us a laughingstock. We need (no, we deserve) someone who has enough of a presence to overhaul the weak mayoral system; to stop the infighting at city hall; to stand up for our maligned city at Queen's Park and in Ottawa, and to represent our worthy metropolitanism
on a world stage.

 

[nfitz]

The invaluable DRL wasn't even an issue until the Facebook page was started and the media took notice.

You think DRL is coming back into play because of a Facebook group?

It's coming into play, because Metrolinx prioritized the Yonge extension - and then the computer models, showed that the combination of the Yonge extension, and the DRL, resulted in far less passengers at Yonge-Bloor than there are today. So it was a small leap from there, that perhaps spending $1 billion or so to rebuild Yonge-Bloor may not make sense, when for $2-billion you can build a Pape to Queen subway.

 

[W. K. Lis]

I don't think that Transit City was Miller's idea. Transit City is a good development for Toronto.
I will not be voting for David Miller for Mayor, or dog catcher, anyway.

 

[junctionist]

You think DRL is coming back into play because of a Facebook group?

I don't recall any contemporary media attention on the DRL until the Facebook group was started and the leading commentators on transit brought it up.

Of course it is recent transit developments like the need to expand YB which have forced Metrolinx to consider it and not the influence of the Facebook group. These details really miss the point and seem to be a straw man. Miller did not include the DRL in his vision for new transit projects called "Transit City" and that is a shortcoming.

 

[kEiThZ]

Won't this depend on who the competition is? I have feeling though that many of those around me will not be voting for him. I have heard a fair amount of complaints about all the new taxes and the perception that people aren't getting anything in return for them. It's getting hard to defend the dude to others, I have to say. He had better hope that the Sheppard line is well under way if hopes to win votes in the 'burbs. Most folks don't know anything about these lines and simply think Miller is nickel and diming them.

 

[adma]

We're indeed dealing with a "consider the alternatives" case, i.e. a Miller vs Adam Vaughan race might turn up different results from a Miller vs Mike Thompson race--on whose behalf, depends where you incline, I guess.

 

[GraphicMatt]

I voted 'Yes' but, yeah, it absolutely depends on who's running against him. I think Miller absolutely means well, but he's a bit weak on actually making things happen politically. He lacks a certain leadership quality that great politicians need to succeed.

But he's not bad.

The one-track 'conservative' movement that seems to believe that there are no reasons why property taxes should go up EVER won't be happy regardless of who we elect. As long as our politicians don't try to pander to them, we'll be fine.

Is it still rumoured that Smitherman might run eventually? That'd make things interesting.

 

[nfitz]

Won't this depend on who the competition is?

Well, I'd assume something along the lines of several with no chance and no name, and one solid candidate Conservative-like candidate of the likes of John Tory ... who'll want to balance the budget through huge spending cuts, and service cost hikes.

Which means if the views here hold, we'll be looking at reduced transit, shorter library hours, higher fares ... and I'd say less police, but they always seem to do well in the budget, no matter who is running the show.

 

[ShonTron]

Yeah, it really depends on the other candidates running. I have been disappointed by Miller and what really hit it home was his childish fit he took in 2007 after the delay on the new taxes by closing libraries on Sundays (except in those oh-so-special "priority neighbourhoods") and raising TTC fares while delaying by a year the needed service improvements.

I know that Miller has meant well, and has been a big leap over the lunacy of the Lastman era (the first year or two were exciting) and there's been more festivals and that and some positive developments. Perhaps the expectations were too high.

I should say that all the "Socialist/Communist" or "Tax-and-spend Miller" like comments are just weak right-wing snipes. There has been little in the way of thought out, constructive, or reasoned opposition. I think that's a lot of Toronto's problems. A good, strong and diligent opposition is essential in a democracy. Not Royson James calling for lynchings or Rob Ford blowing gaskets. That's weak and lazy.

Trouble is that most of the potential candidates are jokes or not serious, like Ford, Stintz (though she's mellowed) or David Peacut. Smitherman would be worth watching, but I have heard he is difficult to work for/under and can be very abrasive. There's Royson James' pet candidate, Mike Clemons, but while a nice guy and all, shouldn't be a serious candidate. I have said before, Clemons could make a good Lieutenant-Governor, but not a Mayor. Michael Thompson could be an interesting candidate - apart from one early, but huge gaffe, he's been a relatively level-headed centre-right who's matured politically. If not 2010, then 2014.