The vote count ended way before 9 p.m. and the people have spoken --- Rob Ford is Toronto's mayor-elect, the 64th to helm the city.
The Ford right-wing juggernaut couldn't be stopped and his message of cutting expenses and stopping the gravy train resonated with voters. Surrounded by family and friends at his west end home, Ford stood up when Toronto news station CP24 made the call and declared him the winner of a bruising race for City Hall.
George Smitherman, Ford's nearest rival, was gracious in defeat as he congratulated the new mayor. Joe Pantalone simply couldn't muster the support to propel him to the front lines and continuously trailed Ford and Smitherman. Calling democracy 'beautiful' the veteran councillor of 30 years who represented Trinity-Spadina (Ward 19) is now shut out of politics. Pantalone will stay in his council seat until November. 30.
Ford's win is a warning shot across the bow at Queen's Park and Premier Dalton McGuinty's government. McGuinty has been criticized as 'Premier Dad' for his social managing of the lives of Ontarians.
In any event, the 10-month race for Toronto mayor is over. For those who are into stats, here are the voting numbers: Ford captured 47.1% of the vote, Smitherman had 35.7% and Pantalone votes came in at 11.7%.
Declaring Toronto 'open for business' Ford will wear the mayoral mantle for the next four years.
May I say that I was pleasantly surprised at the voter turnout. I voted during the lunch hour and there was a queue of a dozen people at my polling station which increased as I left after casting my ballot. The indifferent voter was nowhere in sight. Torontonians care about their city.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Dancing with Toronto's next mayor
I had a good laugh over the Saturday Star's front page story showing mayoral hopefuls George Smitherman and Rob Ford in 'Dancing with the Stars' mode. Or was it a parody of 'So you think you can dance Canada'.
Not to forget Mr. Joe Pantalone whose picture was in the inside pages. He was smiling sheepishly like it was prom night!
I don't think it was a confusion on the Toronto Star's part with overlapping titles of these hit TV dance shows. But it sure added levity to a mayoral race that's down to the wire, photo finish, neck and neck and whatever else you may want to call it --- we sure need to laugh --- politics is and can be a dirty game with name calling and airing one's dirty laundry before the public --- so kudos to the Star for showing that these mayoral candidates can let their hair down --- uh, that is, if they have some hair left --- but forget all that --- it was fun and we all needed that especially on the eve of this all-important mayoral race in our fair city.
Not to forget Mr. Joe Pantalone whose picture was in the inside pages. He was smiling sheepishly like it was prom night!
I don't think it was a confusion on the Toronto Star's part with overlapping titles of these hit TV dance shows. But it sure added levity to a mayoral race that's down to the wire, photo finish, neck and neck and whatever else you may want to call it --- we sure need to laugh --- politics is and can be a dirty game with name calling and airing one's dirty laundry before the public --- so kudos to the Star for showing that these mayoral candidates can let their hair down --- uh, that is, if they have some hair left --- but forget all that --- it was fun and we all needed that especially on the eve of this all-important mayoral race in our fair city.
Which one will the voters bless?
A song from an old Hollywood movie set in Rome --- Three Coins in the Fountain is running in my head on the eve of Toronto's mayoral elections: which one will the fountain bless?
We really don't have something like the Fontana di Trevi in Rome so who will I bless with my vote?
A weighty decision to make as I cast my ballot for the next mayor of Toronto tomorrow. Or do I simply emulate what millions of tourists do in Rome as they stand before this beautiful fountain? I'll throw a coin over my shoulder and hope that the city gets the mayor it truly deserves. George Smitherman. Rob Ford. Joe Pantalone. Which one will the voters bless?
We really don't have something like the Fontana di Trevi in Rome so who will I bless with my vote?
A weighty decision to make as I cast my ballot for the next mayor of Toronto tomorrow. Or do I simply emulate what millions of tourists do in Rome as they stand before this beautiful fountain? I'll throw a coin over my shoulder and hope that the city gets the mayor it truly deserves. George Smitherman. Rob Ford. Joe Pantalone. Which one will the voters bless?
Sunday, October 17, 2010
The anybody-but-Ford momentum
This afternoon I ran into a fellow tenant who voted in the advance poll for the Toronto mayorship and was forthright in saying that she voted for Smitherman to stop Ford. I mentioned that I was still in the 'undecided' category. So they seem to be out there --- 'they' being the voters who cast their vote for Smitherman to stop Ford from being the next mayor of Toronto.
Was it only a few weeks ago that George Smitherman declared that he was 'the man to beat' and is therefore leading the anybody-but-Ford movement. That was when polls showed that the Etobicoke councillor had a 24-percentage-point lead over Smitherman. The numbers served as a battlecry for 'Furious' George who (figuratively) donned boxing gloves and asked voters to rally around an anybody-but-Ford camp.
In an October 14 article putting Smitherman and Ford deadlocked in a sprint to the finish, the Globe and Mail cited voters gravitating around the former not because they're 'enamoured' with the former deputy premier but because of antipathy towards the latter.
Will this anybody-but-Ford momentum translate into votes for George Smitherman and the brass ring? We have a week to go and votes to count when polls close on October 25.
Rossi: the best mayor Toronto never had?
I read the National Post's Matt Gurney's take on Rocco Rossi saying that he hopes Toronto voters will see Rocco Rossi again. Gurney says Mr. Rossi was the best choice for mayor. Not having held public office coupled with a lack of name recognition, Gurney looks at Rossi as the best choice for mayor for his lack of baggage and the offer of a fresh start adding that 'God knows, Toronto could use that.'
Perhaps. But Rossi had the misfortune (if indeed one could call it that) of being in a race that according to Gurney has become defined with Ford's outrage (Stop the gravy train! cut expenses!) and the other candidates responding to it.
And, yes, there were the rather off-putting (to me, anyway) 'Goodfella' campaign ads. Gurney adds that with Rossi gone from the mayoral race he hopes that the former candidate sticks around with his new-found name recognition. Whoever wins Gurney believes that our city will find itself in desperate need need of a moderate mayor without the burden of an embarrassing (and that word again!) baggage. So, if Mr. Rossi spends the next four years networking and maybe even reminding the populace of his potential then he might just be the man to come to Toronto's rescue.
Perhaps. But Rossi had the misfortune (if indeed one could call it that) of being in a race that according to Gurney has become defined with Ford's outrage (Stop the gravy train! cut expenses!) and the other candidates responding to it.
And, yes, there were the rather off-putting (to me, anyway) 'Goodfella' campaign ads. Gurney adds that with Rossi gone from the mayoral race he hopes that the former candidate sticks around with his new-found name recognition. Whoever wins Gurney believes that our city will find itself in desperate need need of a moderate mayor without the burden of an embarrassing (and that word again!) baggage. So, if Mr. Rossi spends the next four years networking and maybe even reminding the populace of his potential then he might just be the man to come to Toronto's rescue.
Is it too close to call?
Editorial cartoon from the Toronto Star's Patrick CorriganWe're almost down to the wire --- E-Day--- Election Day on October 25. Rocco Rossi dropped out due to single-digit poll numbers 'conceding his ideas did not gain traction' with Toronto voters. Now it's a two-man race to the finish line and the ultimate prize: City Hall. An election update from the Toronto Sun says the Toronto mayoral race will be a photo finish.
Front runner Rob Ford and George Smitherman in a dead heat with 18.5 per cent of voters still undecided according to CTV News. Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone still hanging in there not wanting to call it quits.
The endorsements are coming in with the Toronto Star shining its light on George Smitherman, Justin Trudeau made no bones about choosing Smitherman and the Sun beams in on Ford. Joe Pantalone kicks in with a MoeJoe endorsement gathering at his Bloor St. E. headquarters.
It's an exciting race to the finish! And I'm still undecided ...
Monday, October 11, 2010
Coming in from the outside
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was part of the audience at CBC's Glenn Gould Studio on October 5 watching Toronto's mayoral hopefuls battle it on the podium. While waiting for the studio doors to open, Rocco Rossi schmoozed with the crowd. My initial impression was his height and approachable demeanour. I told him that I was blogging the mayoral race and he responded that he did not want to influence my opinion. I was open about my being undecided hence my presence at the debate.
Among all the mayoral candidates, Rossi has never held public office. I remember reading that he brought in Michael Ignatieff from Harvard which explains Rossi's Liberal credentials. Rossi managed John Tory's "near-miss" run for City Hall in 2003 and considers himself Tory's intellectual heir.
With virtually no name recognition, Rossi threw his hat into the mayoral ring and for a time had to deal with 'Rocco who?' questions. There's a historical handicap to his candidacy: no City Hall outsider has won Toronto's mayorship in the last 100 years. And the poll numbers seem to bear that out although Rossi cites his internal polling that he is gaining and coming in a strong second to Ford and Smitherman. Political pundits call it 'bocce balls' --- a throwback to the candidate's Italian ancestry.
Rossi has already cast his ballot in the advance polls. Now whether he'll be able to sway the anti-Ford segment of the population and the rest of Toronto as election day nears remains to be seen.
It ain't over until the Fat Lady sings.
Among all the mayoral candidates, Rossi has never held public office. I remember reading that he brought in Michael Ignatieff from Harvard which explains Rossi's Liberal credentials. Rossi managed John Tory's "near-miss" run for City Hall in 2003 and considers himself Tory's intellectual heir.
With virtually no name recognition, Rossi threw his hat into the mayoral ring and for a time had to deal with 'Rocco who?' questions. There's a historical handicap to his candidacy: no City Hall outsider has won Toronto's mayorship in the last 100 years. And the poll numbers seem to bear that out although Rossi cites his internal polling that he is gaining and coming in a strong second to Ford and Smitherman. Political pundits call it 'bocce balls' --- a throwback to the candidate's Italian ancestry.
Rossi has already cast his ballot in the advance polls. Now whether he'll be able to sway the anti-Ford segment of the population and the rest of Toronto as election day nears remains to be seen.
It ain't over until the Fat Lady sings.
The advance polls are open
Ah! the beauty of Democracy and the right to vote. If you're busy and can't make it on the day of the municipal elections --- October 25--- there are the advance polls and they're ready for you.
Since I live in Toronto I could either vote now or wait for election day itself. Or do I need more time to mull my choices over? I used to be a very decisive voter and took pride in that. And do I vote along party lines? It depends whether a candidate's message hits home and will he or she be the right one to run the city or country?
I must confess that I'm big on charisma --- the kind exuded by JFK or Pope John Paul II. That je ne sais quoi as the French call it. Nope! none of the Toronto mayoral candidates have it. So I continue to hem and haw. I may be undecided but that doesn't mean I won't vote.
If push comes to shove, the lobby of my building is transformed into a polling station. So on October 25 --- undecided or not --- I will exercise my civic duty and cast my vote. I'll probably wait until I return from work to do so and I hope to heaven that I make the right choice.
Since I live in Toronto I could either vote now or wait for election day itself. Or do I need more time to mull my choices over? I used to be a very decisive voter and took pride in that. And do I vote along party lines? It depends whether a candidate's message hits home and will he or she be the right one to run the city or country?
I must confess that I'm big on charisma --- the kind exuded by JFK or Pope John Paul II. That je ne sais quoi as the French call it. Nope! none of the Toronto mayoral candidates have it. So I continue to hem and haw. I may be undecided but that doesn't mean I won't vote.
If push comes to shove, the lobby of my building is transformed into a polling station. So on October 25 --- undecided or not --- I will exercise my civic duty and cast my vote. I'll probably wait until I return from work to do so and I hope to heaven that I make the right choice.
Thanksgiving Day reflections
This is my seventeenth Thanksgiving Day in Toronto. I arrived in late September 1991 giving up a flourishing communications career with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to live in Canada. I walked right into the economic downturn of the early 90s and thus started a Sisyphean struggle to get my career back on track.
These thoughts ran through my mind as I sat in the audience of the mayoral debate at the CBC's Glenn Gould Studio on October 5. The debate was an off-shoot of the Toronto Community Foundation's Vital Signs 2010 report. Who has a better (may I add brighter) vision of Toronto among the mayoral candidates?
Toronto has always taken pride in its diversity --- 'home to the world' --- the city fathers proclaim --- attracting the best and the brightest. But it is a known fact that many highly educated immigrants have fallen through the cracks in Canada's largest city. Stories of doctors driving cabs, working as security guards or delivering pizzas abound. It seemed to be the norm rather than the exception.
And that is why I was fortunate enough to escape the ignominy of career oblivion in 1996 by returning to the UN through an editorial posting in New York albeit a short-term one. Indeed I felt that my adopted city lacked vision in opening its arms to qualified and educated newcomers. How do we contribute if we are stonewalled from the get-go?
Did I find a mayor with a world view at the CBC Glenn Gould Studio debate? Someone who will think beyond potholes as beautifully expressed in Toronto Community Foundation's CEO Rahul Bharwaj's Open Letter.
A statesman with a vision for tomorrow. Have we found him yet?
I remember mentioning to Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone as he worked the crowd lining up in the CBC lobby before the debate began that I was an undecided voter. At the end of the debate, Mr. Pantalone saw me again and asked whether I was still neutral ... I am afraid so, Mr. Pantalone. I'm afraid so.
These thoughts ran through my mind as I sat in the audience of the mayoral debate at the CBC's Glenn Gould Studio on October 5. The debate was an off-shoot of the Toronto Community Foundation's Vital Signs 2010 report. Who has a better (may I add brighter) vision of Toronto among the mayoral candidates?
Toronto has always taken pride in its diversity --- 'home to the world' --- the city fathers proclaim --- attracting the best and the brightest. But it is a known fact that many highly educated immigrants have fallen through the cracks in Canada's largest city. Stories of doctors driving cabs, working as security guards or delivering pizzas abound. It seemed to be the norm rather than the exception.
And that is why I was fortunate enough to escape the ignominy of career oblivion in 1996 by returning to the UN through an editorial posting in New York albeit a short-term one. Indeed I felt that my adopted city lacked vision in opening its arms to qualified and educated newcomers. How do we contribute if we are stonewalled from the get-go?
Did I find a mayor with a world view at the CBC Glenn Gould Studio debate? Someone who will think beyond potholes as beautifully expressed in Toronto Community Foundation's CEO Rahul Bharwaj's Open Letter.
A statesman with a vision for tomorrow. Have we found him yet?
I remember mentioning to Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone as he worked the crowd lining up in the CBC lobby before the debate began that I was an undecided voter. At the end of the debate, Mr. Pantalone saw me again and asked whether I was still neutral ... I am afraid so, Mr. Pantalone. I'm afraid so.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
The indifferent voter
Toronto's municipal elections don't seem to catch fire with the electorate. What's up with that? The turnout is dismal at best or at worst --- depending on on which side of the equation you belong. There's a sense of disconnect among the city electorate.
Let's look at the new arrivals --- the soon-to-be Canadians --- with landed immigrant status. They (if interested in the election process at all) wait for three years before they're granted the right to vote. Might there be a sense of non-inclusion pervading this segment of our city's population?
The Toronto Star calls it the 39 per cent problem. In the Star article, a question was asked about how was a mayor elected. A lack of clarity of the voting process be it municipal, provincial or federal. Besides the lack of clarity there's a feeling of cynicism, indifference and frustration.
Toronto may trumpet its multiculturalism to the world but that might be the underlying factor why there is such a low voter turnout. Members of these ethno-cultural communities don't show up at the polls. Door-to-door campaigns and convincing our multicultural neighbours that every vote counts fall on deaf ears.
I have voted in every election since became a Canadian citizen in 1995. I have volunteered in mayoral and federal election campaigns and worked for Elections Canada.
But that's me. I want to have my voice heard through the ballot box.
Let's look at the new arrivals --- the soon-to-be Canadians --- with landed immigrant status. They (if interested in the election process at all) wait for three years before they're granted the right to vote. Might there be a sense of non-inclusion pervading this segment of our city's population?
The Toronto Star calls it the 39 per cent problem. In the Star article, a question was asked about how was a mayor elected. A lack of clarity of the voting process be it municipal, provincial or federal. Besides the lack of clarity there's a feeling of cynicism, indifference and frustration.
Toronto may trumpet its multiculturalism to the world but that might be the underlying factor why there is such a low voter turnout. Members of these ethno-cultural communities don't show up at the polls. Door-to-door campaigns and convincing our multicultural neighbours that every vote counts fall on deaf ears.
I have voted in every election since became a Canadian citizen in 1995. I have volunteered in mayoral and federal election campaigns and worked for Elections Canada.
But that's me. I want to have my voice heard through the ballot box.
Big poll numbers don't a winner make
Some candidates may be dismissive of polls and declare that the only polls that matter are the votes on election day. Should we believe these polls giving frontrunner status to candidates and declaring them the winner even before the votes are cast?
Rob Ford is the perceived frontrunner in the 2010 Toronto mayoral race. Notice I used the word 'perceived'. What does this mean? And does this make Ford the runaway winner? In the 2006 mayoral elections, Barbara Hall had a big lead over her opponents. But voters switched to David Miller 
whom they chose as the viable candidate and gave him the mayoral mantle.
whom they chose as the viable candidate and gave him the mayoral mantle. But wai!t there's a Global News Ipsos Reid survey showing George Smitherman cutting into Ford's lead with the former leading winning by 48% in a 'hypothetical matchup' against Ford's 45% of voters' support. And this was in late September almost a full month before the October 25 Toronto mayoral elections --- that could be a lifetime in politics!
So if it goes down to the wire, who will be Toronto's next mayor?
This will be a nail-biter of an election and who will the gods bless to lead our fair city in the next four years?
As the pundits say, it's too close to call.
Sarah Thompson throws in the towel
Sarah Thompson has climbed down from the mayoral fight --- unbloodied and unbowed. After all that speculation, poll numbers that never went beyond single digits, a campaign that lacked gravitas, Sarah Thompson ends her bid for the Toronto mayorship and throws her support behind 'Furious' George Smitherman. Trying to stop the Ford juggernaut, Thompson says that electing Rob Ford would be the 'worst thing for the city'.
With Thompson out of the race, will there be an 'anyone but Ford' heckuva bruising sprint towards City Hall? Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone isn't following in Ms. Thompson's footsteps declaring that the only time he'll drop out of the race is after serving eight years as mayor. He's been endorsed by Ed Broadbent, Jack Layton and Layton's wife, Olivia Chow. Will these endorsements add wind to Pantalone's sails? We'll have to wait and see.
And what's Ford take on Sarah Thompson's move to the Smitherman camp? The frontrunner wished his now-former rival well although professing that he didn't understand 'what Sarah was doing'.
Be that as it may, the playing field for Toronto mayor has been narrowed down to four. And like in the jungle, it's the fittest who survive.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)