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.

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.