New Mayor Elected in Fordonto . . . er, Toronto

Rob Ford is the new mayor of Toronto. He is a fiscal conservative who wants to cut taxes, reduce the size of city council and execute councillors who spend their allowances frivolously. He undoubtely intends to cut services and is one of those party poopers who believes that cities shouldn't be spending money they don't have . . . and then piling on the taxes to make up for budget shortfalls. In a nutshell he doesn't seem to go along with the time honoured practice of the "bait and switch" election platform.

The Toronto Star, embodiment of all things great and good and earnest and high minded and resolutely Canadian and dimpled and apple cheeked and nicey nice and nannied-up-the-wazoo in Toronto, is maintaining it's dignity post election. Pre-election they were scorning Ford and his "angry man campaign" and didn't give him a peanut's chance on an elephant's dinner table of winning the election.

They attempted a tabloid-style takeout of Mr. Ford a couple of times during the campaign by reporting on a ten year old arrest for pot posession in Florida and by suckering Mr. Ford into a fake conversation with a "drug addict", who was asking Mr. Ford to get him some sort of drug and who was so persistent that Ford, a guy who prides himself on actually taking calls from constituents, in an unguarded moment of impatience, suggested that the guy try to get the drugs "on the street", in order to get rid of him.

Unfortunately, the schizoid Star, acting a little like Huckleberry Finn trying to stampede Toronto's proper Aunt Pollys into burying Ford at the polls, was unmasked and the whole prank widely viewed as a journalistic pratfall.

They should have contracted an editor from the National Enquirer to pull off a caper like that, instead of going all amateur hour with it under the impression that there is no skill involved in press assassination and that it can be done by anybody in the cucumber sandwich set.

However, though ruffled, they are unbowed and seem to have adjusted to the new reality.

I have to say I was shocked when I looked at the ballot. There were forty people running for mayor at least thirty of whom I'd never heard of.

Ford got roughly 48% of the vote while Smitherman and Pantalone (the closest rivals) together took 49% roughly. The latter two represented the pre-Ford, "how I spend your money is none of your business" era. Unfortunately for their supporters, they couldn't agree on a "stop Ford" strategy that would see one throwing his support to the other.

Mr. Ford's first term is going to be very interesting.

I am not very concerned with city-level politics, however my sister is quited ..peeved.. at the election's result.

reply to post by purplemonkeydishwasher


Oh, I know. I live in a house full of them. For the first day I was afraid to tell anyone how I had voted. It's still shaky around here.

reply to post by ipsedixit




I love the way you write. Had me smiling for the entire post, so... congrats on that.

About Rob Ford: I have a lot of respect for him (and his brother, who now is a councellor) even though he is a populist. I won't get into my reasoning for that, but suffice it to say that his connections to Mike Harris and Hudak leave a slightly bitter taste in my mouth.

Rob Ford's heart is in the right place and I look forward to watching him as he takes his scythe to the revenue-sucking weeds that have grown over the past number of years, choking the finances and upping the taxes in the GTA. I see him as required positive change. The fact that he is looking for advice from the successful, respected and longest running mayor in our countries' history, Hazel McCallion, speaks volumes about Ford's intellect (even if he is a populist).

Originally posted by masqua
reply to post by ipsedixit

 

I love the way you write. Had me smiling for the entire post, so... congrats on that.

"Theng ya, theng ya, verra mush", as a famous rocknroller once slurred.

I think Ford is a necessary tonic. The last ten to fifteen years around this city have been a little too slip shod. We've got problems here, particularly wth the transit system. They have been talking about transit projects but they can't even get the subway started at the normal time on Sunday.

That speaks volumes about a governing class that doesn't seem to be aware of the fact that there are thousands of shift workers coming off work Sunday morning at 7 or 8 AM who can't get on the subway and go home. They have to pack into the cross town bus on Bloor St. and strap hang it across the city, dog tired and during the winter blue with cold.

I have waited myself for the cross town bus in bitter cold and driving snow while five bunched up buses have passed me going in the opposite direction. I'm not really down on the transit commission. I know it is hard to keep those buses spaced out properly, but in tough times it dosn't take much imagination to see that the subway should be open early enough on Sunday, at least duing the period from December through to the end of March to help people out of the cold as they go home from work.

I'm hoping that Ford will have a little more down to earth approach to the voter's issues than our previous mayor did.