It would be a shame to tell all those people running to be mayor of Toronto that they are doing it all wrong. This is not a long campaign. It is unlikely that voters are going to chase candidates down the street to see where they stand on the issues. And what are the issues. Is it the individual issues that matter? It is time for those 40 plus people to wake up, sniff the air in Toronto and ask the simple question: “Why.”
And maybe it is; Why are they wasting their time? There is no second-place money in this race. One person is going to get all the lolly. And that is the person who knows the “Why.”
Because the “Why” is not an issue. It might be safe streets. I wouldn’t bet on it myself. The former police chief in the race owns that issue and has to run on it. Thankfully it doesn’t often work. People who have spent their life in police work make lousy mayors. They are too authoritarian and narrow in their focus. They often don’t know how to compromise.
I always encourage candidates to have great ideas to talk about such as playgrounds, parks, building codes, housing, etc. It gives the voters who pay attention something to think about but it rarely makes much difference.
It simply does not answer the “why” of the candidate.
And personally, I would stay far away from this strong mayor foofaraw. It is for conservative candidates who don’t mind being kissy-kissy with premier Ford, as long as he can stay in office. You can only use those undemocratic powers when the premier says you can. And there are too many conservatives running.
Frankly, I think Toronto needs a person with good experience federally or provincially and knows the difference. That is where the city has to get the money to do the job that needs to be done. Toronto has to get building. You cannot afford to have a city where people camp in the parks or sleep on sewer grates. Toronto is the business centre of Canada and a smart mayor knows how to play that to the city’s advantage.
Toronto is the place to be mayor. Toronto is the place to raise children. Toronto is a place for tourists. Toronto is a fun city. Toronto is an open city. Toronto matters. Now think about it and tell us that “Why.”
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