It was fascinating to read the Toronto Star municipal reporter’s opinion on the current mayoralty race in Toronto. It was as though he wanted to go backwards to gain ground forward. He damned Tory for stepping down into the mayor’s role and not growing in the job. What the reporter does not appreciate is that the man is probably the last patrician to take the job. And if he cannot see that John Tory has the patience of Job, he must be in the wrong line of work.
And, frankly, candidate for mayor Keesmaat is a joke. And a sad one at that! We should all worry about this trend of city employees thinking they can casually move into elected positions. This one does not even think she should start at the bottom. Jennifer Keesmaat contributed little as a city planner, she can contribute even less in the mayor’s position.
John Tory brought grace and dignity to the role of mayor. What was remarkable about his last four years was his sensitivity to his city and its needs. That was, in itself, a remarkable job. I do not remember how many times watching some breaking news on television seeing Mayor Tory arriving to bring what help the city could provide to people caught up in the claustrophobia of big city events.
How quickly does premier Ford show up? When did he ever show up at that horror on Yonge Street south from Finch?
The reason John Tory beat Doug Ford and Olivia Chow for mayor four-years ago was because the city needed a civilized mayor such as Tory to bring some order. He cared about the city, not self importance.
And for the Toronto Star reporter to complain about Tory not ranting and roaring at the Queen’s Park Tories brings into question the reporter’s understanding of how things work. The province has full control of the cities in this province and they are never going to let us forget it. The mayor’s strength and effectiveness are built on his or her ability to cajole and convince. Other than that, the mayor is just one more vote on council.
If I was still living in the City of Toronto, I would vote for John Tory one more time. I would certainly not vote for a know-it-all reporter or a know-it-all former city employee such as Jennifer Keesmaat.
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Copyright 2018 © Peter Lowry
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