Mayor Hijacking By Election

A call for new blood
Sep. 13, 2006. 05:50 AM
ROYSON JAMES

Sometimes, ordinary folk just can't seem to get a break. Especially at city hall.

And these days, old and recycled blood may have to do for those seeking new blood at the seat of local democracy.

Welcome back John Sewell and John Adams, former councillors on the comeback trail, this time in Ward 21 St. Paul's; and Ron Moeser, who thinks Ward 44 Scarborough East misses him after a three-year dalliance with Gay Cowbourne.

To be sure, Sewell made his mark as mayor, in his day. But that was decades ago, and times have changed.

Then, there is the connected — ex-Citytv man Adam Vaughan challenging in Trinity-Spadina and the last-minute parachute candidate Gord Perks, riding in on his environmental horse into Ward 14 Parkdale-High Park.

Old new blood. Uncommon new blood. Not what many anticipated in the lead-up to the municipal election campaign.

Take Rowena Santos, for example. Spend an hour with this dynamo and you're convinced she's the type of new blood Toronto needs at city hall. It's the same exhilaration and good vibe one gets from Alejandra Bravo, seeking to unseat the incumbent in Ward 17 Davenport.

But don't look to city hall to help these newcomers break into the closed shop where connections and old alliances can trump even political affiliation.

For one, people like me give the sitting councillors ongoing profile and name recognition.

Then, councillors have a $53,000 office budget they use to promote themselves, all the way up to Sept. 29, six weeks before election day. Isn't that sickening?

And, if that's not enough, they've pushed and succeeded in getting the province to increase their term of office to four years, from three, following the Nov. 13 vote. Finally, to perpetuate the cozy, old boys network, if there is a vacancy, the incumbents conspire and angle to bring in their buddies to start the damnable process all over and preserve the closed shop.

Went door-knocking with Santos, along Lansdowne near Queen, yesterday, down the road from where people openly deal drugs and the sellers await the buyers right next to "pay day" outlets.

The lawns are tiny and tidy and often paved over, but adorned with modest gardens. And people are surprisingly accommodating at the supper-hour intrusion.

Gord Perks doesn't live in Parkdale-High Park but he is the mayor's favourite
Sushil Sharma wants to know if Santos lives in the area — and she does. "Crime is a problem. If she lives here she will know the problems," he explains after she's gone to the next door. "She has new ideas. That's good," Sharma says, reading her literature about BAG'D (Boxers Against Guns `n Drugs), a new program Santos co-founded for at-risk youths.

Catching up to Santos at the other door, she's laughing out loud. The man has signed her off with, "You're pretty, too. You'll get my vote."

Santos is young, bright, articulate, a woman of colour, a Parkdale resident, and a progressive — which is to say, you are a New Democrat. Last January she'd already decided she would challenge incumbent Sylvia Watson for the city council seat in Ward 14 Parkdale-High Park.

She travelled to city hall and registered Feb. 6 for the November vote and people couldn't help but admire her spunk and grit and determination — some say folly — to take on an incumbent. But she pressed on and by August she'd already canvassed 80 per cent of the ward.

Then, the big break. Watson decides to resign her seat to run in the provincial by-election to replace Gerard Kennedy. (Watson is in a overheated struggle against Cheri DiNovo of the NDP, who could upset her in the vote tomorrow. David Hutcheon of the PCs and Frank DeJong, Green Party, are the other candidates).

But hold it a minute. With no incumbent at the city hall seat, the open ward is now an attractive target. By yesterday, nine candidates had registered, including five New Democrats who are bound to deplete workers and split votes Santos might have expected.

Among the late arrivals is Gord Perks, environmentalist extraordinaire, who doesn't live in the ward, who registered Aug. 25. And, more importantly, he is the mayor's favourite, having spent more days lobbying and drafting policy in the mayor's office since 2003 than anyone not on David Miller's payroll.

The NDP isn't expected to endorse anyone because candidates John Colautti (Watson's assistant at city hall), Walter Jarsky (he ran last time), David White, Perks and Santos are all card-carrying New Democrats. (Other candidates are Beverley Bernado, Tom Freeman, Ted Lojko, Dilorece South, Jimmy Talpa, Matthew Vezina).

But Miller, a New Democrat, is expected to back Perks. And that might tip the balance — even though DiNovo has expressed support for Santos before Perks entered.

"Overall, it's really unfair," Santos says of the barriers stacked against newcomers and especially Miller's anticipated endorsement of Perks. (The mayor has shown a lot of support and will be at his campaign launch, Perks says).

"It's unfair to all of the other progressive candidates in an open race like this. It's unfair to bring an outsider who doesn't live in the community. At the end of the day, we have to let the voters decide."

Perks says people in the ward "harassed" him to run, so he relented.

New blood. Newcomers. New faces, especially ones whose skin tones are rarely seen around city hall. One would have thought New Democrats would be into promoting that ideal. And they are, except when it becomes personal. Then, an ordinary gal or guy can't get a break.

Royson James usually appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Email: rjames@thestar.ca.

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