Sue Ann Gives Us Portrait Of LeDrew

I think the campaign is going to get more media coverage because of LeDrew and hopefully he will keep his promise of withdrawing if polls indicate he cannot win and his supporters would get behind Pitfield.

So, who is this LeDrew?

By SUE-ANN LEVY

He declared bankruptcy two years ago and was openly scolded last year by an Ontario Superior Court Justice for neglecting to pay more than $300,000 in back taxes.

It was also clear to most who met up with 53-year-old Stephen LeDrew -- as he declared his candidacy for mayor yesterday afternoon -- that he has little more than a cursory command of the many issues plaguing this city.

In fact, when asked what he'd do about the city's high business taxes or how he'd end homelessness, he told us he wasn't going "to talk about all those details right now" and that the city's "social services" department should better deal with those living on the street.

He says he has lots of "prominent supporters" already but won't name them until next week.

As for his monetary problems, LeDrew told us he had a "proposal" to pay off all his outstanding taxes over time but Revenue Canada "forced" him into bankruptcy.

"I handled it honourably ... it was not through anything improper and I'm not running for budget chief," he said, blaming his fiscal woes on the fact that his law firm and marriage broke up all at the same time.

Whether he intended to pay his taxes in a timely manner or not -- and frankly, as mayor he'd have a far greater responsibility than the budget chief to keep the city fiscally sound -- these are not exactly the kind of qualifications I'd like to see in a municipal leader in charge of a $7.6-billion corporation that is larger than most of Canada's provinces.

But having said all of that, I think the bombastic and colourful former president of the Liberal Party of Canada -- the man known for his trademark bushy eyebrows -- might just lend a much-needed spark to Toronto's mayoralty race.

As the lawyer and father of six put it yesterday, he decided to throw his hat into the ring because he doesn't think Mayor David Miller has been an "effective leader" of this city.

"I was moved to act because this city is deteriorating and we can't have David Miller for another four years," he said.

Someone or something has to light a fire under His Blondness, who has been behaving as if he's already won the keys to the mayor's office for another four-year term.

So far all Miller has delivered are platitudes about how he intends to continue the wonderful job he's done to date to build a city that is "creative and clean, safe and strong."

In fact, for the first time -- in a speech to the Toronto Board of Trade yesterday -- the mayor outlined his so-called economic vision. For a Harvard economics grad, it was very thin indeed.

In a press statement, his campaign actually had the audacity to claim that under Mayor Miller's leadership, "Toronto has become a model of fiscal management." What a laugh.

Methinks there's a "mis" missing before the word management.

The mayor's only other serious opponent, Coun. Jane Pitfield, has done her level best to articulate a platform which appeals to the centre-right contingent -- those who feel they're paying more taxes and getting fewer city services. I also happen to think she has a heckuva lot of integrity.

But she's been fighting an uphill battle -- hampered by a series of missed opportunities and the fact that the political movers and shakers who could greatly help her campaign are busy with the Liberal leadership race or seem to prefer to take a rest from the mayoral race this time around.

I worried yesterday whether LeDrew and Pitfield would end up splitting the vote, leaving Miller to race up the middle.

But after listening to LeDrew deliver his schtick, I feel more hopeful that at least there will be a decent race and Miller will be forced to defend his less-than-stellar record.As LeDrew himself put it: "It's going to be an exciting campaign ... we're going to have a lot of fun and we're going to engage the citizens of Toronto in a public debate."