 Mayoral candidate Jane Pitfield walks with two new campaign members, Liberal Senator Jerry Grafstein, right, and political strategist Martin Goldfarb, outside city hall. |
Grafstein backs Pitfield in mayoral race
CTV.ca News Staff
Coun. Jane Pitfield's mayoral campaign got a big boost Monday, as Liberal Senator Jerry Grafstein announced he is throwing his support behind the high-profile candidate.
"I'll be the honorary chairman. I'll spend all my talents and efforts to help Jane to put together a really terrific team," Grafstein said in a news scrum outside city hall.
The long-time senator hinted last week he was thinking of throwing his hat into the mayor's race, but instead chose to back Pitfield.
"Quite frankly, I didn't want to divide the vote," he told reporters.
"Jane has run a really tough campaign. She has done very, very well, and if I entered into the race it would have been a split vote, and I don't think that was in the interest."
Grafstein said Pitfield has shown the "doggedness" needed to be mayor, and "she has been right on the right issues."
He said Mayor David Miller has failed the city during his tenure, especially on the waterfront.
"The mayor has not anywhere come close to the expectations that people had of him when he ran," said Grafstein.
Pitfield, Miller's top competitor, will also get the expertise from political strategist Martin Goldfarb.
"There is a smell at city hall that does not pass an honourable smell test," Goldfarb said alongside Grafstein and Pitfield.
"The city is not tidy. It was once a source of genuine pride."
Grafstein is probably best known for organizing the 2003 Rolling Stones concert in Toronto after the SARS outbreak.
He said he will have no trouble raising the $1 million needed to run a successful mayoral campaign.
Pitfield last year decided to run for the city's top job last year in the Nov. 13 municipal election.
Nominations for the job of mayor close on Friday.
With a report from CTV's Desmond Brown
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