Rob Ferguson
Queen's Park Bureau
George Smitherman's tart tongue and fiercely partisan style of politics are undermining his 2010 Toronto mayoral bid before it is even officially launched.
While the deputy premier and health minister publicly insists he has no interest in taking Mayor David Miller's job, there is a flurry of activity behind the scenes that would suggest otherwise.
"I'm not running for mayor and I'm not seeking to build a coalition," Smitherman said last week.
"My focus and determination as minister of health haven't abated one bit. The job is as big as ever and it has 100 per cent of my focus."
Not quite, according to many in Toronto's political elite.
"I know he is out aggressively talking to people – at least the gay Tory mafia," confided a prominent gay Conservative.
Indeed, Smitherman, the first openly gay MPP and cabinet minister in Ontario history, is revered as a pioneer in Toronto's thriving gay and lesbian community.
But the staunch Liberal is also derided in some circles for his inability to reach across party lines as is the custom at city hall.
"George's biggest Achilles heel might be his partisan edge," said another influential Conservative who has been approached by Smitherman loyalists for help in a municipal run. "He's a great politician, but you need a coalition. He'd certainly have the Liberals, but I'm not sure he'd get the NDP and perhaps not even the Conservatives," said the insider, noting right-of-centre political operatives are seeking a candidate to field against Miller.
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