No One Cand Dispute There is A Supreme Being.....

..and he/she has decided the people of Toronto deserve a break.

Toronto Mayor David Miller announces he will not run for a third term during a press conference at city hall in Toronto
Friday, Sept. 25, 2009.

T.O. Mayor Miller says he won't run for re-election

Updated: Fri Sep. 25 2009 10:47:03 AM

ctvtoronto.ca

Toronto Mayor David Miller has confirmed he will step down from his post when his term is done in 2010. He told reporters Friday that he has accomplished all that he has set out to do and now wants to focus on his family.

Not building a bridge was one of his accomplishments, returning to the city two "new" brooms that were never used and kissing the butts of the unions, island squatters, waterfront condo owners and social in-activists were a couple others and let's not forget his organization skills which prepared a group of leftwing councilors to join Barnun and Bailey.......

"It was a difficult decision but I feel secure in my priorities and proud of my record," he said at a news conference Friday morning at City Hall, at times his voice breaking with emotion.

Miller -- who still has 14 months left in office -- has said repeatedly thoughout the term that he planned on running in the next election.

But he said that all changed when he met with his campaign team last week.

Though he said the "enthusiasm in the room was incredible," he decided not to run after discussing his political future with his family.

He said since he became mayor, he has faced "immense" pressure as a husband and father. He said if he were to be re-elected to serve a third term until 2014, his daughter would be in university and his son would be graduating from high school. He pointed out that both of his children were born in the late 90s, after he was elected to serve as city councillor.

"(Being re-elected) would not allow me to be there for them in the way they deserve," he said.

The announcement comes as the mayor continues to be battered in the polls following his perceived mishandling of this summer's 39-day civic strike. He was also heavily criticized this week after it was revealed that the true cost of employee sick-day benefits far surpasses the figure Miller touted during the strike.

However, Miller said he is "proud" about all that he has accomplished since he was elected as mayor in 2003, including launching an ambitious transit expansion program and making Toronto one of the most eco-conscious cities in the world.

"Every major policy at the foundation of my campaign has been accomplished or is well underway," he said.

He said if he did run again, "it would be about me and my electoral success and not for the Toronto I love."

In the past several months, several prominent figures had suggested they plan to challenge Miller in the next election.

John Tory, who lost to Miller in 2003 and then became leader of the provincial Tories, is said to be seriously considering a run for the position.

And George Smitherman, the deputy Ontario premier, has also publicly said he is mulling his own bid.

Smitherman, who has represented the Toronto Centre riding as a Liberal MPP since 1999, told reporters earlier this month he wants to make sure his "dedication to public service is focused in the right places."

Smitherman made headlines for organizing neighbourhood cleanups during the summer's civic strike, allowing himself to be recorded carrying a broom -- a campaign prop of Miller's first run for the mayor's chair.

Reports say that as many as four right-leaning city councillors are also considering a run for mayor.

The municipal election is not until November 2010. But serious candidates usually declare officially around Jan. 1, the day they can start raising funds.