The People South Of Bloor Street Usually Decide.....

.....hopefully the rest of you have learned a lesson from the two terms of Comrade Miller and his bevy of clowns and will get out and vote.

Kelly McParland: Is Smitherman the man for Toronto the nuts?

Posted: November 09, 2009, 3:15 PM by NP Editor

In the middle of an unusually warm Sunday afternoon in the heart of Toronto, a large man with a scowl on his face went strolling along Queen Street, wearing a newish-looking blue dress and a large, matching sun hat, the sort once favoured by the Queen Mother.

What gave the spectacle particular charm, apart from the novelty of a hefty male in a bright new dress, was the utter absence on the man’s face of any sign that he knew he was up to something unusual. Other strollers, who took pains to hide their giggles, could have saved themselves the effort: the linebacker in the party frock was oblivious.

Elsewhere, at about the same time, George Smitherman was notifying his boss, Premier Dalton McGuinty, that he was quitting cabinet to run for mayor of Toronto. Smitherman, a burly type not unlike the man in the dress, has wanted to run the city for some time. He is not without self-regard: “I’m putting my lofty title and job on the line. A native son is coming home to serve,” he declared in revealing his decision.

Whether or not anyone can actually run Toronto is the question. Here’s what was going on Saturday, the day before Smitherman made his announcement:

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