Miller's Clowns ARE His Weak Point....Attack, Attack,

Mayor looks untouchable

David Miller is still a political giant, but what about taking out his lieutenants?

By ROB GRANATSTEIN

Toronto's "other voice" on council proved it can show up and present decent, intelligent arguments and options to counter Mayor David Miller and his yes-men and yes-women.

Unfortunately, as Sun City Hall columnist Sue-Ann Levy wrote, the group got going too late, and as a result, any momentum to trim spending and the property tax increase didn't have enough time to build and take hold before the March 31 budget debate.

The question now is does this hard-to-corral crew of opposition councillors have any staying power, or will one loss send them spiralling back into being a group of kiddies who do not play well with others?

Led by Coun. Case Ootes, the Responsible Government Group (RGG) of a dozen centre-right politicians has to prove it isn't a one-trick pony. Instead, its members must continue building the case against the way the city is being run right now.

They need to build momentum. They need to have a cohesive set of principles. They need a series of issues on which to attack the mayor and his team.

And they need to use this to build momentum toward the 2010 election.

As you may or may not have figured out by now, Miller is still a political giant in this city. He will not be easy to knock off his mayoral perch.

In fact, since no one has even started hitting the ground to build up a pool of future contributors to bankroll a run for the big chair, Miller is looking safer and safer in the 2010 election every day.

Who could beat him?

Well, Don Valley East Coun. Denzil Minnan-Wong holds out hope he's the guy. But he's not. At least not right now.

Scarborough Centre Coun. Michael Thompson also dreams of dethroning Miller, but nothing he's done to date proves to us he's the man for the job just yet.

Then there's Etobicoke North Coun. Rob Ford. We'll just leave that idea at a "no."

REPUTATION SULLIED

Eglinton Lawrence Coun. Karen Stintz is a future challenger to the throne. But her ill-advised jaunt to Colorado for public speaking lessons -- and billing taxpayers thousands of dollars for it -- has sullied her reputation. The Toronto Star regurgitated the expense a week after it first broke and smeared her on its front page, likely burying the knife in any hopes she has for 2010.

It was a major mistake by Stintz in a campaign that would had to have been error-free from the start. She should hone those speaking skills for another term as councillor, and then let's see where we sit.

Add all that to the fact a sitting councillor who wants to run against Miller will be giving up a pretty much guaranteed $400,000 in salary over the next four years (incumbents rarely, if ever, lose) in an uncertain economy. It means the risk of running up a huge personal debt for the honour of trying to unseat a strong politician is unlikely.

Meanwhile, despite a vigorous campaign from a couple of local groups to recruit the future mayor from outside City Hall, there's no sign of life on that front either.

So it's back to the RGG and the next plan -- building a slate of candidates to take on the political lifers at council now occupying space and giving the mayor their "yes sir, yes sir, three bags full sir". The goal must be to recruit solid candidates for all wards in the city and give some of council's freeloaders a run for their money.

If there's a solid, concise, coherent message about ways to change how the city is run for the better, the group could see some traction and individuals who are not as well-known could have a better chance of knocking off what now seem like nearly unbeatable councillors.

Just take a look at council, where the Howard Moscoes, Raymond Chos, Suzan Halls and Joe Pantalones roll on election after election with little competition, taking their seat as if it's their God-given right.

Ootes will have a difficult time retaining his Toronto-Danforth seat after winning in a photo finish last time, and could either use all the help he can get, or serve as the wrangler for this group to try and change the balance of power in the council chambers.

Of course, this all goes out the window if the 2010 budget is as bad as it appears it will be and Miller is faced with smacking taxpayers with a massive tax hike.

Then the real election race will be on.

ROB.GRANATSTEIN@SUNMEDIA.CA