IMHO the main contenders will be John Tory, Adam Vaughan And Smithermen.
Dumpster-diving for mayor's chair
Are would-be contenders using strike to jumpstart campaign?
By BRYN WEESE, SUN MEDIA
With all the electioneering going on, it might be hard to notice the city's 30-day municipal strike.
Except that many of the potential mayoral candidates for the 2010 municipal election were cleaning up the city's trash together last weekend.
While they all swore their actions, spawned by Minister George Smitherman's OneToronto.ca campaign to pick up litter after Pride, were motivated by civic pride and not political ambitions, their bags of trash smelled like campaigns, not garbage.
Another sign of the coming election? An anonymous, viral video -- which depending on your point of view either infects or illuminates the electoral process.
One video featuring "Kermit the Frog" heckling Mayor David Miller posted on YouTube late last week has already had almost 2,500 views. The negative, campaign-style video rips Miller on issues ranging from his call for a handgun ban to his fee for plastic bags and voting for a council pay hike.
Besides Miller, who might some of the players be? And what will be the issues?
HOT TOPICS
According to veteran Councillor Case Ootes, who virtually ran the city under former Mayor Mel Lastman, some of the more pressing issues will be transportation and fiscal management.
"Miller has made it more difficult during his tenure to get around this city," said Ootes, who makes no qualms about wanting a new head of council.
He noted the increased bike lanes, Miller's desire to take down the Gardiner, removing a lane from Jarvis St., and the streetcar right of way on St. Clair Ave. as examples.
"All of those feed into the issue of transportation, and how it's been more difficult to get around," Ootes said.
Councillor Doug Holyday, who said he has thought about running for mayor "fleetingly," thinks contracting out the city's garbage collection will be a key issue next year.
It's not only on peoples' minds now because of the strike, he said, but also because of the city's financial dilemma.
"We saved $2 million a year in the Etobicoke collection," said Holyday, who was that former city's last mayor and who contracted out the service there prior to amalgamation. Etobicoke residents still have their garbage picked up, despite the city strike.
"It's not an anti-union move at all. This is simply a better way to manage the service for the residents, both from a cost standpoint and from a job continuation standpoint."
Councillor Michael Thompson said he's "thinking" about running for mayor because he's so disappointed with what he sees as a lack of leadership from Miller.
"The city lacks vision right now. There is no cohesiveness in this city," he said. "As a member of council ... with all good conscience, you can't be happy with the leadership that's taken place in the city."
Councillor Karen Stintz, too, said she's mulling it over. She has even assembled a team "to see if I can ... mount a campaign that can be successful."
For Stintz, while transportation, garbage and leadership are important, they're all indicative of what ails the city -- that it's not working at its best.
"What will motivate people to come out and vote is whether or not they believe that the city can work better than it currently does," she said. "I don't believe it will be the one issue of garbage, or traffic, or bike lanes, or fiscal management."
Whatever the issue, Ootes said it's imperative that only one candidate challenge Miller for the city's top spot.
Otherwise, he warned, Miller's opponents risk splitting the vote.
PRIMARY RACE
While he favours a kind of U.S.-style primary race to choose one candidate, which would expose everyone's strengths and weaknesses, Holyday said he still isn't sure the names he has heard as possible contenders have the mettle.
"I have a good idea of what's needed here, but it's going to take someone with a strong resolve to see it through," he said. "The people rumoured at this point I don't think have shown that type of resolve."
BRYN.WEESE@SUNMEDIA.CA
