Next Mayor of Toronto?

[TonyV]

I understand what you mean, but that's not the difference I'm expecting it to make. He's the deputy Mayor, Miller has already quasi endorsed him. What can make a difference is the kind of high profile news that Miller is able to get on demand. Pants has been almost ignored in this race, maybe because he's so soft spoken, not assertive enough or maybe not controversial. Miller can shine some light on Joe and by extension get the media to pay attention to his campaign.

I believe that once people get to know Joe, his positive message is quite attractive. Acknowledging that we have a great city -- not a perfect one -- is his niche. It may work. We'll see how the polls react over the next couple of weeks. 3 weeks in politics is a long time.

It's time Joe just gave in. I watched him again on TV today (during the Miller endorsement). Joe doesn't have the stuff. He should not have gotten into this race, it's been a waste of time.

.... no denying that he's a nice guy though.

 

[archanfel]

I understand what you mean, but that's not the difference I'm expecting it to make. He's the deputy Mayor, Miller has already quasi endorsed him. What can make a difference is the kind of high profile news that Miller is able to get on demand. Pants has been almost ignored in this race, maybe because he's so soft spoken, not assertive enough or maybe not controversial. Miller can shine some light on Joe and by extension get the media to pay attention to his campaign.

I believe that once people get to know Joe, his positive message is quite attractive. Acknowledging that we have a great city -- not a perfect one -- is his niche. It may work. We'll see how the polls react over the next couple of weeks. 3 weeks in politics is a long time.

It really depends on whether you believe the city is broken or not. I don't think the city is broken, not for socialists. David Miller had a very specific agenda and he did what he set out to do, in a fairly efficient manner (for a socialist). However, the media has been talking about a broken city for a while. Very few "progressive" people even bother to defend the city anymore. Fear and anger are dominating this race. I am afraid "Acknowledging that we have a great city" simply does not sell this time around.

Although I do have to acknowledge that it's fun to watch "progressive" people jumping ship in mass. It would be a tragedy if we got Mr. eHealth as our mayor, but at least the process is fun.

 

[archanfel]

But here's the thing: Steve Jobs might reply to a bunch of emails but he isn't responding to all of them. I worked with a CEO of one of this city's fastest growing companies and I can tell you that he would respond to customer issues as well, but only when it was worth his time to do so. I wouldn't expect him to deal with every petty concern though, nor did he. Ford seems to think he can just start a lineup for help at city hall and put in a 10 hour shift everyday. If that's the job he wants then by all means find a job doing just that. But I can guarentee you Steve Jobs would never tell anyone "If you have a problem, call me and I'll personally make sure I resolve your problem." Apple wouldn't be the company it is today if that was the case.

I can guarantee you Steve Jobs does tell people that. Maybe not everybody, but some customer got his phone number. And if not him, other high level officials in the company. Almost every major customers have representatives in large corporations. You think people like JP Morgan would wait on some service line for 2 hours?

Yes, Rob Ford should have someone screening the phone. I wouldn't expect him to deal with every concern if those can be solved easily via other channel as well. However, no concern of the citizen should be consider "petty". Yes, the city does not have the resources to solve every one of them, but some "petty" concern might cause significant inconvenient to particular individual.

Have you ever gone more than 2 months without an answer to an easy question at City Hall? Between my girlfriend and I, we've had nothing but promptness through the various channels we've gone through to get information from the city. Sometimes things fall through the cracks, and I know for certain that that happens everywhere (and last I checked, heads aren't rolling everywhere). Toronto 311 is new. No one is making excuses for it or even saying it's not doing it's job, because it sure sounds like it's doing a good job from what I can tell.

"When Mary Kairys moved to a new home in Etobicoke in the spring, she called the city's 311 service to order a replacement for property's missing recycling bin. Two months later, still no bin. So she called her local councillor, Rob Ford. Two days later, a brand new blue bin was plunked on her lawn.

“Little things like that make a big difference,†she said.

Many of Mr. Ford's constituents can offer such vignettes, but Ms. Kairys thinks her story says as much about what's wrong with city hall as it does about her councillor. Taxes and fees have gone up while services have deteriorated, she says, squeezing struggling middle-class residents who make too much money to qualify for the city's generous social programs. "

-- Globe and Mail

 

[adma]

"When Mary Kairys moved to a new home in Etobicoke in the spring, she called the city's 311 service to order a replacement for property's missing recycling bin. Two months later, still no bin. So she called her local councillor, Rob Ford. Two days later, a brand new blue bin was plunked on her lawn.l

May I suggest something to counter the spin. Remove the name "Rob Ford" from the above quote. Framed that way, it becomes more a matter of individualized service from your local councillor vs getting lost in the maw of anonymous bureaucracy. Quite banal, really. Maybe, for argument's sake, insert a name like "Gord Perks" in place of "Rob Ford". See what I mean?

Now, if it were a matter of someone in Perks' ward getting nothing from Perks, then calling Ford and getting something from him, that might be different...

 

[nfitz]

When my blue bin vanished during a city construction project I phoned Bussin's office, and about 24-hours later I had a new blue bin on my lawn.

... not sure what's so spectacular about this ...

 

[duper]

I think Smitherman has momentum at the moment. As has become clear, I am strongly behind Smitherman. In doing so, I have for the first time chosen an avatar for my profile. Huge step, I know.

Question: What does everything think about Pantalone's momentum at the moment?
Does Miller's endorsement mean anything?
Does Mihevc's endorsement of Smitherman change anything?
Can Pantalone hold the left vote?
Are Rob Ford apologists cynically trying to get Pantalone to stay in to play spoiler for the anyone-but-Ford candidate?

and...

Do I ask too many questions?

 

[MetroMan]

duper, I think that Miller's endorsement will claw back some hesitant supporters but in the end, elections in Toronto often come down to a 2 man race. I doubt that 10% or more will vote for Pants when the Rob Ford enemy is at the gates. Once in the voting booth, people will vote for Smitherman and never tell any of their NDP friends.

 

[js97]

duper, I think that Miller's endorsement will claw back some hesitant supporters but in the end, elections in Toronto often come down to a 2 man race. I doubt that 10% or more will vote for Pants when the Rob Ford enemy is at the gates. Once in the voting booth, people will vote for Smitherman and never tell any of their NDP friends.

just like how people will vote for Ford and will never tell any of their friends either? lol.

 

[archanfel]

When my blue bin vanished during a city construction project I phoned Bussin's office, and about 24-hours later I had a new blue bin on my lawn.

... not sure what's so spectacular about this ...

Nothing spectacular about it at all, that's the point.

Unfortunately, a company's service record should be judged by its worst cases, not its best ones. Oh, I forgot again, we are talking about public sector, they are not governed by the same rules.

 

[duper]

Once in the voting booth, people will vote for Smitherman and never tell any of their NDP friends.

That bothers me.

There are a lot of words for the demographic of left-wingers, but the best word for them is expressives. They don't think their candidate will win, so their vote is less to do with electing a mayor and more to do with saying more about themselves, damn the consequences. Frankly, it's almost like voting for the marijuana part at this point.

If they wish to hand the mayor's office to Rob Ford, they can keep doing what they're doing.

 

[duper]

Nothing spectacular about it at all, that's the point.

Unfortunately, a company's service record should be judged by its worst cases, not its best ones. Oh, I forgot again, we are talking about public sector, they are not governed by the same rules.

Well, actually the public sector often gets more public scrutiny. Suddenly, every failing can suddenly be boiled down to "because it's public" in our discourse.

 

[archanfel]

I think Smitherman has momentum at the moment. As has become clear, I am strongly behind Smitherman. In doing so, I have for the first time chosen an avatar for my profile. Huge step, I know.

Question: What does everything think about Pantalone's momentum at the moment?
Does Miller's endorsement mean anything?
Does Mihevc's endorsement of Smitherman change anything?
Can Pantalone hold the left vote?
Are Rob Ford apologists cynically trying to get Pantalone to stay in to play spoiler for the anyone-but-Ford candidate?

and...

Do I ask too many questions?

Question:

How much money did George Smitherman waste in the ehealth scandal?
Who had to resigned due to the ehealth scandal?
How many people had to pay for eye examines because of George Smitherman?
Who was the health minister when the government introduced the health premium despite promising not to raise taxes?
How many people are paying more for hydro bills now?
How much debt did Ontario accumulate while George Smitherman was the depute Premier?

and...

Do I ask too many questions?

 

[MetroMan]

^ I don't think it's that black and white. Like I said a couple of pages ago, I have several friends who will be sticking to their guns and voting on principle, for who they want to become the next Mayor. These aren't left wing hippies, one of them is a judge and the other is a respected high school civics teacher.

I know a lot of people will still cast their vote for Pants but most voters will get behind a winning horse. Smitherman and Ford will get increasing media coverage over the next few weeks, and Rossi and Pants getting less. People will come to perceive this as a 2 man race and will pick their favourite.

I have hope that Ford's 30% of the vote won't be enough, come election day.

 

[duper]

Question:

How much money did George Smitherman.

...

Wow. Way to deflect. I ask an honest question about where people see this race going, and you want to re-hash old debates.

Sorry, Lucy. I'm not kicking your football.

 

[duper]

I have hope that Ford's 30% of the vote won't be enough, come election day.

True. It also is a matter of who can get out the vote come election day. The most organized will win.