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Next Mayor of Toronto?

wanderer66:

In terms of policy and politics just how does Miller differs significantly from someone like Crombie?

PS: He dropped his NDP membership in '07.

AoD
 
Politics? Crombie ran as a (Red Tory) Conservative and Miller (until 2007) ran under the banner of the NDP.

Policy? While both share some common traits on the desire to reform the City, I found that Crombie had a more down to earth approach that seemed to work well with local communities. Sure, he possibly ticked off some in the business community, but he tried to work with everyone equally. This is something Miller hasn't done. He has also taken what was potentially, one of the greatest moments of recent Toronto political history... his election in 2003 against Tory... and flushed it right down the sewer. Remember him holding the broom over his head vowing to clean up City Hall? Sure, we now have an Integrity Commisioner but we also have a bloated budget that just might sink this City. Let alone his obvious bias towards the Unions is unquestionable. Crombie was able to take his time as Mayor and parlay that into Federal Politics which is something Mayor Miller will never be able to do even if he wanted to.
 
In some ways Miller is considerably to the right of mayors like Crombie. It was Crombie who imposed the 40 foot limit on all new buildings and consistently battled developers, both very old left policies. Miller has been very open to new towers and favourable to development.
 
Considerably to the right? Don't make me laugh. For his time, Crombie might of have been seen as a "left of centre" Mayor with some of his policies but in the end he was a Conservative. His idea of "reform" was one of moderation. He helped transform Toronto in the 70's from a staid City into a thriving Metropolis. Miller will never be seen as someone to the right of Crombie... ever. Miller's idea of change ran along the lines of "my way or the highway" and when he didn't get his way he always seemed to whine about it to the Press.
 
You seem fixated on the fact that Crombie was a Progressive Conservative, but party labels mean little in municipal politics. Despite being a Tory, Crombie was undeniably to the left of both Bill Dennison, the NDP mayor who came before him, and Art Eggleton, the Liberal who came soon after.

While most of Crombie policies are today considered standard, at the time they were radically to the left of the status quo. Every previous mayor had called for expressways, slum clearances, and as many towers as a developer could fit in a neighbourhood. Crombie stopped all that, marking a sharp break with the past. Gay rights is another example. Crombie was a staunch advocate for them in the early 1970s, long before this was widely accepted.

By contrast Miller's changes have been evolutionary, rather than revolutionary. He has pushed the city towards his vision, but slowly and without making dramatic changes.
 
wanderer:

How exactly is Crombie, as a "left of centre" mayor (which is a title that you also bestowed on Miller just a few posts ago), behave in a manner that is particularly conservative in nature? What does "in the end he was a conservative" actually meant? You have failed to articulate that.

In addition, please enlighten me as to whether someone like Crombie, who is theoretically more to the right, actually enacted policies such as the residential-business tax shift that Miller did, which is clearly one that is more beneficial to businesses than anything else.

He helped transform Toronto in the 70's from a staid City into a thriving Metropolis
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That process happened before Crombie's time, and has less to do with his policies than the general demographics at the time. Don't forget the raise of the PQ and the impact that has on business growth in the city.

As to the matter of the bloated budget, well, perhaps you should also compare the fiscal climate and the role of both the provincial and federal governments in urban issues during Crombie's tenure, as well as the state of infrastructure during his time. Was there downloading to the extent that post-amalgamation mayors had to deal with? No.

Miller's idea of change ran along the lines of "my way or the highway" and when he didn't get his way he always seemed to whine about it to the Press.
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I hate to remind you, if that's the case both Mike Harris and Steven Harper would be ne plus ultra hard core leftist under this interpretation.

AoD
 
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AlvinofDiaspar said:
I hate to remind you, if that's the case both Mike Harris and Steven Harper would be ne plus ultra hard core leftist under this interpretation.

AoD
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Heck, if we go by the 45-foot height limit etc, Crombie was as much if not even more of a "my way or the highway" sort (and literally so, when it comes to the Spadina, Scarborough, etc expressways)
 
Indeed, if anything Miller wasn't enough of a my way or the highway type of leader - and that above anything else is the driver behind some of the failures of this administration.

AoD
 
Seems to me that Pantalone's trying a bit of a "Droopy strategy", i.e. presently positioned a superficially meek and pathetic write-off...who'll (presumably) remain standing once the others blow themselves up real good.

Case in point. (Think of Gorgeous Gorillawitz as some kind of Smitherman/Ford composite.)
 
adma said:
Seems to me that Pantalone's trying a bit of a "Droopy strategy", i.e. presently positioned a superficially meek and pathetic write-off...who'll (presumably) remain standing once the others blow themselves up real good.

Case in point. (Think of Gorgeous Gorillawitz as some kind of Smitherman/Ford composite.)
Click to expand...

I got invited to go to his fundraiser next week. Should be interesting.
 
Adam Vaughan should run, he won't win and it'll be one less NDP trougher on City Council.
 
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