News   Jul 12, 2024
199 Church Showcases Heritage Facade and Artwork at Street Level
 990     0 
News   Jul 12, 2024
Six Points Plaza Redevelopment Advances With 36-Storey First Phase
 859     0 
News   Jul 12, 2024
Trading Spaces: Can Real Estate Conversion Help Boost Housing Supply?
 348     0 

Toronto Council Races - 2010

Jesus Christ!! Karlene Nation is the most fucking annoying human being that I've had to watch in a debate. In every single debate, and the Goldhawk one is no exception, she always drags on her answers, interrupts the flow of the debate by answering out of turn and goes off topic to the point where the moderator has to tell her to shut up. Thank gawd this is the last time I have to watch her in a debate.

Poor Karen Sun. She's by far the most deserving candidate but she's not the best communicator. She didn't stand out in this debate. Layton and McCormick did... so did Nation, for the wrong reasons as I mentioned above.
 
Last edited:
MetroMan, I give you props for sitting through any of the Goldhawk debates. What a terrible format: no audience, the candidates stare out front, don't interact, and don't even really interact with Goldhawk. And Goldhawk himself seemed to be performing a traffic cop role, not acting in the place of a voter.

I wouldn't sweat the lawn signs. The whole business is sketchy. It seems if you have ever accepted a lawn sign from Pants or Chow, you are pushed to take a Layton sign, whether you have explicitly asked for one or not (and of course, you also get a Chris Bolton sign). Other signs have appeared depending on which political mailing list you are on, and again, the practice seems to be negative option, rather than explicit approval. Anyway, it certainly doesn't surprise me that candidates with access to political party mailing lists can put up more signs. That's what machine politics is all about, and why I am eager to welcome an independent like Karen Sun.

The Toronto Star released their list of council endorsements today (Wards 1-21): I was happy to see the Star has endorsed Karen Sun, Josh Colle and Jonah Schein.
 
The Star definitely missed the mark in Ward 18 though. Ana Bailao received an unreal amount of campaign funding from developers last time she ran. I have no doubt they are backing her again. Plus, her old boss, former councillor Mario Silva - now MP for the riding - and MPP Tony Ruprecht are pretty useless representatives for Davenport. They've been canvassing for her.

We don't need another backbencher in 18. We need someone who will work hard and not sit quietly as other levels of government screw around with the City. There are a number of good alternatives in the ward but at this point probably only Beaulieu has the opportunity to beat Bailao. I hope he does.
 
Anyone have any opinions or thoughts on the candidates for Ward 27?
 
My neighbours report that Mike Layton's people are warning Ward 19 voters not to vote for Karen Sun or else risk splitting the progressive vote ... in a ward where 80% of the population votes progressive.

And this is happening literally at the same time as Mike Layton is speaking at a press conference to beg Pantalone supporters not to vote strategically for Smitherman! What a hypocrite!

Mike Layton, meet Barbara Hall circa 2003
 
to_l said:
Anyone have any opinions or thoughts on the candidates for Ward 27?
Click to expand...

Three major candidates, but it's really down to the two basic candidates, Ken Chan and Kristin

Krystin Tam Wong -
-union/NDP backed candidate
-former poverty group activist

Would work with Smitherman on MOST issues...
Will not be able to work with ROB Ford Mayor, probably will be fringe candidate

Ken Chan -
-Former RCMP investigator,
-Former advisor London's mayor
-Endorsed by George Smitherman

Smitherman Mayor, obviously would be beneficial
IF Rob ford mayor, I would think his background as a cop would allow him to get SOME items done. Not as polarizing as Kristin.

Simon Wookey =
the Rich independant candidate - Dont' knwo much about him, except that his dad owns most of Yorkville.




Calling the way I see it!
 
Last edited:
Armbruster said:
My neighbours report that Mike Layton's people are warning Ward 19 voters not to vote for Karen Sun or else risk splitting the progressive vote ... in a ward where 80% of the population votes progressive.

And this is happening literally at the same time as Mike Layton is speaking at a press conference to beg Pantalone supporters not to vote strategically for Smitherman! What a hypocrite!
Click to expand...

By the way, in case anyone is seriously worried about vote-splitting in Ward 19, just think back to the 2006 election. Next door in Ward 20, Adam Vaughan and Helen Kennedy did not split the progressive vote, claiming over 85% of the vote between them. Two wards over in Ward 14, Gord Perks ran against Rowena Santos and at least four other serious progressive candidates. That race included centre-right Ted Lokjo, a well-known local figure who had been endorsed by former councillor Chris Korwin-Kuczinski and former police chief William McCormack. Even there, the progressives did not split the vote. One ward to the north in Ward 21, John Sewell ran against Joe Mihevc, in a race that included a serious centre-right candidate who was a former councillor. They did not split the vote either, claiming 80% of the vote between them.

Mike Layton is not worried about the ward going to Sean McCormick. He is worried about the ward going to Karen Sun.
 
to_l said:
Anyone have any opinions or thoughts on the candidates for Ward 27?
Click to expand...


Kristin Wong-Tam came by my building earlier this fall. She wants to work more at the grassroots community level with constituents, especially regarding developments, just like Adam Vaughan has done in ward 20 (he has endorsed her). I like this.

Ken Chan's campaign office has called me twice; once asking where I wanted our lawn sign (I never signed up or gave our info to him!) and second to ask if I would vote for him. I asked the caller why they were voting for Ken. The caller said she had no idea about how he was - she was calling from a call centre in Sudbury!

So he parachutes in from London, UK and then outsources his callers from outside of his ward? I'm not liking that.

I'm with Kristin.
 
Armbruster, could it be that the 80% of ward 19 voting progressive be not that they've voted progressive, but voted Pantalone who happened to be a progressive? Could it be that in the past they voted on name recognition?

A lot of this ward are non-english speaking older immigrants who don't really pay attention to politics and wouldn't know the difference between progressive/conservative. I have a feeling that that demographic will be voting for the kind gentleman with the white smile and a way with words...

I already voted for Sun so I'm not concerned about strategic voting to prevent Shawn McCormick from winning, but what do you think of my theory?
 
MetroMan said:
Armbruster, could it be that the 80% of ward 19 voting progressive be not that they've voted progressive, but voted Pantalone who happened to be a progressive? Could it be that in the past they voted on name recognition?

A lot of this ward are non-english speaking older immigrants who don't really pay attention to politics and wouldn't know the difference between progressive/conservative. I have a feeling that that demographic will be voting for the kind gentleman with the white smile and a way with words...

I already voted for Sun so I'm not concerned about strategic voting to prevent Shawn McCormick from winning, but what do you think of my theory?
Click to expand...

Name recognition is important, but I suspect Sean McCormick's name is not highly-recognized among the non-English speaking older immigrant crowd you mention. And in the media and online, I would say Karen Sun appears very prominently and favorably (just compare her media mentions to Mike's or Sean's), so her name recognition is very high overall, even if not so much in old-school formats like lawn signs. Also, if sign placement is important, then if anyone has split their Ward 19 constituencies, it is Sean McCormick and Jim Likourezos, both conservatives who used identical sign colours and even layouts.

And I also tend to agree with John Sewell and others, who explained the Ford phenomenon as being more about the disconnect at City Hall than right vs. left. I think the desire for political independence and community engagement are really at the heart of this year's municipal elections, and so Karen Sun's grassroots-based campaign will appeal to these dissatisfied folks (who do include indeed many, many progressives), as opposed to Mike Layton's machine-driven campaign or Sean McCormick's slick salesmanship.
 
js97 said:
Three major candidates, but it's really down to the two basic candidates, Ken Chan and Kristin

Krystin Tam Wong -
-union/NDP backed candidate
-former poverty group activist

Would work with Smitherman on MOST issues...
Will not be able to work with ROB Ford Mayor, probably will be fringe candidate

Ken Chan -
-Former RCMP investigator,
-Former advisor London's mayor
-Endorsed by George Smitherman

Smitherman Mayor, obviously would be beneficial
IF Rob ford mayor, I would think his background as a cop would allow him to get SOME items done. Not as polarizing as Kristin.

Simon Wookey =
the Rich independant candidate - Dont' knwo much about him, except that his dad owns most of Yorkville.




Calling the way I see it!
Click to expand...

Simon Wookey is a big-L Liberal as well - he worked on Ignatieff's leadership campaign and ran for the provincial Liberal nomination in Trinity-Spadina in 2007.

BTW it's interesting how Ken Chan calls himself a "progressive" and also boasts about having been an adviser to London Mayor Boris Johnson, a very right-wing Tory.
 
King of Kensington said:
Simon Wookey is a big-L Liberal as well - he worked on Ignatieff's leadership campaign and ran for the provincial Liberal nomination in Trinity-Spadina in 2007.

BTW it's interesting how Ken Chan calls himself a "progressive" and also boasts about having been an adviser to London Mayor Boris Johnson, a very right-wing Tory.
Click to expand...

Perhaps he was his 'progressive' voice?

Why people feel the need to paint someone 'right or left' unilaterally is beyond me.

Any political leaders that don't keep advisers that have opposing views are simply bad leaders.

This applies to both sides of the spectrum, Harper & Miller included!
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top