Mayor David Miller won’t run in next election, he announced today
Here’s a list of early possible contenders for 2010 mayoralty race
By Kris Scheuer
(Join the debate below, see update here.)
I attended David Miller’s press conference at 10 am today when he declared he won’t seek a third term as Toronto’s mayor.
For that story, click here.
In the hours that followed myself and colleague Karolyn Coorsh heard about a number of possible candidates for mayor. Keep in mind that we spoke to just a handful of politicians and strategists, so this is just an initial list of contenders. And the next city election is 14 months away.
Tell me if you would vote for any of them or would like to see someone else run instead.
Possible Toronto mayoralty candidates for 201o that were mentioned to me and fellow Town Crier reporter Karolyn today. Keep in mind these names were told to us as possibilities only. No one has officially thrown their hat in the ring, yet.
1. Trinity-Spadina councillor Adam Vaughan. (Running for council instead.)
2. Eglinton-Lawrence councillor Karen Stintz.(Running for council instead.)
3. Davenport councillor Adam Giambrone. (Was registered for mayor, may run for council.)
4. Don Valley East councillor Shelley Carroll. (Running for council instead.)
5. Former PC Ontario leader John Tory. (Not running for mayor.)
6.Toronto-Centre MPP George Smitherman. (Running for mayor.)
7. Former Winnipeg mayor Glen Murray. (Ran Feb. 4 and won for MPP Toronto Centre.)
8. Trinity-Spadina MPP Olivia Chow. (Not running for mayor.)
9. NDP federal leader Jack Layton.(Not running for mayor.)
Other names that have been mentioned in recent months or councillors who have openly mused about running.
9. Scarborough-Centre councillor Michael Thompson. (Running for council.)
10. Don Valley East councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong. (Not declared for mayor or council yet.)
11. Etobicoke-North councillor Rob Ford. (Not declared for mayor or council yet.)
12. Etobicoke-Centre councillor Doug Holyday. (Plans to run for council.)
Rumoured to be thinking about it, could be speculation
13. Toronto Sun columnist and former PC Ont candidate Sue-Ann Levy (or a run in St. Paul’s ward 22 held by Michael Walker)
14. Former councillor and 2nd place 2006 mayoralty candidate Jane Pitfield (Registered as a council candidate in Ward 29.)
So what do you think?
Kris Scheuer 
I will be running for mayor in two weeks. I just need two weeks to finish what i’m doing for the kids. THEN I WILL BE REGISTERING FOR MAYOR. If you want someone that cares for the people then he is that guy.
Todd Elliott, I look forward to hearing more about your campaign. Will you be launching a web site, Facebook or Twitter account so we can learn more about your candidacy for mayor and why you are running, your ideas and so on?
todd elliott will be running for toronto mayor
Who is Todd Elliott and when is he registering for mayor? Tell us more…
Nussy,
so the mayor’s race bores you so far or you just don’t like the options?
And you want Moscoe and other veterans to retire. So I take it you want some new blood on council. Anybody specific who would make a good mayoral or council candidate?
Adam Giambrone and Joe Pantalone would have to compete for the same left wing base.
Rob Ford is a bufoon. Mamolini another bufoon.
I’m looking at the city council. Time for Moscoe and other long term long at the tooth members to be replaced.
Jan. 9 update.
Of the 14 possible mayoral candidates mentioned in this post 3.5 months ago here’s who’s in and out so far.
Out/not interested: Karen Stintz, John Tory, Glen Murray (running in Feb. 4 prov by-election), Olivia Chow, Jack Layton, Sue-Ann Levy, Jane Pitfield (registered for city ward 29).
IN: George Smitherman (registered Jan.8)
Still planning/rumoured/considering running: Adam Giambrone, Shelley Carroll, Rob Ford.
Others: councillor Joe Pantalone (to register for mayor Jan. 13). Rocco Rossi (registered Jan.4)
Not likely: Michael Thompson, Denzil Minnan-Wong, Doug Holyday.
Nussy you got alot of questions #1 to make new business is to create new products by others people garbage which the city do not pick up from you now like tires, wood, steel, and more #2 If new business wants to set up here in Toronto we will not gouge them on business taxes and set up fees for them.
Watermain breakage yes taxes will have to pay for it we will have to buy direct from the manufacture or manufacture are own to save cost.
Eliminate gun crimes or murderess buy banning them from the city of Toronto if they come back to the city they will work for the city for free in an jail work houses making what we need for the city this will save Toronto alot of money and make alot money.
School pools or city run pools save on heating energy buy modifying from gas to electrical heating which we would produce from are own power plus making new activities for the public to do like sports water polo and toy boat races, pool games, and more.
TTC has to be modified, on the st clair line it was over budget if we must buy all the materials up front to have it all ready for the project it would be less expensive as prices go up all the time from the markets value it has to be done fast at one time not prolong it. I like to reduce the fares this has to be done by better planning.
Thanks John Letonja
But some of the horses are really asses.
Happy Holidays…….
And some are real workhorses. Happy Holidays….
How they plan to pay for the services the city MUST provide mandated by the province. And will they cut expenses in thier own office budget. How can they vote to raise TTC fares when they got it for free.
Thats just two of many.
Good questions. You know your stuff.
1) TTC: It’s true that the mayor and all councillors get free yearly TTC Metropasses. I wrote about this years ago, read that story here.
Plus current and former TTC Commissioners all get a lifetime Metropass once they retire form politics. So former current Councillor Howard Moscoe for example, when he retires which some are speculating will be next year, he will be eligible for his lifetime Metropass as a nod to his public service as former chair of TTC’s board.
2) Cutting office expenses in their own office budget? It has happened in the past, it used to be (I think) $70,000 yearly and is now $53,000/yr. But every year Councillor Rob Ford tries to cut those office budgets and he always gets shot down.
3) Paying for provincially-mandated programs is a tricker one. For example, some argue that the province is not paying its agreed upon cost-share for those programs that the city has to operate and fund, thus sticking the city with more of the bill. So there’s some argument that the province should live up to its funding agreements.
But of course, I will try to get some answers from the horses’ mouths directly during the election.
You are oh so kind.
So what should the “media” be asking politicians and candidates in Toronto’s important 2010 election year?
What is key to ask the future politicians who will be leading our city for four years?
Present company excluded of course. LOL.
Ouch. Not all us media types simply let the politicians have their say without directing some specific questions at them. Especially if we have been following the story and know what we’d like to get answers on. The tougher question is how to get politicians to answer media questions.
Instead of putting a microphone in front of a wannabe politician, how about asking a few questions?
Nussy, are you sure you are not interesting in running politically?
Nussy,
asking questions or questioning is part of being engaged in a democracy. People should look beyond the sound bites.
How will a mayor create business? Or is it attract business?
When a watermain breaks how will he fix it if we dont pay taxes?
How will he eliminate gun crime when the rest of the world can’t?
How will he modify pools? And if he does how much will it cost?
A million questions…..no answers. Or is it just tell em what they want to hear and get on City TV.
Nussy, I agree on many levels.
For example, it’s easy to say you will put Toronto’s financial house in order, not raise taxes but also not cut services. It’s an easy sell. And people love to hear it. But it’s also a falsehood.
Services cost more due to inflation (contracts costs more), labour (raises) and so forth. So freezing taxes (the city’s main source of revenue) will not enable a mayor to keep services at the status quo.
Plus, just maintaining services isn’t enough for many as there are huge backlogs in some services such as roads, social housing repairs, a long waiting list for affordable daycare.
And there are many provincially mandated programs the city is obligated by law to operate and pay for and can’t eliminate such as welfare.
Its interesting to see a candidate saying “I will, I can or I’m best”. I rarely see how they will, could or can.
Running a city is not like running a business.
Well the city did ban corporate and union donations. See that story, here.
Geordie, I wonder if this is an indication of which politicians will and won’t vote for banning campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
City politicians who took campaign contributions from landlords, developers and other businesses in 2006. This was from a newsreport I saved from 2007.
THOSE WHO TAKES LITTLE MONEY
Ward Candidate Landlords/Dev Other Businesses
Mayor David Miller 0.0% 0.0%
1 Suzan Hall 7.8 20.6
4 Gloria Lindsay Luby 12.3 10.5
8 Anthony Perruzza 10.3 5.8
9 Maria Augimeri 13.5 11.4
14 Gord Perks 0.6 0.0
15 Howard Moscoe 6.5 13.9
18 Adam Giambrone 7.8 1.6
19 Joe Pantalone 0.0 0.0
20 Adam Vaughan 0.0 0.0
21 Joe Mihevc 0.0 0.0
22 Michael Walker 0.0 0.0
23 John Filion 6.5 7.0
25 Cliff Jenkins 0.0 0.0
27 Kyle Rae 0.0 0.0
28 Pam McConnell 0.0 0.0
30 Paula Fletcher 0.9 0.0
31 Janet Davis 0.0 0.5
32 Sandra Bussin 0.0 11.1
33 Shelly Carroll 11.1 12.0
35 Adrian Heaps 0.6 2.8
38 Glenn De Baeremaeker 10.4 8.3
40 Norm Kelly 6.2 14.7
41 Chin Lee 1.6 9.8
42 Raymond Cho 0.0 3.2
44 Ron Moeser 0.0 1.4
THOSE WHO TAKES LOTS OF MONEY
2 Rob Ford 32.5 24.2
3 Doug Holiday 24.0 28.3
5 Peter Milczyn 41.7 26.4
6 Mark Grimes 22.6 18.8
7 Giorgio Mammoliti 41.4 26.0
10 Michael Feldman 29.6 16.1
11 Frances Nunziata 39.1 32.9
12 Frank Di Giorgio 39.5 27.5
13 Bill Saundercook 17.5 31.4
16 Karen Stintz 47.0 2.0
17 Cesar Palacio 37.4 2.1
24 David Shiner 25.5 21.3
26 John Parker 25.4 17.4
29 Case Ootes 28.1 30.2
34 Denzil Minnan-Wong 32.5 30.0
36 Brian Ashton 30.4 15.6
37 Michael Thompson 20.0 28.9
39 Mike Del Grande 37.5 10.7
43 Paul Ainslie 27.3 24.0
I John Letonja am going to run for mayor in Toronto 2010 to run Toronto as a business and not on tax payers backs to pay for itself on everything it runs please type in John Letonja on the net and see who I am I will work for you I do not need your money just your vote. Its time for a change to make new money we can not go on paying more taxes every year there is nothing wrong of paying taxes but being gouged out is not the anwser jobs are lost, wages are low, on a fixed income and taxes are still going higher I can make new jobs and make millions for the city. Thank you for your read.
John Tory is an interesting choice. Conservative with a serious social conscious.
I have met the man and interviewed him several times in the past six years. And like many people, I think Tory is a very decent and principled man. Many people like him, but he lost three elections (2003 race for mayor, 2007 Don Valley West seat in provincial race, 2008 byelection in Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock). So when people say they like him, will that translate into enough votes needed to win?
A moderate thinker like Tory? I think he has a good shot if no one else comes along. I don’t think that Toronto is ready for a far left candidate or anyone closely associated with Miller.
Nussy,
Fair enough. But I am not convinced that the next mayor will be that far right. Toronto has its conservative thinkers, for sure, but is still a very progressive city. So any right wing candidate has to be more moderate or they can’t capture votes across Toronto.
I think the next mayor will come from the right. Anyone that runs for mayor needs to steer far away from Miller.
I don’t think any one of the current crop of city councilors fit the bill.