Mayor Rob Ford

[Coco-puffs]

I really could have sworn that this city had a significant number of left wingers at one point. I have no idea what happened there.

Ah well. At least we didn't elect the joke candidate.

I think the left-wingers were more concerned with another Ford term, so they went with Tory because he seemed to have the best shot of winning.

 

[bustaheims]

As an outsider, I feel like Doug Ford received a very uncomfortable number of votes.

Ford Nation came out in full force yesterday. That's what they do.

 

[Kin]

I really could have sworn that this city had a significant number of left wingers at one point. I have no idea what happened there.

Ah well. At least we didn't elect the joke candidate.

I think the left-wingers were more concerned with another Ford term, so they went with Tory because he seemed to have the best shot of winning.

No, I get that. I just remember the city having sufficient enough left wing voters that in an election like this where you had two candidates on the right presumably splitting the vote that it would sort of automatically make the candidate on the Left the favourite.

 

[Crucialness Key]

Well Rob got a seat on council.  Doug lost out to John Tory for Mayor.  Feel free to discuss

Plus, 20-year-old Mikey Ford won a school trustee seat, despite doing zero campaigning or interviews, and having no experience in anything.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Well Rob got a seat on council.  Doug lost out to John Tory for Mayor.  Feel free to discuss

Plus, 20-year-old Mikey Ford won a school trustee seat, despite doing zero campaigning or interviews, and having no experience in anything.

EDIT: Even funnier/sadder, this is the incumbent he beat 44% to 22%:

John Hastings Hastings has degrees from the University of Western Ontario (1963) and the University of Toronto (1967). He worked as a political researcher, and as a teacher in Ontario's Secondary School system. In 1975, he worked as executive assistant to provincial cabinet minister Lorne Henderson. Hastings was a member of the Worker's Compensation Board from 1977 to 1994, and also served on the Advisory Board of the Institute of Study of Antisocial behaviour in Youth before entering public life.

 

[Deebo]

EDIT: Even funnier/sadder, this is the incumbent he beat 44% to 22%:

John Hastings Hastings has degrees from the University of Western Ontario (1963) and the University of Toronto (1967). He worked as a political researcher, and as a teacher in Ontario's Secondary School system. In 1975, he worked as executive assistant to provincial cabinet minister Lorne Henderson. Hastings was a member of the Worker's Compensation Board from 1977 to 1994, and also served on the Advisory Board of the Institute of Study of Antisocial behaviour in Youth before entering public life.

Reminds me of Homer Simpson winning the election for Sanitation Commissioner

 

[Joe S.]

Reminds me of Homer Simpson winning the election for Sanitation Commissioner

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

Well Rob got a seat on council.  Doug lost out to John Tory for Mayor.  Feel free to discuss

Plus, 20-year-old Mikey Ford won a school trustee seat, despite doing zero campaigning or interviews, and having no experience in anything.

Way to minimize the enormous business and life experience of being a camp counsellor.

 

[gilmourthegreat]

I really could have sworn that this city had a significant number of left wingers at one point. I have no idea what happened there.

Ah well. At least we didn't elect the joke candidate.

I think the left-wingers were more concerned with another Ford term, so they went with Tory because he seemed to have the best shot of winning.

No, I get that. I just remember the city having sufficient enough left wing voters that in an election like this where you had two candidates on the right presumably splitting the vote that it would sort of automatically make the candidate on the Left the favourite.

I think that would often be the case, but as it happens this election featured a leftist candidate with less charisma than a sponge. I think your intuition is right; don't forget that Chow started in front of Tory in the polls: http://www.blogto.com/city/2014/08/olivia_chow_struggles_in_latest_mayoral_poll/

edit: the other major factor was of course that the strategic Anyone But Ford crowd was bound to give a big bump to whomever was in the best position to unseat the Fords on election day. Tory's strength and stability in the polls became a virtuous circle, Chow's inability to impress a vicious circle.

 

[Kin]

I think that would often be the case, but as it happens this election featured a leftist candidate with less charisma than a sponge. I think your intuition is right; don't forget that Chow started in front of Tory in the polls: http://www.blogto.com/city/2014/08/olivia_chow_struggles_in_latest_mayoral_poll/

I suppose but Chow, whatever else you want to say about her, is an experienced municipal politician and I don't think too many people on the left would really pass on voting for her because of a lack of charisma. Not to mention John Tory isn't exactly John Kennedy himself.

 

[Bender]

I really could have sworn that this city had a significant number of left wingers at one point. I have no idea what happened there.

Ah well. At least we didn't elect the joke candidate.

I think the left-wingers were more concerned with another Ford term, so they went with Tory because he seemed to have the best shot of winning.

I don't know why but that comes off as somewhat cheap to me. If so many believed Chow was the right choice she would've polled better in every poll since July but she hasn't. Neither Ford led the polls for very long, if at all, so that leads me to believe she stumbled in July and didn't inspire enough people with her message afterwards. 

 

[Bender]

I think that would often be the case, but as it happens this election featured a leftist candidate with less charisma than a sponge. I think your intuition is right; don't forget that Chow started in front of Tory in the polls: http://www.blogto.com/city/2014/08/olivia_chow_struggles_in_latest_mayoral_poll/

I suppose but Chow, whatever else you want to say about her, is an experienced municipal politician and I don't think too many people on the left would really pass on voting for her because of a lack of charisma. Not to mention John Tory isn't exactly John Kennedy himself.

True, but that still doesn't matter. Tory beat home his message loudly and clearly and quite obviously connected with more people. I don't recall seeing much in the way of flyers for her, and I think she really should've jumped right away on the transit issue, like Tory did, even if his plan is more hypothetical that it is practical. It resonated.

I found Chow's constant trying to get in a swipe at inoccuous times offputting and referencing of Jack Layton any time she could. I don't know why but those two things really irritated me.

In a recent article she said something along the lines of go out and vote, even if you want Doug Ford to win - and he won't - go out and vote.

Ugh.

 

[Kin]

True, but that still doesn't matter. Tory beat home his message loudly and clearly and quite obviously connected with more people. I don't recall seeing much in the way of flyers for her, and I think she really should've jumped right away on the transit issue, like Tory did, even if his plan is more hypothetical that it is practical. It resonated.

Sure and I understand there's a big centrist and independent vote out there. I just figured there was a bigger firmly committed left wing vote out there that would vote that way regardless of things like flyers and debate performance.

But all I'm saying is that I was wrong about the city's leaning. I don't technically live there anymore so I could very well be off base.

 

[Highlander]

Like Nik I no longer live in the city and T.O politics have bored me to death.  I have to admit I was enjoying the Rob Ford train wreck a little to much.  On my travels he was the first thing that came up when I said I was from T.O. and people were facinated that the polite Canuks had a pot smoking Crack addict whom let whoppers fly on a daily basis.
Needless to say the Fords had to go but I will miss the sideshow a little bit.  Back to boredom and cursing the Leafs.

 

[gilmourthegreat]

I think that would often be the case, but as it happens this election featured a leftist candidate with less charisma than a sponge. I think your intuition is right; don't forget that Chow started in front of Tory in the polls: http://www.blogto.com/city/2014/08/olivia_chow_struggles_in_latest_mayoral_poll/

I suppose but Chow, whatever else you want to say about her, is an experienced municipal politician and I don't think too many people on the left would really pass on voting for her because of a lack of charisma. Not to mention John Tory isn't exactly John Kennedy himself.

It's more than charisma: Chow never 'impressed', never produced the magic combination of print, soundbites and video that is required to seem mayoral. Chow never came off as substantial to me; frankly she seems like a bit of an intellectual lightweight, albeit one with her heart in the right place and a tonne of ambition.

As for her political experience, I'm not sure it mattered to the average voter, but I was unhappy with her Palinesque pattern of leaving multiple elected positions mid-term, simply to try for a more illustrious post. Chow seems to have viewed her previous titles as means rather than ends.

Tory is a square for sure, but he speaks well, and conveys his points with recognizable emotion. In terms of relative charisma at a moment's glance (which seems to be how elections are won these days, if they weren't always), Tory by miles.

 

[Bender]

True, but that still doesn't matter. Tory beat home his message loudly and clearly and quite obviously connected with more people. I don't recall seeing much in the way of flyers for her, and I think she really should've jumped right away on the transit issue, like Tory did, even if his plan is more hypothetical that it is practical. It resonated.

Sure and I understand there's a big centrist and independent vote out there. I just figured there was a bigger firmly committed left wing vote out there that would vote that way regardless of things like flyers and debate performance.

But all I'm saying is that I was wrong about the city's leaning. I don't technically live there anymore so I could very well be off base.

I think it's still left-ish but not as left wing as it used to be, especially now that as the Who once said "a parting on the left is now a parting on the right" has occurred in this city. There's still the Ford factor, too. I don't think a regular right wing candidate would've made quite the same dent, especially not the way he did in Etobicoke.

It's interesting to see the vote split across former borough lines of Etobicoke and Scarborough voting for Ford, while most of the centre on each side of Yonge voted Tory en masse. Chow was relgated somewhat to her usual ridings like Trinity Spadina.

 

[Highlander]

Chow reminds me of the Yoko Ono of Toronto politics, riding on her dead husbands coattails.
She would have been a very dangerous Mayor.  Tory has the right name as a centrist, god bless him as this city must be a zoo to run. Just dealing with all the unions would drive one to drink???or smoke crack??oh now I get it.

 

[Kin]

It's more than charisma: Chow never 'impressed', never produced the magic combination of print, soundbites and video that is required to seem mayoral. Chow never came off as substantial to me; frankly she seems like a bit of an intellectual lightweight, albeit one with her heart in the right place and a tonne of ambition.

Not to put too fine a point on it but the city has a pretty fair history of mayors who wouldn't do all that well as a contestant on Jeopardy.

 

[bustaheims]

Not to put too fine a point on it but the city has a pretty fair history of mayors who wouldn't do all that well as a contestant on Jeopardy.

Yeah. To me, it was partly Chow's platform didn't resonate with the moderate voters (there were some good things in there, but there were also some really poorly thought out things) and partly that she just didn't seem to have a strong enough personality to lead council. While Tory may not be the most charismatic figure, he did at least portray the ability to lead.

 

[Joe S.]

Chow reminds me of the Yoko Ono of Toronto politics, riding on her dead husbands coattails.
She would have been a very dangerous Mayor.  Tory has the right name as a centrist, god bless him as this city must be a zoo to run. Just dealing with all the unions would drive one to drink???or smoke crack??oh now I get it.

I'm not defending, nor promoting her, but aren't you selling her a little short here? She was a Toronto council member from 91-05 - if anything, she had the most experience of the 3 candidates.