The making of a mayor…

What real goes into the making of a mayor….is its hard work and strategic maneuvering or is it just shear luck or just old being in the right spot at the right time. These are all good questions and ones that need to be asked but keep reading because you will be shocked or amazed at what l feel needs to happen for the next mayor of Toronto to emerge.

This past week l had an in-depth interview with one of the candidates who many will admit has no hope in hell of winning, but l must say that experience plays a fairly large part in these persons attempt to become mayor. Rob Davis is someone under many different circumstances and the wrong time for him now…. would have been an unbelievable mayor for the city of Toronto. Rob Davis is a former city councilor who started his political career in the old city of York where scandals and no transparence were the norms of the times and folks like Mr. Davis were able to clean up a city and put in on the right track at the time.

Having at the time in this era of non-accountability and non-disclosures and politicians just doing what they wished with no repercussions, the good times just kept rolling and rolling until folks who didn’t know better but knew what was right and what was wrong make brave moves without being intimidated and succeed with no hidden agendas. Not knowing much about how the system worked but had good core values that represented the taxpayers and not the wealthy developers was again the right thing to do at that time and is know the right time to make new sweeping changes with fresh faces.

In my interview with Rob Davis, he was not intimidated by any group to speak out about what he felt the city needs today, not yesterday and not thirty years from now, but what is needed today. His position about bike lanes and street renaming was a fresh thing to hear whether you agree with his views or not. Yet he was very open and was not worried about being politically correct, because all the candidates running are walking a tight rope and are all trying to say the right thing.

After my interview with Rob Davis, it was crystal clear what is needed today…. let me first say that l am not supporting Rob Davis for mayor, but l am using this interview and what resonated with me about what we need and where we all need to be in taking this once great city forward. While l was listening to him being interviewed, l realized that history teaches us many things and our past mistakes should not be our mistakes once again. Davis made me realize that an untainted politician and someone with no agenda with no fear of repercussion is what is needed.

And so, the question becomes, is there such a candidate among the many that fits the bill of being untainted and beholden to no one except you the taxpayer…. are these any characteristics that any of these candidates have? Well, these traits are scattered amongst all, but thus far not one of these candidates have the completed package except for maybe one…and that person in my opinion is……

Unfortunately, in my humble opinion, the winning of a political campaign in many cases is all about timing and some luck. This by-election slated for June 26, 2023 is no different where many of these so-called candidates never saw a by-election coming. Many of these existing councilors that have thrown their hat into the ring all have nothing to lose. Mitzie Hunter is the only candidate in the race of an existing seat holder that is giving up her status in the provincial legislature to run for mayor. The rest of them have nothing to lose except get more continued exposure to the voters of Toronto.

Thus far, a lot of promises have been made and in the coming weeks a great deal of more hot air will come out of their mouths with promises that they are the one to lead our city into the next phase in Toronto’s history. For me on a personal level, none of the candidates have shown me anything different and l urge many of you if you are in the same spot that l presently am in….you need to continue listening and watching because thus far there is no clear front runner.

Our new mayor needs to be politically correct as they say, but with honesty and not try and please those that have no real input in our city. This is a crucial time in our city’s history where many residents and tenants are very frustrated with where the city is heading. When you hear folks talking about leaving the city to move out, and this chatter is happening much more frequently within my circles and abroad, you know that we are in a stand still era. The next mayor needs to make some difficult decisions and possible crack some eggs along the way. We need fresh blood with a brazen approach to getting the confidence back into the big smoke.
Experience helps, but at this juncture, bringing back recycled candidates that concentrate only on a few issues is not the answer. We need a fresh approach that Rob Davis had when he started out in the early stages of cleaning up the old city of York with no influences from outsiders that have conflicts of interest. However, in this town, much of the political landscape is made up on the center right of the political spectrum with most voting that way in Toronto.

Aside from what l feel we need in a mayor at this time……and if that is not any qualities that anyone has, we need to take the next best thing and that is someone who represents the following.

Approachable/ Critical thinker / Prepared/ Financial acumen/ Relationship builder/ Emotionally mature/ Team player just some of the qualities that our next mayor should have as a base line at the least. If you are still confused as l am, try and find a few of these qualities in the person you may vote for on June 26, 2023.
Stay tuned over the coming weeks and l will share with you who l believe fits this bill.
Let the games begin!

Vince Nigro/MS