This is a mayoral campaign thread, not for the tabloid stuff

[erika]

If you want to see some REAL policy discussion, check this out next Monday (this organization is pretty interesting, as are the subjects they've been tackling - most of their meetings have been set in a pub).
Why Should I Care?

 

[erika]

Here's an interesting take on mayoral candidates and the TTC service improvement announcements, particularly on Tory:
Running for mayor? You should support the TTC

 

[erika]

"If I had a million dollars..." An interesting question posed to the main mayoral candidates If they had a million dollars | Toronto Life

 

[alexd]

Stintz is probably going to bail today.

Also, what's the scoop with Olivia hiring Warren Kinsella to run her "war room" and then deny it when the Kinsella made that racist comment about Tory's transit plan yesterday, claiming Kinsella was just a volunteer? It seems smarmy to me. It seems totally against the general perception of what she stands for.

Perhaps this is why her campaign seems not to be getting any traction whatsoever: are the backroom people on her campaign congruent with the public face of her campaign?

In fact, what is the whole deal with political operatives & municipal politicians? These backroom people who seem to bring a thick layer of evil, sleaze and tackiness to the process, yet still offer "arms-length" deniability to the politician? I though they only appeared in federal and provincial politics.

 

[kyfe]

Stintz is probably going to bail today.

Also, what the scoop with Olivia hiring Warren Kinsella to run her "war room" and then deny it when the Kinsella made that racist comment about Tory's transit plan yesterday, claiming Kinsella was just a volunteer? It seems smarmy to me. It seems totally against the general perception of what she stands for.

Perhaps this is why her campaign seems not to be getting any traction whatsoever: are the backroom people on her campaign congruent with the public face of her campaign?

In fact, what is the whole deal with political operatives & municipal politicians? These backroom people who seem to bring a thick layer of evil, sleaze and tackiness to the process, yet still offer "arms-length" deniability to the politician? I though they only appeared in federal and provincial politics.

I wrote this back in April

as for Kinsella I hope some of you realize exactly what you are getting with Chow, now that this information is on public record.

 

[kerouacdude]

well ok, but whose operatives am I supposed to feel good about lol?
I throughly reject the notion that left-leaning politicians should not get in the trenches.
having said that, whenever he's talked about what Olivia has or hasn't done in debates and messaging, I've disagreed with more than half of it.

 

[alexd]

I am going to miss Stintz's hawt fashion sense.

 

[erika]

As a woman, I liked seeing two female candidates in the top 5. But I thoroughly disliked her as a mayoral candidate: her big platform was transit, yet after a good start she's the one who derailed the LRT, cut service and increased fares.

And the cutesie pootsie stuff with Ford in playgrounds most recently was just nauseating.

As for the Kinsella issue, Chow should have taken ownership of that, apologized and moved on. Because she hasn't, it's going to keep coming up. Not good.

Right now she's madly kissing up to what supporters Stintz had.

I far preferred Soknacki's statement about the Stintz drop-out.

 

[alexd]

I would like it if each candidate published a list of their back room people so we could see who is actually driving the agendas and will be looking to collect once their candidates are elected.

 

[erika]

I think it's more than back room people: it's the big donors. Some people do volunteer because they believe in the candidate.
I know some of the people involved in a couple of campaigns: they've signed on because they genuinely want to help.

 

[Ho||yw0oD]

Also, what's the scoop with Olivia hiring Warren Kinsella to run her "war room" and then deny it when the Kinsella made that racist comment about Tory's transit plan yesterday, claiming Kinsella was just a volunteer? It seems smarmy to me. It seems totally against the general perception of what she stands for.

Perhaps this is why her campaign seems not to be getting any traction whatsoever: are the backroom people on her campaign congruent with the public face of her campaign?

In fact, what is the whole deal with political operatives & municipal politicians? These backroom people who seem to bring a thick layer of evil, sleaze and tackiness to the process, yet still offer "arms-length" deniability to the politician? I though they only appeared in federal and provincial politics.

Yes, the operatives definitely make this out to be more a game than anything. They are in it to win it and will do so at all costs.

Personally, it would have been awesome to see Tory respond with "Olivia Chow and I fundamentally disagree on many matters regarding municipal politics. However I do not believe the comments from this isolated individual on her team do not represent her own persona. Olivia is a formidable political opponent of whom I have the greatest respect." Such a response like that would eliminate any mudslinging, keep focus on issues that matter and likely gather some respect for Tory amongst those who are pessimistic of politics.

 

[DJ Vuvu Zela]

I would like it if each candidate published a list of their back room people so we could see who is actually driving the agendas and will be looking to collect once their candidates are elected.

Kinsella has always been a volunteer on Chow's campaign, he was never "hired" in the traditional sense of the word. Here's some other high profile volunteers (and paid employees) for other candidates :

Chow’s campaign isn’t the only one to benefit from volunteers who are also lobbyists.

Richardson, a volunteer co-chair of Tory’s campaign, is president of the Devon Group. Volunteer campaign co-chair John Capobianco is Fleishman-Hillard’s national lead for public affairs.

“Like any campaign we have dozens of people working here, some of them lobbyists. When they’re working on the campaign they are not here in their capacity as lobbyists, they are volunteers,” said Tory’s campaign spokesperson Amanda Galbraith.

Karen Stintz adviser Karl Baldauf works at NATIONAL Public Relations, and while he has registered as a lobbyist at the provincial level in the past, he considers himself primarily a communications professional, said Stintz’s spokesperson Lauren Souch.

David Soknacki’s paid press secretary and spokesperson Supriya Dwivedi works part-time for Crestview Strategy. She said Soknacki has a policy on lobbyist contact during the campaign: the campaign team is to publicly disclose any meetings he has with lobby groups, civic employee unions or consultant lobbyists acting on a behalf of a client, in the spirit of the Lobbyist Bylaw, even though it doesn’t apply to candidates for office.

from :
What’s in it for the volunteer lobbyists of Toronto’s mayoral campaigns? | Metro

 

[erika]

The heritage Toronto debate is streaming live on cp24.com

Good thing Ford isn't there: I don't think he would know how to answer the questions!

 

[el presidente Highsteppa]

I wonder how long until Sonacki drops - I'm still a bit skeptical of the embrace some have given him, but he doesn't seem prone to off the cuff stupidity.

That being said, I think Chow is probably who'd I'd vote for (even though I am disappointed with Kinsella's remarks), but I wouldn't be terribly unhappy with Tory winning either.

 

[erika]

Ford is just so ghastly that either one would be an improvement. Don't discount Soknacki just yet: I just donated to his campaign.
https://soknacki-ds.nationbuilder.com/donate
No, that's not why: one month before the Calgary election, Nenshi was polling at 8%, another candidate at 42%, another at 28%.
Then Nenshi won.

And I hope you all know about rebates on municipal election donations. It's not a tax rebate; it comes directly to you once they've finished all the election accounting.

I've donated small amounts to several candidates for councillor in wards that I think matter (because their incumbent is awful).

This is a year where I think it's particularly worth it: we need change.

 

[praktik]

I wonder how long until Sonacki drops - I'm still a bit skeptical of the embrace some have given him, but he doesn't seem prone to off the cuff stupidity.

You gotta love the environment we're in.

"Can he speak coherently?"

"Is she able to understand when other people are using their mouths to say words?"

"Is this person capable of comporting themselves with basic human dignity?"

The bar is so f*cking low. Thanks Ford for showing us the Worst of All Worlds. Now we're desperate enough to play footsie with any Tom Dick Harry or Olivia that can like, NOT intermittently be jackasses and buffoons.

 

[JamesM]

We were paid a visit by an Olivia Chow canvasser today. And I let her know I'm on board, as is my Lady who she came for originally.

Sure she's horrendeous at debates, but she's better than that. You need to substite her, because she really is a great person.

So there. She'd kill it in council as mayor. No doubt about her abilities. Very camera shy.

Soknacki, Tory. More conservative shit.

Yes/No Con's/Liberals. Just everything's been obliterated now. It's all the same.

 

[kirstenmeows]

For those who need more ammo to decide, here's a new app that might help.
New app lets you compare Toronto mayoral candidates

 

[Sal De Ban]

So did Tory and Stintz work out a deal where she would drop out, throw her support to Tory, and in return Tory would get her in the door as CFL commissioner? Is that what's going on?

 

[el presidente Highsteppa]

You gotta love the environment we're in.

"Can he speak coherently?"

"Is she able to understand when other people are using their mouths to say words?"

"Is this person capable of comporting themselves with basic human dignity?"

The bar is so f*cking low. Thanks Ford for showing us the Worst of All Worlds. Now we're desperate enough to play footsie with any Tom Dick Harry or Olivia that can like, NOT intermittently be jackasses and buffoons.

If you think the bar is low, the Toronto Sun quoted one person as being impressed by Ford being at the front door of his mother's house to greet the guests of his $300.00 a plate dinner last night - and said that it qualifies him as mayor.

If the bar was set any lower, limbo dancers would be in traction.

 

[kerouacdude]

Re Tory & Stintz & CFL

She could get in the door only if it didn't revolve. She has next to zero qualifications for that job and the weird band of owners that comprises CFL probably don't want a woman even if she did.

No idea why reporters who should know better were fixated on endorsement yesterday. There's no delegates here, I doubt people other than the hardcore loyalists would care (Spitballing I'd say 50 per cent of her few supporters would go to Tory, 35 per cent to Chow, and then a decent amount of wingnuts to Ford)

 

[erika]

For those of you on Reddit, there's this: https://twitter.com/soknacki2014/status/503947243448066050

 

[alexd]

We elect these people so they can spend entire days talking about how they would change the National Anthem (if they could) WTF.

 

[Primavera]

We elect these people so they can spend entire days talking about how they would change the National Anthem (if they could) WTF.

That counciloor (Ceta Impossibletopronouncelastname) wasn't elected, she was appointed by council as an interim replacement for Adam Vaughan when he left his post to run for the MP seat vacated by Olivia Chow.

And since Ceta isn't running in the election in October and wasn't elected, she can float dumb ideas like changing the anthem.

--------

And today Ford did his latest bit of aimless showboating. When council was voting on to allow the Raptors to open a practice facility, at the last moment Ford demanded that council force MLSE to have to let 10% of the time at the practice facility go to youth living in Toronto Community Housing. That in itself isn't an entirely unreasonable request - but he demands it at literally the last minute before anyone from council can run it by MLSE. And when council still voted to approve the practice facility (without including a demand for the 10% of time going to TCHC kids) Ford makes a big grandstanding moment of saying that him and Doug (the only two voted against the motion) are the only people who care about the poor kids and everyone else doesn't care.

 

[kerouacdude]

And since Ceta isn't running in the election in October and wasn't elected, she can float dumb ideas like changing the anthem.

And the media knows this is complete horseshite, but noo, gotta report this story to whip up the readership and get those clicks. The equivalent of wasting space on private member bills.

And today Ford did his latest bit of aimless showboating. When council was voting on to allow the Raptors to open a practice facility, at the last moment Ford demanded that council force MLSE to have to let 10% of the time at the practice facility go to youth living in Toronto Community Housing. That in itself isn't an entirely unreasonable request - but he demands it at literally the last minute before anyone from council can run it by MLSE.

I just can't believe 18 to 22 per cent of the populace is going to vote for him. Staggering. Days like these, which they don't watch, show what an incompetent, diarrhea-spurting gaping maw he is.

And hopefully now he's out the door with nothing to lose, Leiweke will respond to this and continue his attacks on the Fords for being idiots (Seemingly the only T.O. poobah not running for something who's done so)