Out in Left-Centre Field

Apparently, in Mayor Rob Ford's idea of Toronto, toadyism trumps competence.

It's true, the TTC needs major improvement and Toronto needs more subways, but that is no excuse for such a blatantly ideological and political move. Firing general manager Gary Webster might be legal, but that does not make it right.

In fact, Webster's termination is emblematic of the Ford administration's entire approach to governance.

Apparently, for hardline ideologues so concerned with black-and-white issues of right and wrong, having the audacity to demonstrate independence and a conscience is a mortal sin. Fealty to the all-encompassing "mandate" is now the yardstick of one's character (never mind all that unimportant stuff like actually being good at one's job).

Maybe, before this episode, even as a leftist, I was prepared to give Ford and his administration the benefit of the doubt. I thought, hell, they're just trying to improve Toronto the way they think is best. How bad can it really get? I was prepared to be tolerant, to look past the chorus of voices claiming that the sky was about to fall -- to maybe, just maybe, accept the concept that Rob Ford and his allies were fit to lead.

No more. They are the farthest thing from it.

For starters, there's the act of casually firing the people who disagree with you. In reality, democracy is all about disagreement and debate in the process of assembling the best solution to a problem. If you start purging anyone who refuses to be a yes-man, what will remain? Mayor Ford and his slavish cronies clearly don't give a flying hint of a damn as to figuring out the best option -- they just want to advance their preferred option above any others, and apparently anyone who disagrees has no business even participating at all.

So now you're thinking "Well, didn't leftists do it too? What about that commie Miller and his gang?" You know what? It's wrong when left-wingers do it, just like it's wrong when right-wingers do it and when centrists do it. The so-called Responsible Government Group cried the blues (and rightly so) whenever it was done by the last administration -- but oh no, now that they're the ones in power, suddenly it's The Right Thing To Do For The Future Of Toronto^(TM).

And the exalted mandate? Every time someone speaks out against the Ford administration's plans and ideas, they mindlessly repeat that they "have a mandate" and can do whatever they please. Meanwhile, the citizens of Toronto have only had their unadulterated say on Ford all of once, and the next time they can even try will be more than two years from now. Their opinions can change en masse at any time, but based on a single vote back in 2010, Mayor Ford and his allies feel they have the right to do what they want, whenever they want, to whoever they want, with no checks or balances whatsoever for four years straight.

Does this all sound like someone who actually respects the democracy that put them in power?

Mayor Ford and his allies (and opponents) were elected fair and square, so to an extent, they have the advantages afforded by victory. But if democracy is to be any more than just a word, politicians of all levels and stripes have a constant responsibility to listen and govern based on the present and not just the past.

I get that Mayor Ford, his administration and his allies are angry. They have been defied. They have been inconvenienced. They have been opposed. But without opposition, all we are left with is dictatorship. Democracy is always messy, and sometimes people can do things that we don't like. But instead of coming to the table to resolve the differences, Mayor Ford and his followers have decided to throw a complete temper tantrum to get their way at all costs (and the consequences be damned).

I get that the stock and trade of today's neoconservatives is anger. It motivates their supporters, it serves as a driving force, and to some extent, it is a legitimate response to the otherwise moderate-to-progressive outlook of the rest of Canada. Anger is a base emotion, but it is how we handle it that shows who we are as civilized, intelligent human beings.

What a waste. What a waste of talented individuals, thrown aside because their views are inconvenient to those in power. What a waste of Torontonians' votes, when they thought they were getting new, responsible representatives and instead got bullies and sycophants of the lowest calibre. What a waste of time, funds, energy and effort at a time when Toronto is far behind real world-class cities in building modern and adequate civil infrastructure.

What an utter waste, when what we need is real, courageous, inclusive leadership.

Despite my many disagreements with Rob Ford's policies and ideals, I was more than prepared until now to give him and his municipal administration the benefit of the doubt.

Then he goes and invites a man to his inauguration ceremony who promptly rubs it all in with as much force as he can muster.

Really, Don? "Kooks"? "Pinkos"? Reminds me of the good old days when all the talk was of the Red Scare hiding behind every corner. We, as a society, haven't changed since then, have we? Have we? Or are we stuck in an era where "socialist" is a swear-word and paranoia reigns supreme?

No, instead we have a man living in the past, where it was "us" against "them", "good" against "bad", "patriots" against "traitorous Communists". Sorry to have to break it to you, Don, but that era died with the fall of Joseph McCarthy. It lives on in the minds of many on both the right and the left, but to most, it has been cast utterly into the trash bin for all eternity.

So go on, Mr. Cherry. By all means, keep using your manufactured soapbox to spout your divisive and hateful drivel to all the world. Keep using "the troops" as both shield and tool to bash those who disagree as unpatriotic. Keep being a smug, asinine jerkass to people who already know that they took it on the nose from the public.

Just know that anyone with half a brain sees you for the arcane, obsolete and pathetic loudmouth that you really are.

Mr. Cherry, you're a disgrace to Canada.

He's finally done it, done what the polls have said he was on track to do for months now -- Rob Ford is the next mayor of Toronto.

(This is not to overlook all the other municipalities in Ontario, including my hometown of Oakville, where the citizens have voted -- often in surprising ways -- to elect their local leaders for the next four years. But the race in Toronto was a high-profile, hard-fought campaign, and I intend to give it what due I can.)

Whatever I think of his policies, Mr. Ford clearly ran the best campaign. Divisive and fuelled by anger it may have been, but his rise was a reflection of the people's democratic will to choose. They liked what they saw, and they trusted him with their vote.

Now, he must live up to his end of the great electoral bargain. Mr. Ford needs to prove that he can govern Toronto for all citizens, not just the views of those who supported him and his platform. He has the duty and responsibility to treat leadership with the seriousness it deserves -- and that means bringing people together instead of wedging them apart.

His opponents were clearly not up to the task. Joe Pantalone ran as best he could, but his position as the direct defender of David Miller's admittedly dicey record limited what he could do. Plus, Pantalone is not Miller; despite their similarities in policy, they are different people with different styles of leadership. Mr. Pantalone failed to show himself as a distinct leader with a compelling vision; you do not succeed on your own by being a clone of someone else.

As for Rocco Rossi and Sarah Thompson, we will never know how they might have fared. Interesting and articulate as they were, neither had the will to stay in the race until the end, but they instead allowed outside pressures to browbeat them into submission for the "good" of the other candidates. Any day that choice in democracy is forcibly lessened is a sad day, and those who pressured them into an early departure should be ashamed.

George Smitherman, too, was ultimately defeated. Whether it was his spotty record as part of McGuinty's government, or his failure to define himself and his platform in the campaign, who knows? His list of backers, from councillors across Toronto to former mayor David Crombie, was impressive indeed -- but ultimately, it is the people who choose the mayor, not the high-profile endorsers. In the end, Smitherman's desperate and entirely transparent bid, in the final days of the campaign, to bully Pantalone's supporters into jumping on the bandwagon rang all kinds of hollow. If you look at the results, Smitherman's "big red tent" would have had to absorb all (i.e. almost 100%) of Pantalone's supporters just to have even a tiny margin of victory. Ford beat Smitherman, pure and simple, and the man who first waltzed into the campaign with a commanding lead was the eventual victim of a fatal cocktail of personal complacency, campaign team overconfidence and overall public anger.

And there were almost 40 others who tried and could not succeed. Sadly, we heard virtually nothing about them, courtesy of the mass media, who decided to arbitrarily narrow the field of "newsworthy" candidates to about half a dozen early this year, and virtually imposed a publication ban on the rest. Who knows how candidates like Rocco Achampong or Kevin Clarke might have fared, had the media given them as much free publicity as the anointed front-runners? But apparently, diversity and fairness are beyond the capabilities of the large news outlets of today. Certainly, it is nigh impossible to deal with 40 candidates at one debate -- but when you have 5 candidates at every debate, which approach is more wrong? The media have no right to tell YOU who gets your vote.

Because that's what this was about: choice. The free will to use your greatest opportunity to have an impact on the political scene in any manner that you see fit. It's not a chore, it's not an inconvenience; it's our right and our duty to vote so that our communities are given direction for the next four years. Whatever your beliefs and principles, you came together today to show that you care about the things that influence your life and your country. Thank you.

So congratulations, Mr. Ford. Congratulations to all the thousands of people, from all walks of life, who had the courage to seek (and, in some cases, win) the honour of serving your fellow citizens in municipal governments across Ontario.

Believe me, we're all watching. Make us proud.