The votes have been cast,
and the damage is done - Rob Ford is Toronto's mayor.
There's plenty to criticize about Rob Ford. I'm not
a fan of his whiny voice and the way his beady eyes close while he's talking;
to say he "lacks polish" is a gross understatement, and it's left to
wonder how he'll represent what Toronto really is all about on the
international stage. One also wonders how he can control spending in the
largest and most culturally diverse city in the country when he evidently can't
control his, um, appetite, or exercise regimen. Outgoing Mayor David Miller had
run a marathon, and drop-out Rocco Rossi (whom I endorsed) had kayaked solo
from Toronto to Ottawa; these young, healthy, educated (Harvard and Princeton,
respectively) types are evidently not what Toronto wants.
I hope he proves wrong all those who are literally
frightened at the prospect of what Toronto may become by the time he's done
with it.
I hope he proves me wrong and is not an
embarrassment to the city.
Don't get me wrong - all human beings are allowed
to make mistakes, it's just a part of being human. If you know me at all, you
know I've made my goodly share of mistakes.
I certainly won't make a mountain out of every
molehill.
However, the sound bite gaffes he committed during
his campaign will likely continue once he takes office (he is who he is, after
all). He might even allow his big win to embolden him to feel more comfortable
talking stupidity. Comments he will make that support the concerns that he is
insensitive to the fabric that makes Toronto what it is will be magnified by
all the watchers hoping he falls on his face and proves them right.
When David Miller swept into office, I had high
hopes. Clearly, what he did with his tenure turned Torontonians off to such a
degree that they voted for as far across the spectrum from Miller as they
could. I think it is fair to say that, in the court of public opinion, Miller
failed expectations (someone please explain to me, by the way, how a poll
suggested that, if Miller had run, he'd have won again; yet, the city is apparently
overly willing to far to the opposite direction? Hard to grasp the
"science" in "political science"...but I digress...).
So, now, with Mr. Ford, I have rock bottom
expectations. That ought to bode well - how do you fall short of meeting low expectations?
Unfortunately, I suspect he'll find a way to do it.
Buckle up, Toronto - we're in for a rough four
years.
Posts
2 comments:
A sad day indeed. One can only keep one's fingers crossed that he doesn't screw things up too badly in this great city of ours which, by the way, was voted by The Economist Intelligence Unit as one of "The World's Best Places to Live 2010"
http://www.cnbc.com/id/36938560?slide=1
We're not off to a promising start.
He's strutting around that's he's saved "taxpapers" nearly $1 million by cutting expense accounts from $50,000 down to $30,000. But the average expense claims amounted to $30,000, meaning there's no real savings at all here.
And, even if he did save a whopping $1 million, the largest city in Canada has a budget of some $9 billion - thus he's decided that saving a fraction of 1% is headline news.
What's more, he followed this up by waiving over $60 million on the vehicle registration tax.
If saving $1 million is significant (which it isn't), then how is losing $60 million insignificant?
How could he afford to waive the tax? He found himself with a budget surplus gifted to him by the outgoing regime...hey, I guess that "gravy train" put some money away for a rainy day, that's he's now burning through.
Post a Comment