Today Fri Sat
It is forcast to be Fog at 11:00 PM EDT on May 24, 2012
Fog
29°/18°		 It is forcast to be Chance of Rain at 11:00 PM EDT on May 25, 2012
Chance of Rain
28°/18°		 It is forcast to be Overcast at 11:00 PM EDT on May 26, 2012
Overcast
27°/15°

15 Comments

news

John Tory Officially Out of the Mayor’s Race

By Hamutal Dotan

201001john_tory.jpg
Tory at the Ontario Chamber of Commerce’s “Visionaries” event last November. Photo from the Chamber’s Flickr.


John Tory issued a statement a few minutes ago, announcing that he will not be entering Toronto’s mayoral race. Instead, he will become the new volunteer chair of the Toronto City Summit Alliance, the city-building organization founded by David Pecaut. This leaves George Smitherman as by far the biggest name in the race—at least for the moment. Then again, the Elections Office has only been accepting nominations for three days, so who knows what turn things will take tomorrow?
Here is the full text of his statement:

I am announcing today that I will not be a candidate for the office of Mayor of Toronto in the 2010 municipal elections.
I am extremely gratified by the degree of support offered to me on the streets, in public opinion polls and in the committed support of a significant number of City Councillors, however I have decided that I will pursue a different course with my life and my career.
Just prior to the sad passing of David Pecaut, he wrote to me and urged me to seriously consider taking the helm of the Toronto City Summit Alliance, which he did so much to build into a huge force for city building. The Board of the TCSA has subsequently confirmed their desire to have me occupy this volunteer post and I intend to accept that appointment. It will give me a great opportunity not only to carry on the vital work of the TCSA and build on David Pecaut’s considerable legacy, but also to remain a very active contributor to the city I love and call home.
I will also be continuing with other activities I am very much enjoying including the hosting of my daily talk show on Newstalk 1010, increased responsibilities with Rogers following the passing of my friend and mentor Ted Rogers, other corporate Boards and business assignments and a myriad of charitable responsibilities with organizations ranging from the United Way and St. Michael’s Hospital to Unity for Autism and Easter Seals. This decision will also leave more time for family, including Barbara, our four children and two grandchildren.
I want to thank all of the people who encouraged me to contest the Mayoralty, especially those who helped me establish the foundation for a strong organization, and all of the citizens who communicated with me in person or otherwise to express their confidence in me.
I look forward to the opportunity to be a commentator and analyst in the campaign to come. That will be a new experience!
I also look forward to continuing to be an activist citizen and using my energy and experience to help build a better Toronto.

Comments

  • http://undefined Darren

    Smitherman is the candidate furthest on the right??
    Hahahaha

  • http://undefined prosperewebitor

    This is too bad. I had high hopes for Mr. Tory to improve the state of TO, but who’s going to do this now? We want our city to be smart, sophisticated and polished.In the past few years, NO ONE has been able to do this. We haven’t even remotely been close since the late 90s. What’s wrong with us? Do we seriously need to send our councillors to finishing school? Or rather, maybe Torontonians (i.e. the voters) need to go.

  • http://undefined Darren

    I think that being mayor of TO is esentially taboo right now. Who in their right mind would want to be a fiscally conservative mayor of TO with the the global economy as it is and with the financial state the city is in?

  • http://undefined Hamutal Dotan

    Actually, that would be Sarah Thomson, at least among the candidates with any kind of name recognition.

  • http://prospere-magazine.com prosperewebitor

    Confused. Don’t you WANT to be conservative in a downtime? Or are you referring to my comment about being smart, sophisticated and polished? One can achieve this if they spend wisely. TO does NOT spend wisely! I just saw a job posting for a marketing position for the TTC which pays ~$90K to $112K. The position basically involves planning “special studies” regarding current and proposed TTC policies (social and financial). Really, do they need to find such a high-level person? Why not get an intern (free for school credit) and a lower-level manager with a salary of, say, $60ishK? You KNOW that when they hire someone, this person will just “go with the flow,” and not bring in new ideas (or get these new ideas nixed). We know that the current Toronto government isn’t interested in being polished. Or more likely, they don’t know what it means (thus my mention of finishing school).
    http://www3.ttc.ca/Jobs/Current_employment_opportunities/Job_7379_Jan_22.jsp

  • David Toronto

    I wonder how much of a warning signal his
    decision will be. Will it keep the Denzils,
    Rob Fords and others from running?
    I still remember very clearly his involvement
    with the ad that show Jean Chretien in a bad
    light because of his speech limitation and
    deafness in one ear. I remember the outrage
    in the national media and said to anyone interested
    that that was the end of the Conservative’s
    chances of leading the country.
    Apparently his involvement in the CFL caused
    much anger among fans of the sport.
    He’s not been brilliant for most of his
    professional life.

  • http://undefined rek

    “Don’t you WANT to be conservative in a downtime?”
    No.

  • http://undefined Darren

    A famous man once said “Let he without sin cast the first stone”
    Where can I meet up with you? I have a stone I have to throw your way.

  • http://undefined PickleToes

    Yes!

  • http://alexandrahighcrest.com/blog/ Alexandra Highcrest

    John Tory’s decision isn’t surprising, his chances of winning were slim. He’s tainted with defeat and I think Toronto is still no country for conservative men.
    Also, his image isn’t good; based on the photo used here his hair is awful, his style of dress is too conservative and the glasses just have to go. If he plans to pump up his media profile, which I predict he will, he will get a professional makeover if he hasn’t done so already. He certainly needs one.

  • http://undefined Darren

    Yeah because when seeing my water bill up 9%, my metropass increased twice in 3 years, my property tax going up, my garbage piling up during a strike, walking miles all weekend when the TTC went on strike, walking to work one morning because some TTC janitors triggered an illgeal wildcat strike because they didnt want to obey orders to switch to evening shifts, the TTC spending millions on luxury stations in Vaughan…..I can still be at ease knowing that Miller looked spiffy and had a nice head of hair.

  • http://www.torontoist.com David Topping

    Come onnnn Rob Ford!

  • http://alexandrahighcrest.com/blog/ Alexandra Highcrest

    Oh don’t get me wrong, just because I don’t care for John Tory’s look doesn’t mean I approve of David Millers’. If Miller were running in this election I would be just as critical of his image as I have been of John’s. And by the way, I was not disappointed when Miller announced his decision not to run. His term as mayor was very disappointing.

  • http://alexandrahighcrest.com/blog/ Alexandra Highcrest

    I agree, I hope Rob Ford runs. I’d never vote for him but he’d make the election more entertaining. I’m pleased George Mammoliti is running for the same reason. These cooky guys make local politics interesting. Do you remember when Mammoliti took off his shirt at City Hall to protest the idea of creating a nude beach on one of Toronto’s islands? Priceless!

  • http://undefined TokyoTuds

    As a retired headhunter, former HR manager and former compensation researcher, I can categorically tell you the Job Description (JD) you link to at the TTC is spot on regarding remuneration. I am upset by a lot at the TTC, but salaries and wages is not one of them. From the JD this reports to the CXO level (CMO in this case), directs the work of managers (like your “lower level managers), who in turn supervise staff and interns (as you recommend). Additionally, the TTC is a very large organisation. I’d say that they pay below market for this role compared with publicly traded companies, likely in the lower quartile, although I am sure they shoot for the 50th percentile in the candidate pool.