The worst kept secret at Queens Park is finally out, after MPP George Smitherman confirmed on Sunday his intention to run to be Mayor of the City of Toronto.
While he continues on as the popular MPP of Toronto Centre-Rosedale, Smitherman has set March 1st , 2010 as his deadline to step down as MPP.
Smitherman is no stranger to Toronto politics. Starting out as the driver to Barbara Hall, mayor of the pre-amalgamated Toronto from 1993 to 1997, he later rose the ranks to become Hall’s Chief of Staff. Smitherman was well known for his no-nonsense attitude and getting the job done. His time at City Hall appeared to be a launching pad for his career in provincial politics where he was the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care and later worked closely with municipalities in his role as the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure.
Confirmed to date in the race other than Smitherman is the outspoken city councilor George Mammoliti.
Although no political parties are declared in municipal elections, Smitherman, a centrist politician, may be joined by other “rumoured to run” Liberals such as former Winnipeg mayor and former federal Liberal candidate Glen Murray and the City’s current budget chief, Shelley Carroll- city councillor Ward 33 Don Valley East.
Could this split the centre-left vote? And, possibly boost the chances of a right of centre candidate John Tory, who is also rumoured to run?
Like Smitherman, Tory is no stranger to City of Toronto politics. Many Torontonians recall his loss in the 2003 Toronto mayoral race. He was also the former leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party who lost the 2007 election that saw Premier Dalton McGuinty form a second majority government. Could the third time be the charm for Tory? With rumoured big Liberal names set to support John Tory and several big-name Conservatives set to support Smitherman this may further split the vote in unusual ways.
As Smitherman’s main threat, John Tory has yet to define his brand. Smitherman’s larger than life persona is reminiscent of successful mayors of the past and present such as- Mel Lastman, Hazel McCallion and Rudy Giuliani. His “Furious George” nickname in the media will position him well to Toronto voters that are looking for a leader to clean up the city’s mess- just as he did during the 2009 garbage strike by getting his hands dirty cleaning the Toronto streets.
If Smitherman focuses on promoting his hard-nosed, no-nonsense, take-no-prisoners brand, he stands a good chance of winning regardless of where he falls on the ideological spectrum. John Tory’s brand is somewhat unclear, even though he has name recognition and deep pockets.
Regardless of brand, Smitherman has positioned himself nicely by getting out early and defining the agenda before his opponents who have yet to formally declare their intent to run – in what appears to be- a close mayoral race.
Stay tuned for interesting developments leading up to the municipal elections in 2010…
