TORONTO – So, here we are. Another Thanksgiving weekend is upon us and it comes with the promise of a beautiful autumnal forecast to go with the seasonal scents of turkey, breads and pies wafting from the kitchen.
Many of you are likely to share grand meals with friends and families, indulging in the bounty we enjoy and fighting the soporific effects of the harvest spread.
While your first issue may be how to stick handle the dysfunctional personalities who gather at your table, I guarantee you, the issues around the race for the mayor’s chair in Toronto will quickly consume the dinner conversation.
The pollsters will all tell you that this family weekend will have a significant effect on how the ballots are cast on October 27.
The rhetoric that gets passed with the cranberries, the ill-informed opinion served up with the second helping, the debate over charisma that tops off the pumpkin pie, the “and another thing” that gets a little louder as you drain the last drop from the wine bottle, will all contribute to a solidification of voting intentions.
And the next round of polling will reflect that. But for all the weighted sample size and margin of error calculations 19 times out of 20, the polling won’t address the real question.
What is the ballot question? What is it that will drive your vote?
It was obvious up until September 12. The ballot question was “Rob Ford – Yes or No?”
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But that came to a screeching halt when the mayor decided to withdraw from the race to focus on a more important fight.
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It was easy to assume, at the time, that Doug Ford’s entrance to the race simply meant replacing one Ford for another. John Tory and Olivia Chow would like you to think so. But that’s not the case.
In many ways, Doug is a far more dangerous campaigner than the mayor. Rob Ford owns the “retail politics” brand. Nobody does it better. And it’s clearly not Doug’s strength.
But Doug has presented himself as a toe to toe street fighter who can learn a thing or two in the heat of the battle.
He is obviously heeding the advice of his campaign team. He has learned to pivot his messaging back to his mantras of subways and supporting tax payers. He isn’t as easily baited by tough media questions and he’s done better than hold his own in the debates.
So the question isn’t “Ford or no Ford”.
The ballot question is “Who can get stuff done?”
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Voters are fed up with the childish, self-centred “I-Me-Mine” sniping that qualifies as debate at city council.
Having a vision isn’t enough.
Having a map isn’t enough.
Having a plan isn’t enough.
In 2018, Torontonians want to be able to look back and say “we got things done”.
The Ipsos Reid research conducted for Global News makes it abundantly clear that the number one obstacle to getting things done at City Hall is politics. Nearly 9 out of 10 Torontonians say politics gets in the way of real accomplishment.
Whether it’s by design or by accident, the front runner campaigns are responding to that sentiment.
Ford insists he and his brother got the job done in the last four years. He wants to convince you that he can keep that momentum going when he moves into the mayor’s office.
Olivia Chow says hers is the only plan that addresses the transit problems “now”; she’ll tell you she’s the only mayor with a concrete plan who knows how to “get it done”.
John Tory states the obvious when he points out that “the number one thing people want to see is results.” He will tell you he’s ready, willing and able to lead the council to “get things done.”
Yes, there are holes and questions in all of these positions.
That’s for you and yours to sort out over turkey and turnip on the weekend.
After that, it’s up to you to “get it done.”
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