The Real Reason Toronto's Mayor Quit

Ontario Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty's massive deficit.

Yes, those two men have gone hand in hand for the last seven years, the best of friends.  The City of Toronto act that McGuinty shoved through could have been called the "Everything David Miller Wants Act" and led to many new taxes for Toronto, including the $60 per year vehicle tax and the Land Transfer Tax.

I even wondered if it was quid pro quo when David Miller chose to resign his NDP party membership before the last provincial election and refused to support NDP leader Howard Hampton, despite the fact that his platform was designed to give Toronto absolutely everything that a lefty politician could desire.

But now that friendship, while still strong, has reached a limit.  Dalton is out of money.  The province of Ontario posted a massive $24 billion dollar deficit, double the bad old days of Bob Rae's provincial NDP government.  The province is already spending 45 billion more per year than when McGuinty took office, so there is absolutely no wiggle room left.

Since Toronto depended on a $400 million dollar hand out from the province last year to balance its budget, as well as raiding the LAST of the reserve fund for another $20 million, it all adds up to a tax blood bath at city hall next spring.

The budget chief is already asking for 5% cuts across the board on THIS year's budget. Yes, the same budget that approved 1300 new hires a scant six months ago.  The Millerites have amazingly blamed the recession, as if they didn't notice the financial crisis last fall, a full year ago, until now.

Miller probably got all the bad news in September: he lost his fund-raiser (who was unhappy with Miller's performance over the strike), he lost the support of the unions, again because of the strike, his popularity plummeted over the summer (you guessed it), and council had called for an inquiry into when Miller knew about the $200 million dollar error in liability of the sick days, and whether he withheld this critical information from council before they voted on the union's contract after a strike that was all about sick days.

That's a lot of heat.

But I'm guessing the nail in the coffin was a quiet word from Dalton that there would be no money for Toronto's budget next year.  In fact, it's amazing how all the left-wing councillors are suddenly discussing cuts and none are loudly calling on the province to bail them out.  It's because they already know the answer.

David Miller has chosen to leave while he is still the progressive mayor, the green mayor, and not the mayor who will bring about the most punishing tax increases the city has ever seen.

Instead of facing the music on election day a year from now, he has chosen an easier path: to take over as CEO of Invest Toronto, a post vacated when former liberal attorney-general Michael Bryant was charged in the death of a bike courier.

Indeed, maybe that was the final incentive, a chance road rage argument that turned the course of local history.  Whatever the case, Miller doesn't need to be mayor of Toronto anymore.  He's already got another fashionable job, and if a left-wing candidate is elected mayor next year, I bet Miller gets to keep that job.

Either way, Mr. Miller will land on his feet.

Toronto, however, will have to live with the hangover of his party.

Mike Downtown

Comments

[Tim Bits]

It is true.

Eventually all socialists run out of other people's money to spend.

[real conservative]

Nicely written post. Agreed, but we can expect this from commies, spend until the cupboard is bare then run for their lives. Guess who gets to come in a clean up after these scumbags? Time for some conservatives to come in and save the day. (real conservative)

[Cincinnatus]

And to add insult to injury, Miller has been going around arrogantly boasting to anybody who will listen about what great a job he has done. Even in disgrace, he is overbearing.