Mayor David Miller set himself free when he announced that he wouldn't run for mayor again, free to do anything he wants with Toronto without trivial concerns like voter anger. Thanks to the "strong mayor" powers McGuinty granted his buddy Miller, that means there's a lot of potential for damage.
Miller has started by issuing 30 year debentures for his capital spending plans. That means I might not live to see Toronto's new debt paid off, and I'm in my forties. He's also committed Toronto to contracts for TTC streetcar right-of-ways (AKA car blockers) in the hundreds of millions of dollars, and new streetcars in the billions.
Toronto's next mayor will find his hands tied, and the city's bank account way overdrawn.
But it gets worse: the Millerites are now talking about a City of Toronto sales tax!
The timing is stunning. The province's manufacturing industry has taken a major body blow from the recession, McGuinty's HST is about to drive up the cost of fuel, natural gas, heating oil, electricity and numerous other essentials by 8%, and Miller figures this is a good time to tack on more! I thought everyone wanted to get the economy moving and consumers spending?
But I bet this isn't the end. I foresee road tolls suddenly coming back up for discussion before April 2010.
The next mayor of Toronto will have to be a truly strong mayor, and not because the province grants him/her that power, but because they come by it naturally. The next mayor will have to cancel contracts for bike lanes and streetcar right-of-ways. All road construction must only be essential maintenance, not needless narrowing to constrict cars, like the narrowing of Jarvis and Bloor. Speed bumps will need to be dropped from the plan.
Will these decisions be easy or popular? Easy: no. The greens will scream and protest. Popular: if the new mayor is clear and strong, voters will surprise everyone, as they did when they elected Mike Harris to a second term.
My vote was for Karen Stintz, but she has dropped out. So the question for the Right: take the easy way out and hope John Tory doesn't blow it, or find a better leader?
My hope is that either Denzil Minnan Wong or Case Ootes jump into the fray, but not both.
Toronto needs a strong mayor.
Mike Downtown
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