Toronto's mayoral candidates
The race is on: John Tory is finally set to make his bid for mayor official, but his opponents are strong and the stakes couldn't be higher
JOE PANTALONE'S POLITICAL PEDIGREE: The only high-profile, already-declared mayoral candidate who’s an incumbent city councillor. The veteran politician and current deputy mayor has sat on Toronto’s municipal government since 1980. WHAT HE DID ON MONDAY: Sat on city council’s first executive committee meeting of 2010, focusing on the city’s money-hungry transit system. SECRET WEAPON: Insider status He’s been in politics since before you were born, and has the scars and savvy to prove it. FATAL WEAKNESS: Insider status. “It’ll be interesting to see whether Torontonians regard an insider as an advantage or a disadvantage,” says Ryerson University politics professor Myer Siemiatycki.SIMON HAYTER/The Associated Press
ROCCO ROSSI'S POLITICAL PEDIGREE: The prominent political fundraiser and backroom organizer spearheaded John Tory’s failed 2003 mayoral bid and most recently was the Liberal Party’s national director. But Mr. Rossi has always been a behind-the-scenes guy: This is the first time he’s running for political office himself. WHAT HE DID ON MONDAY: Was the first to submit his candidacy papers, showing up at City Hall bright and early at 8:30 a.m. SECRET WEAPON: Connectivity and clarity He knows people – lots of ‘em. Also, he was the first candidate to lay out concrete platform proposals, including his intention to sell off Toronto Hydro. FATAL WEAKNESS: Newbie status Never run before, let alone held public office. Will Torontonians trust him to answer the City Hall phone at 3 a.m.?The Associated Press
GEORGE SMITHERMAN'S POLITICAL PEDIGREE: Active in politics since he was a teenager, Mr. Smitherman has been in the provincial Liberal party’s ranks since the early 1980s, serving as health minister and, most recently, deputy premier and energy and infrastructure minister. WHAT HE DID ON MONDAY: Officially resigned as MPP, paving the way for his upcoming mayoral candidacy. Mr. Smitherman stepped down as energy and infrastructure minister in November when he announced his intention to run. SECRET WEAPON: Experience With political street cred and connections at both the municipal and provincial levels, he has a proven leadership track record. FATAL WEAKNESS: Furious George That proven track record includes a reputation for being headstrong – even a bully. 'He is regarded as something of a forceful and perhaps even tyrannical figure,' Prof. Siemiatycki says. 'His candidacy may be a test of how Toronto feels about a strong man at the helm of City Hall.'MARK BLINCH/The Associated Press