Toronto Municipal Elections 2010

[BubberMiley]

Actually I don't. But after all of the garbage you and some of the other smear merchants peddled about Rob Ford. I figured I'd enjoy annoying you.

I smeared Rob Ford? Show me where I ever even mentioned him, or humbly apologize like a snivelling turd.

I will take your lack of a quote as the apology.

[Shakeyhands]

Well, the fat articles weren't particularly impressive, but now he's won, they are hoping for a heart attack... What will the Toronto Star do now.

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n148/User91_2006/for%20forums/seriously.jpg

One comment and now "they are hoping for a heart attack"? Clearly you are right, they all want him dead...

[Molly]

(Without political or value judgement at all... he DOES look like a walking coronary!)

[NA Carter]

I'm pretty indifferent as to who won last night. I'm not a fan of either Ford or Smitherman.

That said, Torontonians, you've got your tax cuts - enjoy them. However; don't start whining when your road doesn't get plowed in a reasonable amount of time, or your local pool doesn't have a lifeguard, or you get nickle and dimed on every bag of garbage by the future private garbage collector. That's what you voted for - Ford made that very clear from day 1. You can't have tax cuts without significant service cuts.

I'm actually hoping that Ford can get council to back some of his pet projects. That way come the next election, Torontonians have some means of properly evaluating Ford's performance. If his approach works - great, if not - turf the fat bastard.

[Oleg Bach]

Geez, you complain about Smitherman and here you are aiming for the throat.....wannna tell us something....?....closet getting crowded?

Would we be better off if he chose dominant ones?

Do tell, are you a top or bottom?

Why don't you f**k off and forget about finding some way to f**k me..give me a break...find someone slightly more stupid than I to play your little - you must be gay game. FUNNY - You seem facinated by inferior forms of behaviour. I am not complaining about Smitherman - I am just a tradtionalist that believes in woman - childern and attempting to be a MAN - and YOU my friend look for weakness ..which makes you slightly preditorial...I don't think I like you.

[Michael Hardner]

Why don't you f**k off and forget about finding some way to f**k me..give me a break...find someone slightly more stupid than I to play your little - you must be gay game. FUNNY - You seem facinated by inferior forms of behaviour. I am not complaining about Smitherman - I am just a tradtionalist that believes in woman - childern and attempting to be a MAN - and YOU my friend look for weakness ..which makes you slightly preditorial...I don't think I like you.

Oleg, I have never seen you upset like this. It's never attractive when the jester gets angry.

If you're that offended, just report the post in question. Your light and affable lunacy is what makes you enjoyable.

[Oleg Bach]

You know what made me laugh? It's when Justin Trudeau showed up in TO last week to endorse Smitherman.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/christie-blatchford/rob-ford-the-peoples-choice-in-spite-of-themselves/article1772591/

Rock on Mayor-elect Ford.

Better the traditoinalist Ford even though he might be a bully boy piggish fellow - at least some of the social and finacial debauchery might lessen in the city...as for Smitherman...We really don't need a bigger and braver gay day parade..nor do we in Toronto as the people say need or want someone that can not function with a woman.

..I am a pragmatic conservative and do not believe in equality...I believe that the best not the weakest should rule..and if Smitherman can not get it up and breed - then I will take the bully boy FORD any day who has a REAL family and not an artifical one constructed by some overly liberal experiment...I totally lost ALL faith in the Toronto left when one day sitting in that hell hole welfare office - I saw an administrator hand over nearly a thousand tax dollars to a drug addict - who immediately handed over OUR money to crimminals.

Some think I like to "bash" the weak - NOT so..BUT if the weak gang up as they do in Toronto and attack the strong..with their mob mentality . Then I will protect myself. I wish the best of luck to FORD and I pity the poor black kid that has to listen to Slitherman grunt at night.

[Black Dog]

Why don't you f**k off and forget about finding some way to f**k me..give me a break...find someone slightly more stupid than I to play your little - you must be gay game. FUNNY - You seem facinated by inferior forms of behaviour. I am not complaining about Smitherman - I am just a tradtionalist that believes in woman - childern and attempting to be a MAN - and YOU my friend look for weakness ..which makes you slightly preditorial...I don't think I like you.

There's no such person.

[Michael Hardner]

...nor do we in Toronto as the people say need or want someone that can not function with a woman.

Followed by THIS:

..I am a pragmatic

How pragmatic could you POSSIBLY be, following mayoral candidates into their bedrooms with a magnifying glass ? Please, Oleg, please !

[M.Dancer]

I owe Hardner a beer....

[Keepitsimple]

Have I missed something in the media.....why haven't they been calling Rob Ford

The Nightmayor

Edited October 26, 2010 by Keepitsimple

[Michael Hardner]

I owe Hardner a beer....

And your buddy Colin didn't friend me in time so he didn't get my vote. My man Rocco Archampong finished 5th, behind the other Rocco who had already dropped out.

[nicky10013]

Municipal polling? It seems to me that only the "Toronto Elites" claimed it would be a close election. I think L. Ian Macdonald (an honorary Toronto elitist) even had a recent column on how close the election was.

Well, it wasn't. Ford won with almost 50% of the popular vote.

I have the strong impression that the Internet (social media, as elitists call it), the existential crisis of retiring Baby Boomers and the sheer stupidity of bureaucracy/government have somehow changed the game. The elitists (right or left) still don't understand the frustration of ordinary, honest taxpayers. (I think the elitists still refer to taxpayers as "angry".)

With all that said, I agree for once with Kate McMillan. Rob Ford is no Chris Christie.

In Canada, both English and French, we are still waiting for a politician to state the obvious intelligently.

Whatever. But BD, you ignore the intent behind all those votes. Heck, something similar motivated many of the Obama voters.

Hahaha..."Toronto Elites." Already? As for them saying it was going to be a close race, pretty much every single poll except one had this race a 1-3 point affair with Pantalone's support looking incredibly weak.

The Star, the Globe, Global TV all were saying the same thing. Funny for you, the only network that had Ford out ahead by anything more than 5 points was, the elite of all elites, the CBC which had him ahead by 8, not the 25 he won by. Might want to actually deal with things based on reality rather than what's going on in your head vis-a-vis those elites you hate so badly.

[Black Dog]

Hahaha..."Toronto Elites." Already? As for them saying it was going to be a close race, pretty much every single poll except one had this race a 1-3 point affair with Pantalone's support looking incredibly weak.

The Star, the Globe, Global TV all were saying the same thing. Funny for you, the only network that had Ford out ahead by anything more than 5 points was, the elite of all elites, the CBC which had him ahead by 8, not the 25 he won by. Might want to actually deal with things based on reality rather than what's going on in your head vis-a-vis those elites you hate so badly.

Yeah, several polls predicted a close one, so I don't know why August thinks it was just wishful thinking on the part of the "elites" (which somehow doesn't include wealthy businessman and political dynasty member Rob Ford).

My take on the gap between the polls and results? People were embarassed to admit they were voting for Ford.

[nicky10013]

My take on the gap between the polls and results? People were embarassed to admit they were voting for Ford.

I think you hit the nail on the head with this.

[guyser]

That said, Torontonians, you've got your tax cuts - enjoy them. However; don't start whining when your road doesn't get plowed in a reasonable amount of time

Contracted out. Shouldnt change

, or your local pool doesn't have a lifeguard,

Already contracted out, shouldnt change

or you get nickle and dimed on every bag of garbage by the future private garbage collector.

Needs to be contracted out like Etobicoke (suburb of TO)where they save a metric tonne of money by doing so.

That's what you voted for - Ford made that very clear from day 1. You can't have tax cuts without significant service cuts.

I'm actually hoping that Ford can get council to back some of his pet projects. That way come the next election, Torontonians have some means of properly evaluating Ford's performance. If his approach works - great, if not - turf the fat bastard.

First part I dont agree. Some tax cuts with reduced spending elsewhere will ensure service does not get cut. Of course the public servants all have an idea of proving Ford wrong so we may just get reduced service.

Second part, I agree.

Oh boy, .,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,Mayor Ford.

Edited October 26, 2010 by guyser

[guyser]

Sold that piano yet? I will give you $20 for it.Ya know...I just want to help.

.If that snake eyed creep Smitherman gets in I am leaving...and if Ford the human pig of cheapness gets in - I am leaving.

So, will it be Hamilton? Oshawa? (<----good place for you) maybe Barrie....I think Windsor is lively this time of year. Besides, there are no gays nor lawyers in Windsor.

Wait a sec....how about London? Between you and our resident London pundit, the IQ level combined would rise by a point, maybe 1.5pts.

I have some boxes, want me to drop em off?

Edited October 26, 2010 by guyser

[Michael Hardner]

Contracted out. Shouldnt change

Already contracted out, shouldnt change

Needs to be contracted out like Etobicoke (suburb of TO)where they save a metric tonne of money by doing so.

First part I dont agree. Some tax cuts with reduced spending elsewhere will ensure service does not get cut. Of course the public servants all have an idea of proving Ford wrong so we may just get reduced service.

Second part, I agree.

Oh boy, .,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,Mayor Ford.

Contracted out services can and should change. There's evidence that contracts aren't being administered correctly, and that Torontonians are over-paying on these contracts, or are getting services they don't need.

[Shady]

My take on the gap between the polls and results? People were embarassed to admit they were voting for Ford.

I also agree. I think voter suppression was the likely strategy many of the anti-Ford pundits and media were attempting to achieve. They tried to shame voters into not supporting Mr. Ford. It reminds me of the New Hampshire primary between Hillary and Obama. Polls showed Obama winning by 5 - 8 points. But Hillary ended up winning significantly. Many of the pundits hypothesized that people didn't want to admit to pollsters that they weren't voting for the Black candidate because they were afraid of being labelled racist.

[Black Dog]

First part I dont agree. Some tax cuts with reduced spending elsewhere will ensure service does not get cut.

Ford's fiscal scheme relies heavily on not replacing city workers when they retire/move on. Unless you think there's actually twice as many city workers currently employed than neccessary for providing even the current level of service (and not the enhanced "customer is always right" level of service Ford promises), then I'm curious to see how you can reduce staff without reducing services.

Moreover, Ford's pledge to (eventually) get rid of the land transfer and vehicle registration fees puts the city in a $750M hole right off the hop, so they'll need to make up that revenue shortfall somewhere or get by with less, which usually means reduced services.

Spending cuts? Ford has been unwilling or unable to identify those areas where spending can be cut significantly. The only cuts he's detailed have been by his own admission, "symbolic" (halving council would save $9M; contracting out garbage, according to Ford, $10M: only $981M to go!) . When pressed for specifics, he comes up empty.

In short, it would take a miracle for Ford to cut both revenue, cut staff and not just maintain, but improve services.

Edited October 26, 2010 by Black Dog

[Shady]

Spending cuts? Ford has been unwilling or unable to identify those areas where spending can be cut significantly.

Perhaps he will when he's had a chance to examine the budget in a more detailed and up close way. I guess we'll find out shortly.

[guyser]

There's evidence that contracts aren't being administered correctly, and that Torontonians are over-paying on these contracts, or are getting services they don't need.

While perhaps true, the garbage service for Etobicoke may be over paying but it is still much cheaper than the union knobs that were replaced.

[guyser]

Ford's fiscal scheme relies heavily on not replacing city workers when they retire/move on. Unless you think there's actually twice as many city workers currently employed than neccessary for providing even the current level of service (and not the enhanced "customer is always right" level of service Ford promises), then I'm curious to see how you can reduce staff without reducing services.

If the workers would work instead of stand around, we could almost achieve it with half. A stretch I grant you, however far too much is spent coddling the existing workforce.

Moreover, Ford's pledge to (eventually) get rid of the land transfer and vehicle registration fees puts the city in a $750M hole right off the hop, so they'll need to make up that revenue shortfall somewhere or get by with less, which usually means reduced services.

Land transfer tax changed Jan 1 -09 , so its new and the vehicle reg came into effect in 08 (iirc) so these are new and we survived before them.

In short, it would take a miracle for Ford to cut both revenue, cut staff and not just maintain, but improve services.

Ity will be a miracle and I have grave doubts , but harder still will be working with council. No matter the idea , good or bad, I see them kiboshing anything he wants. There will be no effort put forth to help.

Going to be interesting to say the least.

[Black Dog]

Perhaps he will when he's had a chance to examine the budget in a more detailed and up close way. I guess we'll find out shortly.

If this is his first chance to get a close look at the budget, then it should be asked what the fuck he was doing for the past decade when he sat on city council.

Edited October 26, 2010 by Black Dog

[Black Dog]

If the workers would work instead of stand around, we could almost achieve it with half. A stretch I grant you, however far too much is spent coddling the existing workforce.

Too much? How much is too much? Give me facts and figures, not personal observations.

Land transfer tax changed Jan 1 -09 , so its new and the vehicle reg came into effect in 08 (iirc) so these are new and we survived before them.

Those taxes (actually user fees) were implemented at a time when Toronto was facing a $400M operating shortfall. So no, things weren't just humming along before and now, with the city facing yet another cash crunch, are you telling me things will actually improve without that extra income?

Ity will be a miracle and I have grave doubts , but harder still will be working with council. No matter the idea , good or bad, I see them kiboshing anything he wants. There will be no effort put forth to help.

If Rob Ford comes up with a good idea as mayor, it will be the first good idea he's had.