October 27, 2003
With no proof it ever happened--the allegation of bribery by fourth-place Toronto mayoral candidate John Nunziata against another candidate is dominating the election coverage of the mainline media.
The unproven claim that two unnamed representatives of a rival mayoral campaign offered a $150,000 bribe to Nunziata has been front-page news on the Toronto Star for five consecutive days.
It was on Wednesday, October 22 when Nunziata first made public his allegations that someone had tried to bribe him out of the race and Saturday, October 25 when Nunziata pointed the finger of accusation at mayoral candidate John Tory.
In the space of three days, the former Liberal ratpacker had provided a feeding frenzy for leading left-of-centre mayoral hopefuls David Miller and Barbara Hall.
Toronto’s made-by-media mayoral campaign could not be happening at a more opportune time for what Tory calls "the tax and spend twins".
Tory, the best hope for right-of-centre voters, calls the allegations "absolutely wild" and says that neither he nor anyone associated with his campaign offered Nunziata a bribe or inducement to quit the race.
Although Tory has stated he wants Toronto police to "get on as quickly as they possibly can with their investigation, and to disclose all the results," Chief Julian Fantino has made it clear this issue is not a top priority for his force.
Nunziata, trailing a distant fourth in the race for Toronto mayor put the entire campaign under a cloud of scandal when he told radio station CFRB that individuals involved with an opponent offered him $100,000 in several late-September telephone calls to withdraw from the mayoral race, and later topped the amount off to $150,000.
Outrage was the first reaction to the allegation by other mayoral candidates, although Hall, a one-term former mayor, said from day one that she considers Nunziata to be "a man of his word".
In a mayoral campaign that has been virtually dominated by election polls, the most recent poll shows Tory at third, behind Miller, an NDP city councillor and Hall.
Out on the hustings, opponents have tried to portray Tory, who worked as a campaign chair for outgoing mayor Mel Lastman, as a backroom boy.
Shrugging off a suggestion that her campaign could benefit from the controversy, Hall said on the weekend that she’s interested in the people feeling proud about their government and "not having to worry that decisions are being made in the back rooms."
Hall was recently depicted in a Star photograph as the mayoral candidate with the most Dalton McGuinty Liberal support. Nunziata is an ex-Liberal MP.
Although the Star seems to be leading the made-by-media mayoral campaign, other media outlets have been quick to follow their lead.
Before Miller edged over Hall in the polls, the Star repeatedly made reference to Hall’s unbeatable 44-point lead. Star municipal affairs columnist Royson James indicated in his regular column that the race was all but over. A radio CFRB host suggested that there needn’t be an Election Day for the Toronto mayor.
Tory is the second victim of the made-by-media mayoral campaign hitlist. Branded a liar and linked without proof to the MFP computer leasing scandal, mayoral candidate Tom Jakobek has faced a media blackout during his mayoral bid. In the last two weeks leading up to Election Day, the name of the brilliant former budget chief is never mentioned.
In its municipal election coverage, the Star has even tried to rewrite the city’s history, Although the mainline media had predicted otherwise, Mel Lastman soundly defeated Hall in the first megacity race in 1997. Citing urban affairs experts, the Star says the November 2003 is the race in which Megacity will get its mayor…at last. The publication bases its rewriting of history on the completion of the transition work for megacity.
The left, seething since Lastman toppled Hall in 1997, came into the 2003 race determined to elect a left-winger as mayor. Still reeling over a council vote that gave approval for expansion of the Toronto Island Airport, the left has a unifying rallying call.
It was in January when Torontofreepress/canadafreepress.com reported on rumours that a strategy for the election of a left-of-centre mayor included talks between Hall and Miller, on the basis that with two strong left-of-centre candidates in the race it would be much less likely for other New Democratic Party candidates to enter the race and split the vote, strengthening the chances for any right-of-centre candidates.
In subsequent issues TFP wrote that Nunziata was a spoiler whose presence in the race "all but guaranteed the election of a left-wing mayor".
We are not happy to see our predictions come true.
The only glimmer of hope for Toronto’s made-by-media mayoral campaign is a November 10 electorate, who refuse to let the media vote for them.
Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com
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