January 6, 2003
With the refrain of Auld Lang Syne still in the air, Toronto municipal politicians moved in to kick off 2003 as "Election Year".
With the speed of lightning, councillors, rarely found in the twin towers during regular working days, showed up with the cock's crow the first morning after the traditional New Year holiday.
Councillors, who snipe at each other in the council chamber, were digging into their pockets to lend colleagues $100 apiece in order to make the $200 registration fee now required to run in next November’s civic elections. Councillors Michael Walker and Jane Pitfield showed up to register but reportedly had to borrow $100 each from good old boy Coun. Howard Moscoe.
Of all polling booth times for Canadians, the municipal election has become a sort of closed shop for incumbents. In the last civic election, only one non-incumbent gained a seat among the 44 up for grabs. Expecting new blood at Toronto City Hall other than in the mayor’s chair is not realistic.
Coun. Denzil Minnan-Wong, who represents Don Valley East Ward 34, was the first councillor off the mark on the first available registration day. (Mayoral candidate Barbara Hall, who also registered, has been campaigning for a full year, and the legality of the Friends of Hall strategy could become part of the 2003 mayor’s race).
"It’s an election year," Minnan-Wong told reporters. "The early bird gets the worm. I’m going to be a candidate. Better sooner than later."
It could be argued that the Don Valley East councillor, like many of his council colleagues, has been a candidate for re-election since regaining his seat last time out.
Pitfield, who explained she filed early for "strategic" reasons, may have been more candid. "It’s important to show your interest. I think it also sends a message out to any competitors that you’re seeking re-election and it might give them second thoughts."
Where there is room in the municipal election format for the second thoughts of the electorate, Ms. Pitfield, we can’t really say.
York West Ward 7 Coun. George Mammoliti, who also registered on Jan. 2, was there to claim the rights to his own seat, and possibly that of another councillor’s. With his son in tow, purportedly to settle an old score with Coun. Rob Ford, Mammoliti is sending his 19-year-old son Michael after Ford for allegedly having called Mammoliti a "Gino boy".
Penny-pinching Etobicoke Coun. Rob Ford could have more appropriately tagged Mammoliti as "George, The Huckster", because that’s more accurately what Coun. George Mammoliti resembles.
This is the councillor who is AWOL from Toronto City Hall while travelling to exotic lands to "save the apes".
The former bouncer and NDP MPP is arguably this council’s best publicity stunt man. In recent photo ops, he was seen riding on the back of an elephant, unfortunately for his constituents, not into the sunset.
Yes, indeed it’s 2003. While it may be too early to predict what the new year will bring, for certain it’s an election year when you can count on seeing the councillor you never saw for the past three years at the door. And another election year where absolutely nothing will happen to change Toronto City Hall.
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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