Toronto mayor discovers his family

Toronto mayor David Miller announced last Friday that he will not run for a third term as mayor. Apparently he discovered that he has two children and by the use of a complex mathematical formula that only a Harvard grad like Miller could understand he calculated that if he served a third term he would remain in office until 2014.

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At that time his daughter would be in university and his son would be graduating from high school. And because of his time constraints they don’t get enough time to spend with their dad. David Miller is not the first politician to use his family as an excuse to either resign or not run for re-election. And he won’t be the last. What is truly amazing about what transpired last week was the number of people who bought the line about his family hook, line and sinker. Parading his children in front of the cameras and having them stand there as well placed props on the stage was disgusting, especially in light of the fact that Miller has done an excellent job over the years in keeping his kids out of the public spotlight. While his 14-year-old daughter at least appeared to handle everything in stride his 12-year-old son was in tears. Had a conservative like Councillor Rob Ford done what Miller did, all of the lefties would be screaming “child abuse”. It was quite a show. The truth is that David Miller decided not to seek a third term because there is a good chance he will lose. The mayor’s popularity has plummeted since this summer’s civic workers strike. After talking tough to his union buddies and incurring their wrath, Miller caved in as all of his critics predicted that he would. And now we find out that the unfunded liability of the workers’ sick plan is $200 million more than we were initially told. Some people, including one of his beloved executive council members are asking what did the mayor know and when did he know it. David Miller is simply too scared to run for a third term as he always said he would and the reason for his fear can be stated in two words – George Smitherman. After the civic workers strike ended the names of Smitherman and John Tory surfaced as possible challengers to the mayor next year. There was even talk that the two men got together and agreed that one and only one of them would run. Although John Tory came close to beating Miller in 2003 his political star has fallen dramatically after his disastrous term as leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives. But George Smitherman is a different story. Miller needs three things in order to be victorious. He needs the support of the progressive downtown core of voters, the support of the unions and of course money. It has already become public that the money for a David Miller campaign will not be flowing like it did in 2003 and 2006. And the unions are upset with Miller’s tough talk during the strike. Although they would support him again if they felt they had no other options, the left wing Smitherman could easily gain their support. Smitherman, an Ontario cabinet minister who represents a riding in the downtown core is the most likely candidate to win over the progressive downtown core. And his reputation that earned him the moniker of “Furious George” would attract other voters who are sick and tired of David Miller kissing the butts of his beloved CUPE brothers and sisters. Torontonians would love to elect a mayor from outside of council and Smitherman, who served as an executive assistant to former Mayor Barbara Hall is probably the most prepared outsider that would be able to lead the city. There is no doubt that even the mention of Smitherman’s name brought fear into the heart of the petulant Miller who has to have everything his way. If nothing else, a Mayor Smitherman would at least be able to keep the councillors in line when the time comes to have their class picture taken. Furious George would excel at keeping the kiddy kouncillors in line. During his “I will not run for a third time” speech Miller stated that he has accomplished the major objectives that he set out to implement and it’s hard to argue with that. So if spending time with his children was the reason he is not seeking a third time it would make sense that he would step down now and spend more time with his family. Much like the sitcom, Everybody Loves Raymond that is almost as funny as watching Toronto City Council, it’s not really about the kids.

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