John Tory’s quest for a legacy might make him a better mayor

Canada’s greatest metropolis, the nation’s financial and cultural powerhouse, is shaping as much as have one of the crucial lacklustre mayoral races round. Thus far, anyway.

Although the municipal election doesn’t formally start till nominations open on Could 2, and the upcoming provincial election will get a lot of our consideration earlier than then, Mayor John Tory’s announcement final week that he’ll search a 3rd time period in workplace got here as little shock.

With none actual competitors on the horizon, Tory may doubtless sleepwalk via the election and win, and that’s not good. As an erstwhile businessman and anyone near Toronto’s enterprise group, Tory would definitely agree with the notion that competitors is nice and makes issues higher (or so says capitalism). But there’s not even any rumours of a progressive or centre-left challenger, not to mention anyone from the proper: a number of of his heirs obvious should wait awhile longer.

Although it’s unlawful to start out elevating and spending marketing campaign cash earlier than Could 2, a severe challenger would already be identified, chattered about in each the corridors of energy and wannabe energy, with behind-the-scenes organizing and help falling into place. And but, there’s no person who desires to take him on. What’s it about Toronto that generates so little curiosity or a sturdy political tradition in comparison with different large cities? The stakes are, as at all times, excessive.

To make sure, mounting a marketing campaign towards anyone like Tory, who may need probably the most political capital of any high-profile politician in Canada, isn’t simple. Through the 2018 election, former chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat made a shock, however very late, leap into the race when Doug Ford’s authorities reduce council in half. However with Keesmaat beginning behind, Tory was in a position to management the race and election narrative, selecting to barely seem in any debates.

My Star colleague Matt Elliott not too long ago wrote that progressives ought to overlook concerning the mayoral race and deal with metropolis council, and he’s proper. Toronto is stuffed with legacy councillors, a few of whom have meandered round Toronto’s civic corridors for 3 a long time or extra, coasting on the benefits of incumbency and title recognition.

Tory has put a few of these duds onto key committee positions, and even made them deputy mayors, giving them energy past their ward fiefdoms and, in some ways, letting them undo, block or decelerate a number of the extra evenly progressive strikes he has supported. It’s a type of good cop, dangerous cop routine.

Flip over a few of these council seats and the steadiness of energy on council adjustments: fewer votes for the mayor to safe.

Nonetheless, the flip facet is just some seat adjustments may tip that steadiness the opposite manner. With a stronger opposition on council, the “competitors,” if you’ll, Tory could possibly be pressured to be a greater mayor, simply as he would if there was anyone sturdy operating towards him, even a “sacrificial” progressive who ran simply to extend title recognition or increase specific points.

In lieu of precise mayoral competitors, the challenger that might make him a greater mayor is his legacy. There isn’t a lot of 1 so far, regardless of two lengthy phrases in workplace. Maintaining taxes low is common however not likely the type of factor individuals put plaques up for. Good Monitor, Rail Deck Park and different legacy-worthy initiatives haven’t actually come to fruition. Modular housing initiatives have been good however a drop within the bucket by way of what Toronto wants. What else is there?

The violent encampment evictions he supported? The snow that wasn’t plowed for weeks after this winter’s large storm? Rebuilding a tiny a part of the Gardiner for an obscene amount of money when different cities are tearing down their elevated expressways?

The conundrum for a mayor like Tory, an affable, incremental-at-best, establishment type of bred-in-the-bone “smart” conservative that blue blood Toronto is legendary for producing, is that legacies are made by individuals who have larger and bolder goals for his or her metropolis, of constructing it higher in actual and demonstrable methods for individuals who stay there. These of us have sometimes come from all throughout the political spectrum in Toronto’s historical past, akin to David Crombie within the Seventies.

The mayor’s job shouldn’t be simple. It’s greater than full time, the mayor is at all times “on,” and these final two years have made an already laborious job even more durable, so operating for the third time period at age 67 shouldn’t be one thing one does on a whim.

He’s most actually doing it to cement a legacy. However what is going to that legacy be?

“Metropolis constructing” legacies are inherently progressive and even high-profile conservatives like Michael Bloomberg in New York or bumbling Boris Johnson supported city-changing, urban-minded, packages that a number of the penny-pinching, penny-ante, small-time and small-thinking dud councillors in Toronto would scoff at.

Tory should suppose past them if it’s an actual legacy he’s in search of. He’s obtained all of the political capital and nothing to lose, besides that legacy.