LILLEY: Chris Alexander already forgotten as top mayoral candidates clash at debate
· Toronto Sun
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Chris Alexander announced at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday that he was ending his campaign to be mayor . By that evening, as the first head-to-head debate between Olivia Chow and Brad Bradford was underway at TMU, Alexander was mostly forgotten.
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The strange thing is he may still end up having an impact on an election he no longer wants to win.
The last day that Alexander could have completely withdrawn from the race was Aug. 21. That means Alexander’s name will still be on the ballot, appearing third out of more than 50 candidates.
Alexander’s campaign was always a distraction . He had no chance of winning, something that was explained to him before he made the jump in July and many times since then. Still, he persevered and the question is why?
Alexander and his team have had to deal with a whisper campaign that he was put up to run by forces other than his own desire for a better city. Claims of jobs on offer or other inducements, all to ensure Chow wins and Bradford loses.
‘No behind-the-scenes conversations’
Clearly, Alexander has heard these claims and shot down the idea unprompted during his Tuesday news conference.
“Absolutely no behind-the-scenes conversations, let alone quid pro quo, from my side. Zero. And that goes for me and my team,” Alexander said of his decision to withdraw.
Asked if he would take a board appointment if the winning candidate made the offer, Alexander said he’d be open to it.
“If I could help implement one or more of the ideas that we put forward in this campaign or that I thought was important for Toronto, I definitely would,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chow and Bradford were looking forward and looking for votes during the debate at TMU.
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Chow stood on a small stool behind her podium, a move that made her look taller than Bradford, which isn’t something anyone would think possible after meeting them in person. Sleight of hand isn’t something new to Chow. She ploughed past stats and figures, making claims about her record on housing, taxes and affordability that aren’t based in reality.
She also made wild claims that Bradford would slash spending on things like the TTC, libraries and more.
Bradford, meanwhile, promised a freeze on property taxes, lower water bills and a line-by-line audit of city spending, a prospect Chow said would only lead to scary, slash-and-burn cuts.
“There’s nothing scary about doing an independent line-by-line review of our budget,” Bradford said. “I know folks at home look at their budget every week, they look at their credit card statements every month. City hall should do that, too.”
Meanwhile, Chow boasted that getting around Toronto, a city known for gridlock, is getting easier.
“Nothing is more frustrating than being stuck in traffic,” Chow said while bragging about making things better.
No one believes that traffic congestion in Toronto is getting better. If you decide to drive, you’re stuck in traffic no matter what part of the city you live in. If you take the TTC, you’re on an unreliable system that sees subways shut down and buses not show up.
The debate over Toronto’s decline
Chow warned that electing Bradford would make for a more expensive TTC, something he denied while also promising a safer city.
“Nobody tells me they’re not riding the TTC because it costs $3.30. They’re telling me they’re not riding the TTC because it’s not safe, it’s not reliable and it’s not clean,” Bradford said.
He outlined a plan for an improved TTC that includes uniformed officers in stations as well as universal lighting and cleanliness standards.
“It’s the broken-window theory. If it doesn’t feel and look safe, it invites the antisocial behaviour that I see on the 505 streetcar every week,” Bradford said, noting that he sees people smoking crack on a weekly basis.
Chow’s answer to every question seemed to be that she extended library hours. She mentioned this during sections on affordable housing, traffic congestion, taxes and supportive housing.
When she wasn’t talking about library hours, Chow was claiming that electing Bradford would see the city spiral into decline.
“Our public spaces would get neglected, TTC’s infrastructure would fall apart,” Chow said.
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Really? I’m not sure Chow even lives in this city if she thinks electing Bradford would be the problem.
Under Chow, basic services have declined, while taxes and fees have gone up. She claims crime is down, yet is responsible for the three worst crime years recorded by Toronto Police.
Toronto needs change. The question is do voters want change?
For all the talk about library hours, audits and campaign promises, this election comes down to a simple question: Does anyone honestly believe Toronto is better than it was three years ago?
If you like the city as it is — in decline — then vote Chow. If you want the city to try to live up to its potential, the only option for change right now is Bradford.