Tory makes it official again, he will not run for mayor.
John Tory moderates the Mayoral Debate held Monday night, June 7 at Presteign-Woodbine United Church. Tory officially declared Aug. 6 he will not be running for Mayor of Toronto in 2010.
File photo/BRENT LEWIN
John Tory said it once in January, and he said it again this week: the radio host, head of the Toronto City Summit Alliance and former Progressive Conservative leader won't be running for mayor of Toronto in 2010.
Word came of Tory's decision late Thursday, Aug. 5, night, in the form of a news release - and ended months of speculation he might reconsider his Jan. 7 decision not to enter the mayor's race.
"In recent weeks, a very significant number of people, most of them average citizens from all walks of life, but also among them community and business leaders, elected officials and commentators, urged me to reconsider this decision," wrote Tory.
"While I am sorry to disappoint them, I have decided that the decision I made in January of this year will stand and I will not be a candidate in the municipal election to be held in October of 2010. The reason is simple: I believe I can continue to make significant and hopefully lasting contributions to the future of Toronto through the many projects and organizations I have involved myself in outside of public life," he continued.
Since stepping down as leader of the provincial Progressive Conservatives last year, Tory has busied himself hosting a popular talk radio show on Newstalk 1010, taken up the chairmanship of the Toronto City Summit Alliance and returned to the board of Rogers Communications Inc. He's also co-chairing Diversecity, the Toronto International Film Festival Fundraising Campaign, the Yad Vashem Righteous Among Nations Dinner, the Writers Trust Annual Dinner and the City Film Project for young people at risk.
And that, he concluded, is enough.
"I took the time that I needed to reconsider my decision, and confirmed that for me I thought working outside the city government was best," said Tory in an interview Friday.
He made the decision while cottaging with his wife Barbara - and said he's at peace with it.
He said the decision not to run had nothing to do with doubts that he might be able to prevail in the election.
"Any poll you saw showed that I would have entered the race as a frontrunner," he said. "If it was only whether I could win or lose I would have done this. But at the end it isn't really about that. I decided not to do it both times - now and in January - because I honestly felt that for me, the place I could make the biggest difference was doing the things I'm doing."
He said one thing that helped him make up his mind was looking at what he called a shallowness in the mayoralty debate so far, and at the ugly and often personal cut and thrust of what passes for debate on the floor of Toronto City Council.
He contrasted that with people working on the City Summit Alliance.
"When I made the statement January 7, it was the first day I was appointed," he said.
"Now each month I sit at a table where there's an anti-poverty activist, a bank executive, an economist, a labour leader and someone from a research think tank. They're all having a thoughtful discussion with one another about how they can improve the situation for the working poor. That's without posturing, they don't snipe or attack each other personally. I can't tell you how satisfying and inspiring it is. Then you look at an average council meeting, and say, 'Wow - what a difference.'"
Tory admitted that the speculation around his possible decision to re-enter the race rankled.
"The only thing I take some issue with was people feeling quite free to call my integrity into question," he said. "That was a ridiculous over-the-top thing to do, and people do that so lightly in politics - at the drop of a hat call integrity into question. I didn't say I promise never ever to run for mayor - I had just decided not to run. For people to then say I was going back on my word was absurd."
Tory also worried at the direction the mayor's race appears to be heading. He said debate so far has been shallow and not focused on the large issues the city needs to deal with - in particular, the city's financial problems.
"You can do one of two things to fix the city - produce more money, which is not producing more taxes but increasing the base of the economy or the revenue base... or you can get the spending in better order. And the one issue that needs to be addressed is how do you get the city's finances in order?
"There's been no thoughtful discussion. My definition would be you do it in a very methodical way. You can walk in and take immediate action, but then you'd have a very damaged business. Whereas if you take the surgical approach where you find better ways to do things - you can do an awful lot that way."
Tory said he also wanted to see the debate swing more toward the way the city deals with its priority neighbourhoods, and the city's aging affordable housing stock.
"The state of public housing is not really getting discussed," he said. "I've moderated a couple of others where the word housing comes up in passing."
Tory said he hopes to bring these issues and others forward - just not as a candidate.
"I'm not a great person for sitting around. I'm going to be back at the stuff doing my radio show this afternoon - ranting and raving about Nathan Phillips Square. The program does give me a chance to talk about these things. That's the place where I can do the best work."