Torontonians should be able to toss out a "rogue mayor" like a rotten can of tomatoes, according to mayoralty candidate Rocco Rossi.
"When you make a can of tomatoes, you choose the best ingredients. But when you open up that can and it's rotten - you don't put up with it," said Rossi, as he announced he'd support a recall system for municipal politicians that would allow voters to remove mayors and councillors from office if they felt they were doing a bad job. "The same thing would be true of politicians when I'm mayor."Rossi said he'll ask the provincial government to institute a process that will allow voters to recall a mayor or councillor who goes dramatically against their wishes - triggering a byelection. The system is rare in Canada, although it has been attempted in some jurisdictions in British Columbia and also the United States."How we do it - what it looks like - and how well it works will all be developed by the citizens of Toronto in town halls and panels across the city," he said. "Voter recall is a tool to channel our disappointment into action - because action is what is needed at city hall."The proposal would require Queen's Park's help. Rossi said he'd start community hearings three months after taking office, and have a resolution asking for that help in the mail six months after the election.It would be, he said, "a classic Toronto compromise," having a threshold that would prevent councillors and interest groups from using it as a weapon, and also not protect politicians from ever having to face it."With voter recall, Torontonians will hold the keys to city hall not just one day every four years - but every day of the year," he said.Rossi made the announcement just a week before nominations close in the municipal election and the campaign begins in earnest, and as he confirmed that prominent federal federal Liberal operative Warren Kinsella had joined his campaign, along with Sussex Strategy Group Vice President Bernie Morton.