ELECTION: Moscoe not running again

Howard Moscoe. Howard Moscoe (Ward 15) will not be seeking re-election in the Oct. 25 municipal vote. File photo

Moscoe, 70, was preparing to tell his Ward 15 constituents later this week that he'll be withdrawing his nomination papers and not seeking re-election. But when Toronto Community News called him to confirm rumors of the newsletter, he admitted the cat was out of the bag.

He confirmed that he wouldn't be running - and would be supporting Josh Colle, son of MPP Mike Colle, in the Oct. 25 election.

"I've already endorsed Joe Pantalone (for Mayor)," said Moscoe. "And I'm not leaving my ward with just anybody. I'm going to actively support Josh Colle, who I deem to be intelligent, thoughtful and honest - someone who cares more about other people than about himself. After 32 years of representing that ward, I'm not going to leave it with some yahoo."

Moscoe said that he'd decided not to run earlier this year - but put in his nomination papers so he wouldn't be a "lame duck" as council wound down.

"I didn't want to be a lame duck for the last council meeting. There were a lot of issues on the last council meeting that were important," said Moscoe.

He said he wanted to leave while he was still effective - and said the last year, with the approval of the Lawrence Heights redevelopment, the approval of a new immigration museum and other smaller accomplishments, was a good note to end on.

"I've got the same interest and enthusiasm for the job that I've always had but I've had a couple of interesting offers, want to do some travelling," he said. "I'm 70 years old - running again would put me at 74 at the next election."

Moscoe's enthusiasm for the job of city councillor has become legendary. Since he was first elected to North York Council in 1978, he has been a vocal critic from the left, and took pleasure in being a constant irritant to Mayor Mel Lastman.

When the provincial government created a directly elected regional government of Metropolitan Toronto, he moved there - where he became a strong supporter of the Toronto Transit Commission and pushed to have councillors, not appointees, sit on its board.

After amalgamation, Moscoe served on the TTC - chairing it, often against the wishes of Lastman. When Miller was elected mayor, he chaired the commission again - and his activist philosophy led to the resignation of two chief general managers.

Moscoe admitted that he has been a trouble maker on council. He said that his epitaph should read: "He had a healthy disrespect for authority."

"It's important. I learned that early on from my father, because he and I fought every day," said Moscoe. "But the operant word is healthy. You question everything. You don't accept things to be as they are. Academically I question things - and politically I question things. In politics, no one is absolutely right. Otherwise we'd have a dictatorship. Only dictators can afford to be absolutely right."

Moscoe also confirmed that he had exactly as much fun as he seemed to be.

"I look forward to every council meeting - because if you don't enjoy the job, you ought not to be there," he said. "Politics is the best job in the world. You can do outrageous things and people write them down and put them in the newspaper. You can walk down the street in any city in the country and people recognize you. And I'm just a regular guy. It's a wonderful, ego-stroking job. But to top it off, you can make some real change. You can make your community better. And who else gets to do that?"