© the eyeranian: It's Miller Time in T.O.

November 11, 2003

It's Miller Time in T.O.

It's rather strange when someone you have known for years is suddenly the mayor of the largest city in Canada and a major economical and cultural center for the entire continent. Last night, Torontonians elected David Miller as their new mayor. Miller is a lawyer with an economics degree from Harvard. For years we worked within the same party structure, although he was a City Councilor and more involved with municipal politics while my interest was on federal issues. We attended meetings, councils and rallies where as an elected politician he'd often be a guest speaker and I worked commonly behind the scenes. But this post is not about David Miller, as I have had my own mixed feelings on him (a now-cleared miscommunication with his office staff made me somewhat guarded with him). To me the most significant part of the story is that David is an NDPer (an activist within Canada's New Democratic Party) as I was for years, and as such a declared Socialist.

This is significant in two ways, one is the perception held by NDP with Torontonians. After the extreme right masterfully alienated the only Provincial government of NDP in Ontario, causing their defeat in '95 elections, it often felt as if being known as a party activist was a burden for some. The rightists still use the term as if it is derogatory, most recently demonstrated by another mayoral candidate John Nunziata who tried to discredit Miller in Nov. 3rd debate with it. But now, people vote a Socialist and an NDPer to what some have described as the second most important political position in the country (Toronto's city budget is over $6.5-billion, more than many provinces). Some credit, without a doubt should be reserved for two men; 1 - My great friend, Howard Hampton, leader of Ontario NDP and the man selected by a majority of voters as the best possible Premier, despite not winning a mandate and 2 - another former Toronto City Councilor and often partner of Miller's in city hall debates Jack Layton, now leader of Federal NDP.

Election of an NDPer to such significant office is the fruit of the hard work by them, along with thousands of unknown and little-known other activists who have continuously pushed an agenda of fairness and social justice to the forefronts of every political debate held in every corner of the city, the province and the country. As I said when the party activists chose to nominate me as one of their federal candidates in 1997: "Canada is very lucky to have clusters of her best children assemble together under one banner and one party to be the guardians of values all Canadians cherish as their greatest achievements. "

The other significant side of Miller's election can be summed up in one word; integrity. The outgoing mayor was the personification of corruption and deceitfulness. Mel Lastman came to power dishonestly and managed the city in the same manner. There was everything from a multimillion dollar computer leasing scandal to his numerous verbal blunders that made the city look ridiculous and weak. Some of his most recent gaffes included not knowing who the World Health Organization was and then going on a bizarre tirade against it shortly after (Jon Stewart said of him in his Daily Shoe that he was thinking about a trip to Toronto "but I've heard the mayor's kind of a dick.") to his famous insult while on way to Kenya as part of the Olympic delegation trying to win the 2008 for Toronto and courting African votes, when he said "I just see myself in a pot of boiling water with all these natives dancing around me." He was credited months later with killing Toronto's chances by that one single line. Lastman actually helped strengthen Miller's resolve to run in May 2002. "You'll never be mayor of this city. You say dumb and stupid things!'' he screams at him in city council. David Miller started assembling his election team shortly after.

With Miller, Torontonians decide to go with someone with a clear record of integrity. Someone who ran on a campaign to stop the influence of money within the city hall. "Tonight, the people of Toronto have voted to take back their city," Miller said in his victory speech. "Together we will open up the doors of city hall for the people of Toronto. And we will padlock the backdoors to the dealmakers and influence peddlers. Access will not be bought and sold in my administration, ever, because the public interest will always be paramount in David Miller's city hall."

This may be an entirely new beginning for an amazing city.

Posted by Pedram at November 11, 2003 11:21 PM

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