Is the Left really silent or just shut out…
Reading Tonika Morgan’s latest blog entry got me thinking. The stories she tells are not just interesting and insightful, they are essential to the message she is sending. They are the way she builds bridges between cultures and generations, because we simply don’t all share the same experience.
And while I agree that progressive voices aren’t being heard in this campaign, I think the issue isn’t whether progressive folk are "getting to the point" fast enough, it’s whether the story would be covered anyway… Indeed, it’s alarming how fast some media are leaping ahead to the mayoral finish line while the contestants are still warming up.
Let’s take, for example, Toronto Life. I’ve been enjoying Toronto Life again, for the most part. Okay, so it’s true I sometimes head straight to the restaurant reviews. And it’s also true that the society rag component just baffles me. I mean, do I really need to witness Suzanne Rogers’ latest fashion disaster? And who the hell are “The Society Girls” anyway? Who really cares?
But I digress.
Toronto Life has already declared George Smitherman the saviour of Toronto. Indeed, they list him as the TOP reason to love our city in the latest issue. It doesn’t seem to matter at all that the guy has been virtually invisible thus far or that the race is barely underway.
Hell, let’s just call the whole election thing off, shall we? I mean, it’s a messy, costly business. We’ll just have the literary elite pick us a mayor and be done with it.
Could there possibly be another opinion that matters? I’d like someone who isn’t linked to a massive provincial spending scandal, please. I’d like someone who is known for how she or he listens to people, not for shouting them down. I’d like someone my kids could look up to, not someone known for their bullying behaviour. I’d like someone who actually does spend some of their council budget on community events and outreach, and I would really like someone who uses the TTC regularly and plants trees instead of tearing them down. I would like someone known for their positive contribution to city debate.
Call me crazy (I can take it) but I would like someone who can identify with the immigrant experience that makes Toronto what it is.
Based on some media, it would seem the Left has lost the race already. But let’s not forget that David Miller was an also-ran until that race took off after Labour Day…
Today, Pantalone has more council endorsements, more money in the campaign coffers, and a fulsome campaign team, much earlier in the electoral cycle than Miller did. Not that it’s ever reported.
What’s wrong with wanting something more and something better? What’s wrong with expecting our leaders to live up to a (realistic) standard of professionalism? Should we stop speaking out and telling our stories, or should we leave it to a privileged few to decide what’s right for our City?
About one third of the 28 mayoral candidates could be considered progressive. The NOW & EYE have given some coverage. Yes, campaigns do matter!
The frontrunner is finally releasing his platform this Friday so that it will conveniently appear in the Saturday dailies with higher readership and get more attention than the long suffering left...
Posted by: Sonny Yeung | 05/26/2010 at 11:34 AM
I apologize in advance for this long post:
Pantolone isn't the only guy on the left worth mentioning and with his experience he just might win, however IN my opinion the fact that he is a long serving bureaucrat means that he will get things done and get along with council but doesn't mean he will bring forward the reform that is needed in the city of Toronto.
Because he is a big part of the current political landscape of Toronto he might not think its feasible to take bold steps to drag this city into modern times. Miller was bold, but he got shredded because he couldn't bring the changes he promised . Maybe he was not bold enough. Well we need someone as ambitious as Miller, but with ideas that will work, and with the expertise to actually get plans implemented. He had some great ideas, and a big dream but had a hard time making it real.
It seems, that the city will have a great idea and then ultimately downgrades it to something inadequate in order to pander to a certain influential lobby, union, or NIMBYs. That's politics I guess.
The city need to get over petty things like mere bike lanes ( I cannot believe the time taken to debate something so minor) and move on to major changes that need to be done to address major issues in this city. Transit, congestion, cost of living, poverty, deteriorating communities, housing etc. Driving through most of west toronto has become very depressing it is starting to resemble the South Bronx. The unemployment rate in the city is also very high, even before the recession, but that doesn't seem to be a hot topic this election season. Why not?
While the city argues over what roads need's 2 feet of lane designated for bikes downtown, something that does not affect about 2/3 of the city, and should be relegated to and decided on by community councils, with some oversight from city hall, major issues are being ignored. Unfortunately Pantalone boasting about track record and history in council isn't going to attract voters who are unhappy with the current state of the city's progress. Currently their are many. I think the electorate really want's someone who can really bring positive change to the city, not just talk about it.
Posted by: greg | 05/28/2010 at 01:37 AM