Reay Jespersen

So the race to be Toronto’s next mayor has begun. It was after David Miller folded and gave in to the Toronto Outside Workers Union’s recent strike demands - they who were on strike, who kept public pools closed, kept the island ferry shut down, and kept garbage from being picked up for several long, stinky weeks - that I’d concluded that his days as mayor were numbered. Not only would I be hard-pressed to name even one thing he’s done to benefit the city, but his standing firm against the union’s demands, having the bulk of the city’s population behind him, only to finally buckle and give the union most everything they wanted anyway, would seem to be his career’s death knell.

However, even more surprising than his giving into union demands after putting the city through weeks of smelly discomfort (and in the process losing untold millions from tourists who had caught wind of the city’s garbage woes and went elsewhere with their summer vacation dollars) was the announcement I heard last week: David Miller is throwing his hat into the ring and looking for re-election.

I’ve no idea who the other contenders are, but failing their being extremists or people with personal agendas the public finds particularly unpalatable, all I can say to you in your seeking another term, Mr. Miller, is good damn luck.