Less than 10 minutes after polls closed at 8:00 p.m. in Toronto, the local TV stations in Toronto were already declaring Rob Ford the new mayor. Ford, the 41-year-old lone wolf candidate who campaigned on fiscal responsibility, took home 47 per cent of the vote, leaving former Ontario cabinet minister George Smitherman a distant second with 36 per cent of votes. Joe Pantalone, the left-wing deputy mayor, received less than 12 per cent. A record number of voters—more than 52 per cent—turned out to vote after pre-election polls put the two front-runners within a few points of each other. Toronto’s last two civic elections have drawn fewer than 40 per cent of eligible voters. Rob Ford spoke in front of a crowd in suburban Etobicoke shortly after 9 p.m., declaring an end to “the gravy train at city hall.” Ford also vowed to quash the unpopular $60 vehicle registration fee imposed by outgoing mayor David Miller. In his short speech, he also said he would end the city’s fair-wage clause, which prevents the city from tendering contracts to companies that pay less than the city’s unionized employees. Ford will take over the mayoral duties in December.
General
Rob Ford elected Toronto mayor in landslide
Record turnout gives “gravy-train” warrior strong mandate
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