Record turnout gives “gravy-train” warrior strong mandate
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.