Former Ontario leader running for mayor in 2022 election

Eminetracanada.com
Oct. 24, 2022
Tom Tidgewell

Two former Ontario party leaders are vying for mayor of the Greater Toronto Area. Experts say their track record, experience and name recognition could prove to be a “double-edged sword.”

Andrea Horwath and Stephen Del Duca resigned as party leaders on June 2 after failing to gain further support during the election.

A 13-year leader of Ontario’s NDP, Horwath won the Hamilton Center election, but failed to increase his party’s seats in Congress. On her election night, she announced that it was time to “pass the torch.”

In July, Horwath resigned from the state legislature and ran for mayor of Hamilton.

Horwath said in an interview with CTV News Toronto this week that members of the community have asked him if he would be interested in returning to city hall during past local elections.

Horwath began his civil service career as a Hamilton City Council member.

“I got into politics in the first place because of the grit and grit of the people in the city,” she said. “For me, it’s about going home and using all my smart skills, smart knowledge and smart connections to further the interests of the City of Hamilton.”

Experts say it’s not uncommon for politicians at various levels of government to travel to run local governments, and mayors in particular have considerable prestige.

“The mayor can also be a very influential person,” said Dennis Piron, an associate professor at York University. “In some cases, the mayor actually runs the show.”

“We’ve seen this from all parties. People decide from different levels of government to become mayor. And it’s nothing new either. We can see this pattern in action across the country at various historical times when people decided to become mayor as a way to revive their political careers or change their fortunes.”

This is also the case for Del Duca, where the Liberals suffered a devastating loss in June. The 49-year-old not only led his party to defeat, but also lost his seat at Vaughan Woodbridge.

In August, Del Duca announced that he would run for the next mayor of Vaughan, pledging to use his experience to continue fighting the “traffic congestion crisis.”

“I came out of the results of other elections that came back in the spring, and they were obviously tough,” Del Duca told CTV News Toronto by phone on Sunday. Mainly in July, I was talking to supporters here in the community and families about whether I could still give something in public service.”

“After spending most of July doing really thoughtful things, working very humbly, thinking very carefully and especially making sure my daughters were comfortable. There is something that keeps giving back.I am very passionate about public service.”

Del Duca, who was Vaughan’s MPP from 2012 to 2018, said he hopes voters can reflect on recent losses and focus on his record as a whole.

Steven Del DucaJust because a candidate does poorly in one election or in a particular geographic constituency doesn’t mean those results reflect a larger voter pool, adds Pilon.

“It’s a numbers game. Maybe we didn’t have enough supporters,” he said. “The raw data from local elections shows that many people prefer the Liberals, but that is not reflected in the House standings.”

“My sense is that the population he’s appealing to is much broader, and that population may have a fairly liberal following.”

She said that not only name recognition but also clear ties to political parties help candidates rise to the top of the polls.

Candidates may have their own ideologies, but there are no political parties in Ontario’s municipal government. It can be helpful during a campaign for an individual running for mayor to know that she was previously affiliated with the NDP or the Liberal Party. However, Allison Smith, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto, argues that this is not always the case.

“There might be something like that double-edged sword in someone who loses to an opponent,” she said. I just don’t agree with everything there is.”

“But I think the incumbent has an edge at different levels of politics.”

Is the politics of the municipality a “solution”?

Many successful state and federal politicians at the local level, notably GTA’s Bonnie Crombie, Patrick Brown, and John Tory.

Opponents of candidates who move between different governments, however, often claim that they are treating local elections as “alimony.”

On the other hand, both Smith and Piron argued that politics at the local level were so demanding that candidates would not choose to go to another election unless they got the position they wanted. There is

“One of the things I sometimes think about if local government politics is like a sort of consolation prize for someone who didn’t pay for state or federal politics. Former Mayor of Calgary (Nahed) Nensi was often asked when he was mayor because he was very popular and very successful.People often asked him when were you going to run for state or federal I want that relegation,” Smith said. “He considered it a resignation to leave Calgary’s local politics and run for state or federal politics.”

“I think in many ways, being mayor is a really exciting opportunity for people who are now behind-the-scenes members of the government or in the opposition.”

The mayor’s powers include a variety of issues including large files such as transportation, housing, and public health.

“I think an enthusiastic mayor has the opportunity to take advantage of the kinds of resources available at the senior level of government and really do things in ways that other positions at the senior level of government don’t have. control or access to,” Smith added.

Piron argues that the position of mayor is too tough to run for on a whim. Between meetings, emergencies, and weekend events, we have little time for other things.

“Can you put the fire out 24 hours a day?” he said. “I don’t think people appreciate the work of politicians.”

“Trying to get consent among non-consenting people is not an easy task, so we need someone ready to do the job.”

Ontarians head to the polls on October 24th.