I’m surprised to be writing this soon into the fray (and my apologies to those still reading yesterday’s post. I told my esteemed colleague as we set out on this venture that writing for the web had to be more concise than the full blown, Strongbow fueled bar rants that an unwilling audience normally had inflicted upon them. And how we first crossed paths if the truth be known. Early days yet, friends. Early days).

But I do want to clear something up. As an ultimately tepid supporter of Mr. Tory for Mayor in `03, I do think he still brings a workable capability to the office regardless of how dismal his track record may have been in the provincial political arena. I say “may have been” because it’s an assessment based solely on information gleaned from yesterday’s post. Frankly, I pay zero attention to provincial politics aside from how it impacts my life here in the city (which it does with annoying and usually inept frequency). Outside of, perhaps, those in QC, AB and NFLD who identify heavily with their… ah, how to say this without stepping on any toes… provincialism, politics at the provincial level serves no purpose whatsoever other than adding duplication and red tape to our lives. The quicker we do away with this level of government and divvy up its power, responsibility and monies, the better off all our lives will be.

Forgive my digression. Provincial politics tends to bring the Cityslkr out in me.

Back to John Tory for Mayor. I do believe that the glowing bright redness of his Toriness, if you will and hopefully without eliciting an image of a baboon in heat, is such that it will dampen the ideological battles we’ve seen hold city council hostage throughout the past decade or so. It’s hard to see anyone on the right aside from Paleolithic Etobicoke councilman Rob Ford who would be unable to saddle up with Tory. And, despite the constant screeching from media outlets like the Toronto Sun, there isn’t a progressive member of the present council leaning so far left that they couldn’t work with a Mayor Tory. A happy, functioning, Kumbaya-singing council is one that tends not to get in the way and allows the experts to run the city properly.

John Tory as the new Art Eggleton. How bad could that be?

— soberly submitted by Urban Sophisticat