To the Editor,
Toronto Star, Oct. 26, 2000.
What does a poor candidate have to do to be considered “serious” by the Star?
When Royson James says there is “virtually no one challenging [Lastman] as mayor” (October 25), how does he reach this conclusion? Is it the campaign platform, the number of posters, a campaign office, or the number of volunteers working on the campaign, or the size of the campaign budget?
Tooker Gomberg has Mel Lastman beat all counts but the budget. He has a campaign office (call 968-7626 or “YOUR MAN”), over 500 volunteers, a website boasting over 300,000 hits to date (www.gombergformayor.org), 700 people on an e-mail list, campaign signs on bicycles and other unusual places, and he is campaigning on the most serious issues facing the city in this election: garbage, clean air, public transit homelessness, and healthy, safe communities.
To date, Lastman has no office, website, or any visible campaign, and yet you call him the only candidate?
Tooker has the support and admiration of hundreds, if not thousands, of people like me: people who want our city to be a healthy and vibrant place for all of us who live here, not just a theme park for the tourist dollar and big business. Homelessness, transit, and a healthy city, the very issues Royson wants Mel to speak out on, have been addressed eloquently and with passion by Tooker Gomberg. You have only to listen to him to realize his knowledge and commitment run deep.
So what does Mel have that Tooker doesn’t? He’s the incumbent with the backing of Bay Street and a cool million stashed away in case of emergencies. Is that what makes Mel “the only serious contender”?
Get with it Royson. Wake up Toronto Star. Please tell me there’s more to politics than money.
Chris Winter