CREDIT: YELO34/THINKSTOCK
Rob Ford's years of babysitting his brother might make it impossible for voters to take Doug Ford seriously in a leadership role.

Cities in the province are on the cusp of a municipal election to determine who will get to fill the seats at City Hall, and few races are being as closely watched as the one in Toronto.

Despite his frequent and ongoing media blunders, Mayor Rob Ford implemented an admirable number of campaign pledges during his term. As the negative press stacked up, Ford’s popularity actually rose through all of the conflicts. Until the announcement that he was stepping down, there was a real possibility that the beleaguered incumbent mayor could win another term.

Without the former mayor, the race quickly came under the control of mayoral candidate John Tory who had been consistently ahead in the polls throughout the campaign.

There isn’t anything flashy or controversial about John Tory and that could be contributing to his popularity with voters. Toronto has a history of electing colourful leaders who spend almost as much time ducking scandals as they do in city council meetings.

Tory has a history of public service as a councillor for the city, but his real appeal may rest in simply not being a Ford. Barring any public relations catastrophes, Tory should find himself ahead by a comfortable margin when it’s time to count the votes.

Although the incumbent mayor was still making gains on the front-running John Tory at the time of his withdrawal, Doug Ford was unable to capitalize on the momentum after taking his brother’s place. Doug seems to lack the flair that made Rob’s more boorish qualities seem endearing to the voters and as a result, he hasn’t had the voter base to make a substantial run for the top job.

Years of being his brother’s unofficial babysitter have fostered a perception of Doug that will make it nearly impossible for people to see him in a leadership role.

Bringing up the rear is former city councillor Olivia Chow, long time Toronto politician and former wife of the late Jack Layton who led the NDP party to great popularity. In the last couple of weeks, Chow has shifted her message to one that could have changed the course of the entire campaign if it had occurred sooner.

By accusing the current front-runner, John Tory, of being a conservative, she can effectively equate his platform of fiscal conservativeness with the leadership style of Rob Ford. The claim is hard to refute given that Tory actually led the Ontario Conservative party half a decade ago, but it’s unlikely to give Chow the traction she needs to make up the huge gap in support.

The city of Toronto has rolled the proverbial dice on several of their mayors in the past two decades but they may be ready for what appears to be the safe bet. It has been a pleasure to watch and we wish them all the best, but it looks like October 27 will be the final night of the Ford show.
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