Where do they go from here?

After a week of tributes and mourning, the talk in Ottawa is sure to turn to "what now" this week, as the NDP begins the process of replacing Jack Layton.

Of course, some did not wait that long. Anonymous NDP insiders let it be known that Brian Topp was the "front runner" to replace Layton the day after he died, showing us that anonymous NDP insiders are as reliable and as politically astute as anonymous Liberal insiders. Seriously, it boggles my mind how anyone could think a move like that would help Topp.

Since leadership speculation is now in full swing, here's my run-down of the prospective field. Keep in mind, Layton was elected straight from City Council, so the NDP may very well opt for an outsider again.


Brian Topp

PROS: Played a key role in Layton's revival of the NDP. Very punable name (“Topp spins scandal”, “Topp on top”, “Topp falls to bottom of pack”...the possibilities are limitless for headline writers).

CONS: No elected experience.



Thomas Mulcair

PROS: The party's most respected MP in Quebec. Like Layton and most good socialists, has facial hair.

CONS: Unlike Layton, has never smiled in his life.



Gary Doer

PROS: Accomplished, moderate, well spoken

CONS: Has said he won't run. I believe we have found the NDP's very own Frank McKenna.



Bill Blaikie

PROS: Meets facial hair requirement. Well respected. Experienced.

CONS: Retired.



Paul Dewar

PROS: Comes from deep NDP roots, and has shown himself to be a strong performer in Ottawa.

CONS: Less name recognition than Brian Topp.



Anne McGrath

PROS: Close to Jack Layton. Comes across well on TV.

CONS: Fun fact about Anne McGrath - she once ran for the Communist Party. Didn't know that? Well, you will after the 200th CPC attack ad on the subject airs.



Megan Leslie

PROS: Young, articulate, and seen as a rising star on Parliament Hill

CONS: Fun fact about Megan Leslie - there are no fun facts about Megan Leslie.



Ruth-Ellen Brosseau

PROS: Name recognition, and media enjoy writing about her. Given her complete lack of interest in politics before being elected, odds are she has never been a member of the Bloc Quebecois. Luckiest person on the face of the earth.

CONS: Weak french.



Rocco Rossi

PROS: Described by Rocco Rossi as a star candidate. Will be looking for work come October. A Forum poll shows him as the frontrunner in the NDP race.

CONS: Hasn’t switched to the NDP – yet.



For a more serious look from someone inside the NDP, Greg Fingas has the run-down on 20 possible candidates.

Bocce Balls

And that, is the sound of thousands of Liberals simultaneously de-friending Rocco:

Ex-Liberal fundraiser Rocco Rossi expected to run for Ontario Tories

Rocco Rossi, former national director of the Liberal Party of Canada and recent candidate for the Toronto mayoralty, may be poised to declare he’s running for the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, Queen’s Park sources say.

Sources said on Monday evening that Mr. Rossi is expected to stand for nomination in the north Toronto riding of Eglinton-Lawrence, which the Tories lost by the narrowest of margins in 2007.

2010 in Pictures: Let's Get Municipal

The Insider

Then: Grit insider Rocco Rossi running for T.O. mayor


Now:


Hat Tip - JT

Toronto Votes 2010: Adam Giambrone's Star Wars Kid Candidacy

We're still a long way away from e-day, but Toronto's mayoral race is starting to take shape. According to the city's website, there are 24 declared candidates - alas, Ange Maniccia has withdrawn, failling to generate a significant amount of Maniccia-Mania in the first day of his/her candidacy. Relax Ange, we all have moments like that.

From among that list of 24, there are a handful of legitimate candidates - one of Giorgio Mammoliti, Joe Pantalone, or the yet-to-declare Denzil Minnan-Wong could break through as a contender.

But early on, the media focus has been on George Smitherman, Adam Giambrone, and Rocco Rossi. For those unfamiliar with Toronto-politics, here's where you've probably heard of these men before:

-Giambrone's name gets mentioned on Facebook whenever someone is bitching about the TTC
-Smitherman is part of the "Former McGuinty Cabinet Ministers" Facebook group (closing in on the anti-prorogation one as the largest FB group in Canada)
-Rocco Rossi has most likely wished you happy birthday on Facebook.

So what should we make of our three challengers thus far?

Well, with John Tory gone, Smitherman is clearly the front runner. He's branding himself as the pit bull of the race (Q: What's the difference between George Smitherman and a pit bull? A: McGuinty has yet to ban George Smitherman):

In an exclusive interview with The Globe and Mail, Mr. Smitherman opened the door to road tolls, rejected banishing bike lanes from arterial roads and promised to apply bulldog toughness to the city’s finances – unlike the current administration, he said, which is struggling to impose a 5-per-cent budget cut on recalcitrant departments and agencies.

“If my bureaucracy basically shot me the finger,” Mr. Smitherman said, “well, I’ll let my reputation speak for itself … a shrug of the shoulders and the middle finger salute isn’t going to cut it.”

Former LPC National Director Rocco Rossi (who, in passing, deserves a round of applause for the increased Liberal fundraising numbers in 2009), is positioning himself on Smitherman's right flank. It's not too surprising, really. Rossi was John Tory's campaign manager in 2003, so he stands to inherit much of the Tory organization...it only makes sense to try and inherit as much of Tory's vote as possible.

Which brings us to young Adam Giambrone, chair of the TTC. Giambrone should be taken seriously in this race - John Laschinger is his campaign manager, and Giambrone will appeal to many of the same people who elected David Miller. Now, when I say that Giambrone should be taken seriously, that's intended more as advice to his own campaign, than as a warning to the opposition. Case in point:




I'm as big a fan of self-deprecating humour as anyone out there, but there comes a point when you cringe. After watching this video, I just can't imagine this guy running the City of Toronto. Don't get me wrong, I love that he has a sense of humour, and he seems like an OK guy - the video would make me consider voting for him as SU President. Well, maybe not, but definitely as VP Events for the chess club.

But Mayor of Toronto? That's a fairly serious job, and nothing Giambrone has done thus far, during this campaign or during his political career, gives me any sort of sense that he's ready for that.

This Week in Toronto

Everyone ready for a game of Liberal musical chairs?

As you've probably heard, George Smitherman has left the provincial government to make a run for Mayor of Toronto. The general consensus has that race as a clash between Smitherman and John Tory - I expect my vote will go to Smitherman, but Leaf fans love a perennial loser, so maybe Tory will be able to pull it off.

Regardless, Smitherman's departure opens up Toronto Centre and, no mater how bad things may be going for Dalton McGuinty, that's about as safe as seats come. One of the candidates for the prize Liberal nomination will be former Winnipeg Mayor Glen Murray, who would add some star power to a Liberal caucus which has lost some big names over the past year. I was at a well-attended Murray campaign event last night - also there was Smitherman who is endorsing Murray.

It appears Sachin Aggarwal won'tbe going for the Toronto Centre nom, but the federal Liberals will be losing some talent, in the form of Rocco Rossi, who has helped dramatically boost party fundraising numbers this year. Yesterday, Rocco announced he would be tossing his hat into the Toronto mayoralty race. The interesting twist here is that Rossi was Tory's campaign manager when Tory came close to defeating David Miller back in 2003. It's hard to say how Rossi will fare - at the very least he should out-tweet the other candidates in the race.