The ignoble circumstances of Toronto Mayor John Tory’s sudden exit aside, the chain reaction it caused was predictable.
The speed was not.
One candidate declared his mayoral candidacy a mere 16 hours after Tory announced he was stepping away. Several others quickly followed suit issuing nominative “strong maybe” statements and playing coy.
It reminds me of the line from Shakespeare’s Hamlet about the meat pies served at his father’s funeral being offered again as cold leftovers at his mother’s wedding to his uncle. One quickly follows the other.
All the good and bad that happens in Toronto – Canada’s largest city, cultural hub, and economic powerhouse – influences all of us, especially Markham since we share a border. That is why I was grateful to have a few minutes with Mayor Tory just three weeks ago at a social event celebrating a mutual friend. Who succeeds him matters.
I will remember those that took early advantage of this moment by brazenly declaring their intentions or otherwise firing up their self-promotion engines while the man was still trying to make a characteristically dignified exit under an intense and embarrassing media spotlight.
It has been said “in politics, there are two types of people: those who want to be somebody and those who want to do something.” Mayor Tory is the latter.
Take it from me, I know both types. I’ve campaigned against some, met a few and witnessed plenty.
When it is all over, I predict some of the premature Toronto Mayor wannabes will find themselves regretting their vainglorious haste. Hamlet, after all, is a tragedy.