So ... I'm out of the city on Sunday, Jan 17th, and will not be able to attend as my Raptors host the Dallas Mavericks at the ACC, and I got to thinking that it would be cool to give my tickets (a pair of Row 1 platinums) to some deserving, fellow Toronto Raptors fans who are as passionate about the city and it's future as they are about the team. You see, if there is one thing that I know, it is that we Raptors fans have a huge amount of civic pride in Toronto. We are proud of our city, we are passionate about our team and we have very thin skins and easily take offense when those south of the border under-estimate or disparage our "house" without ever having been here. This is OUR city, OUR house, and the Raptors are OUR team.
Speaking about our city ... we FINALLY get to choose a new mayor in 2010 and the race is on as of January 4th (not a moment too soon as far as I am concerned). 
If there is one thing that I've learned from my years of starting, building and growing companies, it is that TIMING is everything. The next 4-8 years might be the most important years for this city to re-establish itself as the world-class, cosmopolitan powerhouse that we know it is capable of being. While the United States remains mired in a slow recovery from the self-inflicted financial and economic crisis of the past 2 years, Canada and Toronto specifically is uniquely positioned to really separate itself from the crowd, and restore its rightful place as a cosmopolitan metropolis which is business friendly, which attracts the best and brightest, where jobs, innovation, energy, culture, beautiful architecture and social responsibility all come together. This is a unique opportunity and a unique point in time for us to get the leadership of this great city of ours right.
Given everything that I know about Rocco Rossi, I am convinced that he is the right man at the right time for the most important job in the country. This city deserves a mayor who has the ability to articulate a long term vision and plan for one of the most important jurisdictions in the country, and who has the charisma and proven organizational skills to orchestrate the realization of that vision. Rocco brings conviction, passion, deep experience with running real organizations, and the integrity to lead. Besides, Rocco is also a huge Raptors fan, so what's there not to like !!!
So, here's my ask ... give me a couple of sentences, as a comment to this post, on what your views are, on the most important priorities for our new mayor to take on when he or she takes office. At the same time, please consider joining me in supporting Rocco Rossi, by registering on his website at www.roccorossi.com or on his Facebook page at Elect Rocco Rossi for Mayor of Toronto. I will make a choice as to the best posting by Friday of this week, and will award the tickets to the author, and announce it on this blogsite.
Let the postings begin !! And remember, in the words of the great Winston Churchill ... KBO (Keep Buggering On !!!) :-)
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Raptors to the playoffs and Rocco Rossi for Mayor of Toronto ...
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16 comments:
The biggest goal for our new mayor is to be one who stands by their word...that being they must have integrity. Do what you say you are going to do when you say you are going to do it.
The next Mayor of Toronto has to be a visionary who can juggle the competing priorities of fiscal prudence with social justice ensuring that all of the citizens are looked after equally well. A task suited to one who has vast experience with the charitable sector and in the business world. Rocco, the city awaits you
The next mayor of our great city must love her as much as I do, and be courageous in his love for her. No matter what forces internally or externally attempt to hurt her, defame her, or take advantage of her, our next mayor must never allow anything less than what she deserves. He must share the vision of those who live in this fair city to help her continue to grow into the world-class powerhouse of growth, prosperity, culture, and diversity. He must put this vision before himself, he must put this vision before his friends, and he must put this vision before the interests of anyone else. We need a mayor who will fearlessly and diligently work towards, and never compromise the integrity of this vision. That mayor is Rocco Rossi.
Whether the other mayoral candidates are willing to admit it or not, the decade-long party that has been Toronto is now hurdling toward an ugly hangover. With a staggering $2.5b in debt, Toronto's next mayor must address the issues of public transit, soaring poverty rates, garbage collection, immigration, the waterfront and what to do about the Gardiner Expressway. These endeavors will require not only vision, but the capacity to win the hearts and minds of Toronto's 44-member council.
Mr. Rossi has demonstrated his willingness to think big with his proposal to sell Toronto Hydro, and his congenial disposition will certainly assist in uniting council around a common goal. Nobody is better equipped than Mr. Rossi to tackle the turbulent times the lay ahead.
The next Mayor gotta be someone who is proactive and able to adapt to a rising situation quickly e.g. handle the garbage situation situation quickly, intervening the York University teaching assistant strike in less than a month before all the students suffer, deal with the TTC union quickly. The current Mayor react too slow to these situation, just like when the Raptors need a timeout to stop the other team's momentum and to calm the Raptors' players down, the coach aren't calling the appropriate timeout, letting the game go out of hands.
The new Mayor needs to be able to make the right policy that would help the current situation and also the future of Toronto. The Mayor should give fundings to the right departments and shouldn't make the middle class suffer with more taxes. Just like how Bryan Colangelo need to focus on getting players who can play defense and grab rebounds.
The goal for Toronto's new Mayor should be to lead Toronto though the biggest transition in our age. Leveraging it's unique talent and treasures, investing in technology, collaboration, tolerance - moving towards a creative economy as Dr. Richard Florida urge us to do.
The next mayor of Toronto has several challenges ahead of them. The obvious one is the budget. Toronto is a large city, with a large budget that needs to be properly managed. That means determining priorities and sticking to them. Also, it wouldn't hurt to get a bit creative in the budgeting department. Why not incentivize departments to save money by basing bonuses on savings? Obviously you would need to establish performance and delivery metrics to be met as well in order to ensure that the budget is trimmed with frugality in mind, and not in a miserly way. Also, the services offered by the city need to be reviewed for both efficiency and effectiveness as well. As a long time member of both frugal forums and freecycle groups, I have learned that being frugal doesn't mean you are being cheap. The same principles can be extended to the city hall as well. Do we need this? Is it doing what we need it to do? Is there a better way to do this? Can we do this for less and perhaps achieve a better end? Stepping back from the old "we've always done it this way/offered these services/staffed it this way/budgeted this way" and taking a fresh look at the city, what it needs, what it offers and how it accomplishes this could go a long way to bringing Toronto into the forefront of world class cities.
I believe the most important issue for the next mayor of Toronto (besides bringing a Stanley Cup & NBA Championship to The City :)) is around road conjestion. This will mean the next Mayor of Toronto will have to work with all related parties to ensure the 401, 427, Gardiner, Don Valley Parkway and all forms of public transportation work together to make this great city move like it should! (That was a mouthful, but you did say a couple of sentences.)
Toronto has always billed itself as a world-class city but has never reached true world-class elite status. It is not spoken about in the same terms as London, Paris, New York and Shanghai. Over the next decade, there is a perfect opportunity for Toronto to elevate itself to that elite status and this responsibility will fall on the shoulders of the next mayor.
Here are 5 key issues I believe the next mayor of Toronto needs to focus on:
1. Taxes - Taxes discourage investment and slows down consumer spending. New businesses are less inclined to invest in a jurisdiction with an unfavorable tax regime. This means less jobs, less income and less money going into the local economy. However, the city is mired in debt and rely heavily tax revenues to fund services Torontonians expect. The best way to reduce this debt obligation is to sell off crown assets such as Toronto Hydro. Paying down debts will allow Toronto to cut taxes for local residents and businesses, making it a more attractive place to live and invest.
2. Traffic Congestion/Public Transportation - Traffic congestion is horrible in the city. Public transportation is not efficient and there are not enough options on a regional basis. The mayor must work with his regional counterparts to develop a regional transportation strategy that will increase transit options both in and out of the city. The strategy must be cost effective and sustainable. You have to make commuting on public transit the easiest option available. A successful strategy will help solve two pervasive problems: congestion and smog.
3. Find a niche and get rich. Toronto needs to brand itself in economic terms. What will the city be known as the "center" of? There are a number of advantages Toronto can play off. Canadian banks have shown to be true global competitors. York University's Schulich School of Business is known as the number 1 sustainability MBA in the world. Many of the world's largest technology firms have their Canadian headquarters here. The point is, Toronto needs to focus on a few things the city does really well. We need to make Toronto an attractive desitination for talent and investment that will propel Toronto into a world class competitor in a given industry. Whether its banking, renewable energies or technolgy - invest in the necessary infrastructure to make Toronto the best at it.
4. Continue to develop and promote Toronto's cultural richness. We are a diverse city with a thriving culture. We have wonderful events like the the dragon boat races, Caribana, and Nuit Blanche. We have world class theatre, music and Dance. We have cultural icons in the AGO and the ROM. But simply having this is not enough. We need to raise the awareness globally. We need to make this a priority travel destination for tourists worldwide. And to do this will need to invest more in these events and organizations; allowing them to expand and grow. The city can not fund all this but they need to take a proactive approach in finding the right corporate partners that will invest in this city and who are willing to share in the city's success.
5. Rebuild city hall's image on how they manage the city. Show the city that you are socially responsible, transperant and committed to making Toronto and more sustainable city. Past contraversies such as Toronto police paid duty, outrageous cable bills at city hall, and prolonged city strikes are issues that range from the petty to the vital but share one thing in common: mismanagement. Focus on the issues that are relevent and important. Take care of the city's needs, show that you are honest, transperant and credible.
Toronto is at an inflection point We need a leader to lead us. We can accept that you will make mistakes, but own up to them. Have a clear vision and stay the course. Show the courage to see all sides and adapt as necessary.
This is a bit more than a few sentances but I'm passionate about my city, just as passionate as I am about my Raptors!
The obvious thing, is clear, we have a huge deficit and budget problem. We've neglected Toronto's infrastructure for decades and the city is crumbling beneath us. Why ? Well, it's simple really, we send our tax dollars to the provincial and federal governments and don't get back what we need to maintain our city. It doesn't matter why, it's simply a fact, a fact that we're not in charge of our own financial destiny.
This my fellow Torontonians is the root of our problem, plain and simple. So what do we do ? Well, we take control of our own destiny by creating our own city state. Yes, it's the only way to take back control and put it in the hands of Torontonians. We need to rewrite the relationship we have with the provincial and federal government. The old one is broken and it's more then a hundred years old.
It can be a loose federation within Canada or not, whatever it takes to get back control of our finances. It's the only way we'll be able to compete with cities like Singapore. I know, I lived there for a long time and learned a lot. Toronto doesn't lack people with vision or competence. It lacks control. So Rocco, what we need, is a different approach from the same old band aid solutions, what we need is, a game changer.
" If you're not in charge of your own finances, you're in charge of nothing. "
Rossi is brilliantly personable but I fear he may not be the man for the job when I heard he would sell Toronto Hydro. Why would he sell the only profitable business the city owns?
Just does not make any sense.
I guess I'll have to wait to see what he says. I'm kinda hoping one of the lesser known candidates will shine. I heard the woman that owns the Women's Post is running, but I can't find any information anywhere. Is this true? A businesswoman and a journalist seems like an interesting mix. It's going to be a good year for the campaign. Rossi and this woman. I have a good feeling about both. The guy everyone cares about and the woman no one cares about.
thoughts?
I think the new Toronto mayor should focus on two themes:
1) Connectivity amid diversity
This topic includes the traffic congestion, ailing infrastructure, and improving technology. With an incredibly diverse work force, Toronto should focus on tolerance, talent and technology. If there is a combined effort from the politicians and the talented workforce, Toronto could improve quickly in these areas.
2) Innovation and retention.
The mayor should focus on innovative businesses and entrepreneurs as the businesses of the future. In addition, the mayor should focus on retaining the human capital that is already prevalent within this dynamic city. Instead of Toronto falling victim to what is commonly referred to as "brain drain", we should have a city that will even attract high achievers and promote forward-looking business models.
With leadership that is focused on advancing in the new global economy, Toronto is set to make a major move on the world stage.
Hi, I'm Mikey and I'm a 20 year old male. I have no doubt that Mr. Rossi will make a FANTASTIC Mayor and wish him the best of luck!
The next Mayor of the ity of Toronto needs to focus on a wide variety of issues:
1. Fiscal Management
This means to balance the books by coming up with new sources of revenue, cutting salaries of the public service and selling a wide variety of assets to be able to spend the revenue left over prudently. Some of the new sources of revenue could be road tolls and increased conventional fees.
2. Enviormntal Strategy
The enviorment is always lagin behind and we need a 21st Century made in Toronto Strategy to be a leader among the rest of the world! In the strategy should be acheivable targets, enviormental taxes, an energy plan that focuses on renewables, increased investment in public transportation, regulate products/industries and put in place non-compliance fees.
3. Youth Poverty Strategy
Children our the future of our society and are very vulnerable, that is why it is the next Mayor's obligation to develop and implement a Youth Poverty Strategy. This strategy must focus on housing, income, social benefits, a made in toronto youth volunteer program, expand student nutrition, create a food vouchers program, increase funding to shelters/food banks, hire more youth outreach workers, create more jobs for youth, combat childhood obesity, open more daycares, abolish the Toronto Youth Cabinet and replace with a youth city council system that brings youth engagement back on the map!
With that being said these are the top three priorities the next Mayor of any political affiliation should focus on enhance the prosperity of our buetiful city and protect the well being of all it's residents, especially the most vulnerable.
Brian, I agree with your comment on integrity and "doing what you say you are going to do". It's too bad that this actually has to be a novel criteria to judge candidates by, instead of simply being "table stakes" and normal expectations of every candidate. It's a sad commentary on how cynical the system has become as a result of past failures of politicians to govern on the same promises that they campaign upon.
One of the reasons that I support Rocco's candidacy is that he has demonstrated with every tour of duty in his prior business leadership roles, that his promises and commitments do mean something, that his word is his bond and that everything that he received he has earned.
Is Rocco a career, professional politician? No -- Thank Goodness !!! This is why he will make a GREAT mayor for our city.
The Weathermaking Challenge ... love the passion in your words, and the lyrics in your comment. Your "creed" is one which most politicians can only aspire to, but one which I genuinely believe Rocco lives on a daily basis.
Anita Ng said ... "Rossi is brilliantly personable but I fear he may not be the man for the job when I heard he would sell Toronto Hydro. Why would he sell the only profitable business the city owns? Just does not make any sense. Thoughts?"
Anita, I actually like this proposal from Rocco very much, and its one of the things that confirmed for me that Rocco has his priorities right. As per Kyle's comment from above, the city is carrying a "staggering $2.5 billion in debt". Servicing this debt takes an enormous bite out of our flexibility to take on important strategic priorities. Furthermore, one has to consider the strategic value of Toronto Hydro relative to the value of alternate investments for the city that this proposal could underwrite.
This is a bold proposal, and I would expect no less from any mayor that I would want to endorse.
See Globe & Mail article below:
http://bit.ly/6eQUAw
Thanks for this great post.
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