day. He said he knew how wary people were of the fact he was not a “career politician”. He followed this by saying he sees a four-year term in office as mayor to be a service, and not a career. Rocco essentially expressed the fact that City Hall needed to be fixed, and that he had the required tools to do so. He has an impressive track record, from his heroic work as the CEO of the Heart and Stroke Founda- tion, to his notorious fundraising as National Director for the Liberal Party. Before attending this fundraiser, I had understood the city of Toronto was in financial trouble, and that it was struggling to set the transit plan in motion. After hearing some of the figures Rocco rhymed off, I be- gan to fathom the severe financial trouble the city is in. He noted that the city spends over 400 million dollars paying interest on the city’s debt. That is outlandish. After this fundraiser I was eager to get involved with the campaign. Rocco had pulled at my heart strings with his personal stories, and impressed me with his business- savvy approach to City Hall. He had come across as sharp witted, no-nonsense, dedicated, and human. I started to go into the campaign office in the mornings and do whatever there was to do: make buttons, sit at the reception desk, etc. I liked the people in the office. There were no two people alike. Everyone came from different job-fields; age groups; religious affiliations; political standpoints. It was interesting to hear what it was that drew them to Rocco as a candidate, and what drove them to become involved. The first debate I attended was at Hart House, in the “debates room.” I was still figuring out which candidate stood for what, and I tried to remain as unbiased as pos-
sible as I listened to their statements. The room was over- flowing into the hallway with keenly engaged citizens. The candidates sat in a row at a long white table. The dynamics of the debate were light hearted, and all of the candidates sitting together would have made a good cari- cature drawing. Rossi struck me as the most articulate de- bater, and I continued to be proud of helping his cause. As for the other candidates: Ford was perpetually perspir- ing and fumbling over his words, Thomson sounded like a Sunday school teacher with the attention span of a gnat (though she seemed nice), Pantalone was endearing but not very cunning, and Smitherman went overboard with the sarcasm so it was difficult to have faith in what he was saying. I understand these are all personal fronts, which have little to do with actual platforms and policies, but the way one presents is a vital part of being a political figure. Something I learned very quickly is that campaigns are
December 2010 | Campaigns & Elections 19
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