Somehow, where John Tory and the centrists running today have failed, Rob Ford has burst through those walls like – oh yeah! – an angry pitcher of Kool Aid. John Matheson, a conservative who’s supporting the struggling campaign of Liberal-cum-small-C conservative Rocco Rossi, says that what people are looking for right now is someone wearing a good pair of Kodiak-style, ass-kicking boots. “Ford is the harshest critic of the city right now, and people want someone who will say ‘I’m gonna kick the crap out of these people.’”

Read the rest of his column here.

“With Tory — I’m speculating, of course — because his indecision has been much more political than legislative. Perhaps he’d have run council with an iron fist in a sheepskin glove, driving hard at a few clearly articulated goals. The evidence suggests otherwise.”

Read the rest of his thoughts here.

“As Tory has obviously grasped, to be mayor is to have the worst of all worlds. His/Her Worship bears the blame when things go wrong, but has limited power to ensure they go right.

The fact that Toronto council is too large and dysfunctional means the mayor’s powers are even more compromised. And as the winner will discover, the province holds most of the cards anyway.”

Read the rest of his column here.

“John Tory is a formidable fundraiser,” says John Matheson, who is working on Rocco Rossi’s campaign. “That money now, by definition, is free.”

How much there was, of course, can never be known. Contributors “tend to give it to people they like and if they don’t like anyone, they don’t give it,” observes former Ontario premier David Peterson. Other campaign veterans point out that many donors so far have been sitting on their wallets and purses.”

Read the rest of the article here.

Related: Candidates feel the Tory effect (National Post)

“There is a distinct possibility here that Ford, as the only unadulterated right-winger in the race, could win the election with the support of barely one-third of the voters, while the others split the centre/left vote every which way.

So, while two-thirds of the voters may prefer a candidate closer to the centre, Toronto could emerge from the election with a decidedly right-wing mayor. That is something for the voters to ponder between now and election day (Oct. 25). Indeed, it will also weigh on the minds of the other candidates, with the result that the field could well become narrower in the coming weeks.”

Read the rest of the editorial here.

“The Summer 2010 re-draft John Tory movement – like the Summer/Fall 2009 draft John Tory movement that preceded it – was partly about John, of course. He would have been the best mayor Toronto has ever had, hands down. But it was also a response to the lack of enthusiasm people have for the candidates now offering themselves for election. That’s a pretty sad state of affairs for Canada’s biggest city, but that’s how it is.”

Read the rest of his thoughts here.

Photo courtesy: Toronto Star

In a statement late last night, John Tory has confirmed that while he did reconsider a run for the mayor’s chair, he will remain on the sidelines:

“He said he started considering reversing his January decision not to run while in Ireland in early June for his daughter’s graduation, after a Toronto Star story revealed a campaign by councillors to draft him.

“It wasn’t just a few people and I felt I had to give it due consideration and I spent about a month talking to them and thinking about it.

“I just decided that I’m happy with my life now and I think I have a chance to make a difference in the things I’m doing and I hope I can make a significant contribution.”

Read the rest of the article here. Read the official statement here.

Related: Tory makes it official: He’s not running (Globe and Mail)

Also: Tory says no (Town Crier)

And: I’m not running: John Tory (National Post)

With: Tory makes it official again, he will not run for mayor (Toronto Community News)

Plus: John Tory confirms (again) that he’s not running for Mayor (BlogTO)

Even More: John Tory won’t run for mayor (Toronto Sun)

“[T]he source said his enthusiasm has waned, apparently after hearing sobering advice that he should have announced and started organizing earlier, the reality that most of his advisers are committed to other candidates and won’t defect, and that Ford won’t drop out under any circumstances.

In fact, Ford, a past ardent Tory supporter who entered the race only after Tory said in January he was staying out, has been signaling that his old friend would be in for a no-holds-barred, bare-knuckle battle.Tory is also aware of the haunting prospect of coming up short yet again, after losing a provincial byelection last year that forced him to resign the PC leadership. Tory ran for mayor in 2003, losing to Mayor David Miller.”

Read the rest of the post here.

The Twitter hashtag #voteTO has been sparked to life with a series of fake John Tory Twitter profiles that are targeting the possible candidate despite his statements that he will not run. Whether it’s his three-time losing record or his ideological dreams of educational reform, there has been a tremendous flow of negative feedback on the Tory rumours.

In fact, he seems to have prompted more cartoons in a day than several other candidates all year. The campaigners have mocked his indecision, several neutrals have declared disgust, and the sentiment of Twitterverse seems firmly set against John Tory.

Read the rest of the post here.

“A miffed Tory said [a caller to his show] should have had the “decency” to stay on topic, then reiterated his position that “the instant” he makes a decision to register as a candidate, he will take himself off the airwaves.

He also fired back at some grumbling among the current crop of mayoral hopefuls he has an unfair advantage as a radio host.  “I would never compromise my own integrity or the integrity of this radio station,” Tory said. “It’s just not worth it.”

Canada’s broadcast regulator, the CRTC, has rules against radio and television hosts from staying on air after declaring as candidates but don’t kick in until that candidacy is registered.”

Read the rest of the article here.