At Spacing, Jonathan Goldsbie has a hell of an interview with Councillor Shelley Carroll. It’s the kind of extended, in-depth interview I wish we’d see more often from local politicians. Really really good stuff, explaining why she didn’t end up in last year’s mayoral race:
“In hindsight, its easier to say why the hell didnt you run, you see how easy it would have been.  But when the decision was made, it was a much more crowded field. When I was making the decision, Adam was in with the prominent Bay Street–organizer supporters. Joe was gonna have the support of the NDP. And George was going to have the Liberals. By the time I announced I wasnt gonna run, Rob was gonna have his big party. Its easy in hindsight, Look what a bad campaign George ran. But in January, he had so many prominent resources that no one suspected he would run a campaign that was so weak. That early on, he had so many people signed on to work for him that were known to run good campaigns and that we were about to see a brilliant campaign…
via Why Shelley Carroll Didn’t Run for Mayor « Spacing Toronto.
There are so many “what ifs” surrounding the 2010 mayoral race. What if the garbage strike hadn’t happened? What if Adam Giambrone had just been honest about his love life? What if Darcy Allan Sheppard hadn’t been hit by a car? What if John Tory hadn’t discovered a love for A.M. radio?
It’s fun to think about — and a campaign that pitted, say, David Miller versus George Smitherman, or Shelley Carroll versus John Tory, would have made for far better debates than what we did get — but I think I’m coming around to seeing the result of the 2010 as potentially a long-term positive thing for the City of Toronto. I’m not as optimistic as Dave Meslin, but I’m hopeful that Rob Ford’s still-seems-inevitable flameout will galvanize the voters of the city, underscoring the importance of a committed, progressive leader with a measured, long-term civic vision.
Come 2014, Shelley Carroll could be that leader.
Tags: david miller, election 2010, george smitherman, john tory, michael bryant, shelley carroll