By David George-Cosh
TORONTO--The era of Rob Ford, the Toronto mayor whose admissions
of crack-cocaine made him an international sensation but divided
Canada's biggest city, ended Monday night with the election of a
lawyer and former corporate executive.
John Tory's victory is likely to usher in significant changes at
city hall, which has been plagued by months of distractions
following the mayor's admission last year that he had smoked crack
cocaine. In a dramatic move and following revelations of police
surveillance, council moved last year to strip Mr. Ford of many of
his administrative powers, but he remained Toronto's top official
and retained high levels of voter support in some pockets of the
city.
"I am humbled and honored by the trust you have gave me
tonight," said Mr. Tory during a victory speech in downtown Toronto
Monday night. "I will be a balanced and accountable leader because
tonight is not a victory for any one person, it's a victory for
Toronto."
Mr. Ford's admissions of drug use and appearance on a U.S.
late-night talk show made him a household name internationally but
brought intense scrutiny of his personal life, especially after
videos of his erratic behavior and drug use emerged.
Mr. Ford, who was elected four years ago on a promise to "stop
the gravy train" and cut costs at city hall, pledged to continue
fighting allegations against him, even as they continued to mount.
He avoided being defeated at the polls, since he withdrew his bid
for re-election as mayor last month after announcing he'd been
diagnosed with cancer, for which he is now being treated. But he
continued to be a significant presence in the campaign as his
brother, Doug Ford, entered the mayoral race to carry out Mr.
Ford's populist, tax-cutting agenda.
"With Mr. Ford out of office, now we can get back to good
governance at city hall without being distracted by the continuous
sideshow that was Rob and Doug Ford," said Greg Burrell, an
accountant at a local nonprofit.
Canada's national broadcaster, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.,
declared Mr. Tory the winner less than half an hour after the polls
closed.
In a sign of the increased focus on municipal politics during
Mr. Ford's tenure, voter turnout was exceptionally high, the
Canadian Broadcasting Corp. said.
Mr. Tory, who campaigned on a platform of improved
accountability at city hall and expanding transit by building new
streetcar tracks on existing provincial rail lines, maintained a
strong lead in the polls during the lengthy municipal campaign.
The new mayor's background includes stints as head of Rogers
Communications Inc.'s cable business and as commissioner of the
Canadian Football League. He ran for mayor in Toronto in 2003 but
finished in second place behind David Miller. Mr. Tory then led
Ontario's provincial Progressive Conservative Party for five years
before working as a radio talk-show host.
With Mr. Tory now at the helm of North America's fourth-largest
city, his focus will likely center on fixing Toronto's widespread
traffic-congestion problems, a main campaign issue championed by
all mayoral candidates, and improving relations with other levels
of government to provide funding for transit and other city
services.
Despite dropping out of the mayoral race, Mr. Ford ran for his
old council seat representing a Toronto suburb. Early results
indicated he had been elected, according to the CTV network.
Mr. Ford also hinted at running for mayor again in 2018 when the
next election is held during a speech in a Toronto suburb late
Monday.
Write to David George-Cosh at david.george-cosh@wsj.com
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