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Miller wins mayoral race
From November 10, 2003
Toronto
— David Miller was elected Toronto's next mayor Monday, scoring a decisive victory over his two leading opponents.
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| David Miller |
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Highlights of David Miller's victory speech and John Tory's congratulations (runs 5:41)
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Miller won the race with 299,372 votes, or 43.25 per cent of the popular vote.
John Tory, the former chief executive of Rogers Cable, came in second with 263,184 votes, or 38.02 per cent.
A city councillor since 1994, Miller will become just the second mayor of the "megacity" of Toronto since its creation by the amalgamation of Toronto, Scarborough, East York, North York, York and Etobicoke in 1997.
He will succeed Mel Lastman, the longtime mayor of North York, who did not seek re-election after two terms as mayor of the megacity.
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David Miller's victory speech (runs 21:16)
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Miller was the only one of the race's five frontrunners who opposed expansion of the Toronto Island airport and the construction of a bridge to the island.
The bridge now stands as Miller's first order of business when he takes office. According to some reports, the start of its construction was delayed after being scheduled to begin on election day.
In his victory speech Monday, Miller reiterated his commitment to block the bridge and the expansion of the Island airport.
In its final days, the campaign had shaped up as a race between Tory, the pro-business conservative candidate, and the left-leaning Miller.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of election night was the poor showing by Barbara Hall, who started the race as the frontrunner.
Hall, who served one term as mayor of the pre-amalgamation city of Toronto, finished the race with less than 10 per cent of the popular vote or 63,748 votes.
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| Barbara Hall and John Nunziata |
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Barbara Hall and John Nunziata congratulate David Miller (runs 1:09)
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Former MP John Nunziata came fourth with about five per cent of the vote, while former city councillor and budget chief Tom Jakobek finished in fifth spot with less than one per cent.
The campaign was marked by acrimony, starting with Jakobek's attempt to have criminal charges laid against Hall.
Jakobek alleged that fundraising and polling by a group called Friends of Barbara Hall amounted to illegal campaigning, and he convinced a justice of the peace to lay charges against her for violations of the Municipal Elections Act.
Those charges were later overturned by a judge, and a police investigation ended without further charges being laid.
The campaign was further electrified by allegations from Nunziata, late in the race, that he'd been offered money to drop out.
Although Nunziata would not initially identify the candidate whose workers allegedly made the approach, there was much speculation that someone in the Tory camp had made the offer.
Tory vehemently denied that allegation, promising to drop out of the race if it was proved true.
Near the end of the campaign, Hall accused Miller of cultural insensitivity for distributing flyers that used the slogan "Looks like a mayor" to describe a white, fair-haired male candidate. Miller angrily rejected the charge.
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