I hope so!  But to be honest, I don’t think he can afford it!

A recent poll shows that Rob Ford’s approval rating has soared past 70%, but many respondents are quick to point out that his number one campaign promise was to remove the Land Transfer Fax.

He who is popular today could be loathed tomorrow…

“Mayor Rob Ford’s Approval Rating Rises To 70 Per Cent”

By: Patrick White
The Globe And Mail

As Mayor Rob Ford heads into a contentious period of labour strife, spending cuts and possible job losses, a new poll suggests he has political capital to burn.

The survey of 913 Torontonians, conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs for the Toronto Real Estate Board, found that 70 per cent approve of the mayor’s performance and 65 per cent support the way city council is handling tax dollars.

That figure is up from late February, when a Forum Research survey captured a 60 per cent approval rating.

“It’s flattering to see such a high number, but we still have a lot of work to do,” said Adrienne Batra, the Mayor’s press secretary.

The latest sample also forecasts head-winds for a mayoral agenda that involves contracting out garbage workers and trimming expenses. Around 72 per cent of Torontonian feel municipal services provide good value for tax dollars. That regard for city services could trump regard for Mr. Ford should the mayor cut valued programs.

“The Mayor’s popular and all the city’s services are popular too, so at some point when the mayor starts cutting those city services, my guess is he’ll start cutting into his own popularity,” said Councillor Adam Vaughan, a vocal critic of Mr. Ford’s. “It’s not uncommon for the first few months of an administration to be popular. I think [former mayor] Miller was up around 80 per cent at this point … I don’t know how he sustains his popularity when he starts closing libraries, shutting down TTC routes and laying off city workers who provide services people in this city love.”

Facing a budget shortfall of nearly $800-million, the Mayor is striking a precarious balance between campaign conflicting pledges to shrink the city budget and preserve city services.

“We’re going to face some challenging times as we move forward, as we go through our program reviews, as we try to find efficiencies,” said Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong, an ally of the mayor’s who has spearheaded efforts to privatize garbage collection. “The numbers may not hold throughout that process, but we think we’re on the right track now and we hope to earn the support of the public as we go forward.”

The poll also highlighted a campaign promise Mr. Ford has so far failed to make good on: 75 per cent respondents support his pledge to abolish the land transfer tax. The tax yielded around $200-million last year, cash the mayor may not wish to forgo as he grapples with $784-million budget hole.

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God, I hate Adam Vaughan.

I remember when he was on CityTV and he was cool.

During that time, my sister almost ran him over with her car.  He was crossing at that strange intersection – going north on University just past College Street where you go to make a u-turn.  He dodged my sister’s car at the last second, and we all had a good chuckle.

I wonder what would our city would be like now if he wasn’t so quick on his feet that day…

Regardless of whether or not Adam Vaughan approves of Rob Ford, the city has spoken loud and clear: 70% of Torontonians, albeit from a very small survey, approve of our new Mayor, and I am in that majority.

I do have many questions, however, starting with how Rob Ford thinks he’s going to pay for everything that he’s promised, and try to tackle the city’s budget woes at the same time.

Ford has come under criticism lately for “selling off the city” as he moves real estate and other hard assets.

Personally, I think it’s great that the Toronto Community Housing Group has sold off some of their real estate holdings in what is a seller’s market.  After all – did they really think they’d take one of these Beaches or Rosedale mansions and turn the properties into subsidized housing?  Call me a right-winger if you want, but how quickly would Rosedale residents object to bringing the poor into a rich area?

As for selling off other assets like the new Corus building on the waterfront, I’m not sure how I feel.  To be honest, I don’t know enough about it.  There has also been talk of selling off Waterfront Toronto, which could bring in anywhere from a few million to many billions depending on how much of the land Ford wants to move.

Brother, Doug Ford last week said, “We’re $3 Billion in debt in this city, and any project manager is going to look at all assets to see how that can be handled.  Those Waterfront Toronto guys had 11 years and they’ve done practically nothing.  Waterfront Toronto has blown $800 Million tax dollars and no one is accountable.”

Again – I don’t have access to the City of Toronto’s finances, so I can’t really offer an informed opinion on the matter.

But with talk about selling billion-dollar assets and privatizing services and industry, I have no clue how Ford thinks he can find the money to make up for the lost $200 Million in Land Transfer Tax.

If the city is truly in a $3 Billion debt, with more and more piling on as we move through 2011, is now the time to eliminate the Land Transfer Tax?

Don’t get me wrong – I want the tax gone, but that is for more selfish reasons.

I’m a Realtor, and I think the tax is an unnecessary burden on home-buyers.  The new tax has put a huge dent in the ability of flippers to make a profit on small renovation projects or buy-and-hold propositions.

I guess I was of the mindset, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” and adding the Toronto LTT to the Ontario LTT seemed unfair.

But does it actually make financial sense to get rid of the tax today or tomorrow?

When I read about all the assets that Ford plans to sell off, it makes me think that he’s having a fire-sale so he can come through on campaign promises, whether it makes sense for the city or not.

I believe that in many cases, privatization keeps costs lower (and eliminates union BS….garbage strike, anyone?) and ultimately the private sector is far more efficient than the public sector, but I don’t want the entire city of Toronto to be sold off.  Big business might not have a long term vision for the city, and with respect to Toronto’s waterfront – that’s exactly what we’re lacking!

I’m a proud Torontonian and I want to see this city flourish.  I truly think we’re on the path to becoming a world class city, and we’ve never maximized our city’s waterfront potential, nor do we have a world-class transportation system, or enough of a “wow factor” for our city (unless the CN Tower still rings your bell?).  I think privatizing the whole city will ultimately lead to a short-term money grab to those involved, and that includes both those buying and selling.

It it makes the city worse off in the long run – keep the damn land transfer tax tax…

…for now…