Sunday, November 8, 2009 9:48 PM
Well, that was awkward
Adam Radwanski
I won't bore you with all the sausage-making details from the past 48 hours. But suffice it to say the announcement of George Smitherman's mayoral candidacy has not been an especially smooth one.
On one hand, Smitherman tried very carefully to manage certain media outlets that had been sniffing around (ahem), to avoid reports coming out until tomorrow morning's papers. On the other, it appears that his organizers began calling various Liberals this afternoon to invite them to a rally tomorrow morning, which meant the news began to seep out in a most awkward fashion by this evening.
This may have annoyed a few journalists. But it also seems to have annoyed some senior Liberals whose support Smitherman will be courting in the months ahead.
For those people, whether inside or outside government, it's their job to know what's going on. It's one thing if everyone learns about it all at once from a media exclusive (though I suppose some might not be thrilled with that either). But it's another when word starts coming out in dribs and drabs with no coordination of who's finding out first, and insiders who are expected to know these things don't.
"I don't know who is advising George," one Liberal just e-mailed me. "But I'll be happy when I find out so I can punch them in the stomach."
That may be a little harsh. But Smitherman's roll-out suggests he may need to work out a few organizational wrinkles before the mayoral campaign begins in earnest.
