In public, John Tory still insists he has “no plans to have plans” to run for mayor of Toronto.
But in private, he’s considering it so seriously that he refused – politely, of course – to back down when candidate Sarah Thomson begged him this month to make up his mind, according to e-mails obtained by The Globe and Mail.
The e-mail exchange is the first evidence directly from Mr. Tory of his potential candidacy, and it reveals how torn he is about emerging from political retirement.
“Your message re: my plans is not lost on me in any respect,” Mr. Tory said in a July 13 e-mail to Ms. Thomson. “I wish I could say, ‘Therefore I will do this or that tomorrow,’ but I can’t.”
On July 9, Ms. Thomson e-mailed the former Ontario Progressive Conservative leader a long letter entreating him to make his intentions known.
The Women’s Postpublisher stands to lose more than any other mayoral hopeful if he enters the race. Mr. Tory’s son, John, is Ms. Thomson’s senior adviser and his son, George, is poised to become her campaign manager.
“I’m finding that although people want to support me financially they are waiting until September to see if you need their donations,” Ms. Thomson wrote.
“I know that you don’t … intend this, but your lack of directness on this issue is indirectly hurting my campaign. If you do step into the race in September both John and George will have to leave my campaign to join you, at a time when I will need them most.”
The e-mails underscore how Mr. Tory’s indecision is wounding the other candidates, all of whom have been stumping tirelessly for months.
While Ms. Thomson is especially vulnerable, Rocco Rossi and George Smitherman also count among their organizers refugees from Mr. Tory’s aborted mayoral bid. They risk losing senior advisers – not to mention voter support – to Mr. Tory if he changes his mind.
Mr. Tory said in his e-mail that he can’t let that influence his choice.
“I have to make decisions about my own future in business or broadcasting or politics based on a variety of considerations including what is best for our family, but unfortunately I can’t do it on the basis of what would be best [in terms of] timing or substance for another candidate,” he wrote.
“I am mindful of the unique situation which exists here for you in particular and I guess being mindful of it is all I can do.”
The e-mails raise questions about how long Mr. Tory has been rethinking his decision last January to bow out.
Since then, he’s been chairing the non-partisan Toronto City Summit Alliance, sitting on the Rogers Communications Inc. board, moderating the occasional mayoral debate and hosting his afternoon show on the Newstalk 1010 radio station.
He’s been on vacation from that gig this week, and in his absence speculation has grown that he will indeed run a second time for the city’s top job. Mr. Tory is scheduled to return to the airwaves next week.
Ms. Thomson devotes much of her note to praising John Tory Jr., the 31-year-old who has been working on her campaign for more than six months. She predicts political greatness for him if he ever stands for public office.
“Going through the challenges together with John – or as we call him ‘The Captain’ – and sharing the ups and downs are memories I will treasure. … I believe he is ready to enter politics, but something is holding him back, he says he doesn’t have the money. I think he worries that you are not ready to step out of the spotlight and your image will overshadow him.”
In the case of Mr. Tory’s other son, George, Ms. Thomson writes that although she’s committed to hiring him, she has received an offer from another “experienced campaign manager.”
“With all this talk of you running,” she writes, “I must know from you [confidentially of course] that you will not completely trample over all our hard work by suddenly changing your mind and announcing your candidacy.”
Mr. Tory confirmed in his e-mail that he gave his sons his blessing before they joined the Thomson campaign, which has grown from a fringe bid to a respectable, if long-shot, run at the mayor’s chain.
“They asked me before signing on with you and I said yes,” he wrote. “They are respectful enough of my various options and even my desire to be seen to be neutral to do [or not do] whatever I wished. I expressly said it was fine with me if they helped you.”
Asked Thursday about his correspondence with Ms. Thomson, Mr. Tory replied: “I can only say this: The e-mails are authentic. I also thought they were very private.”
Ms. Thomson declined comment.
