Rocco Rossi uses a plastic bag as a prop during a Toronto mayoral debate at a Scarborough Catholic school on March 29, 2010.JENNIFER ROBERTS
I like Rocco Rossi, and think he's a genuine and decent fellow. But his announcement today of supporting recall legislation is bad policy and worse politics.
California is the textbook case of recall legislation gone awry. Every single governor since Ronald Reagan has faced an organized attempt by his opponents to push him from office through recall. These campaigns drain time and resources from fixing government, while forcing them to mute their efforts that might serve as an energizing force to recall proponents.
The result of recall in California (along with other Progressive-era tools like ballot initiative) is gridlock, confusion and the collapse of public institutions we see today.
There are arguments in favour of recall, but the entire concept hangs on where you put the cutoff. If you make the threshold for recall too low, you get chaos. If you set it too high, it's a meaningless and impossible mechanism.
Mr. Rossi hedges on this critical question, merely saying he will have a consultation to set the level after the election. It's a classic attempt to please both wild-eyed populists and responsible government supporters by being vague.
What is more challenging is the politics. Rob Ford has the cranky anti-politician vote locked down. Trying to outbid the Etobicoke councilor on hating City Hall isn't a winning strategy because angry anti-incumbent rhetoric doesn't seem authentic coming from an experienced political insider like Mr. Rossi.
Given a choice between a born-again populist and the real thing, voters are going to stick with the real thing. The better move is to attempt to reframe the election into a decision between a wild-eyed wrecker and an experienced reformer who can change Toronto without breaking it.
An obvious analogy is the 2008 Democratic Primary. When Barack Obama began to surge with a message of "Change," Hillary Clinton shifted her message from "Experience" to "Change." That only confirmed the dynamic Obama was feeding off: the system was broken and we needed the most powerful antidote available.
Instead, Mr. Rossi should be emphasizing his sustainable competitive advantage: experience transforming the Heart and Stroke Association, the Liberal Party of Canada and companies like Labatt's and Torstar. He knows how to fix organizations and isn't tired after years in elected office.
Recall isn't the right fit for Mr. Rossi, and it isn't the right policy for the City of Toronto.
Note: Early on in George Smitherman's campaign for mayor, I took an active volunteer role. While I continue to believe my friend George is the best candidate for mayor, I currently have no formal or informal role with his campaign, due to the competing pressures of undertaking my MBA, working, raising a family, and writing here.