Jack Layton for mayor?

There’s an article on a National Post blog this morning that makes a compelling case for Jack Layton stepping down as the leader of the federal New Democrats and running for mayor of Toronto. It’s a tough but fair opinion piece; author Chris Selley (and not Toronto editor Rob Roberts, to whom I’d originally falsely credited the post) isn’t saying we should all vote for Jack, but he thinks a lot of people would.

“At this point in his career,” Selley says, “it seems to me he has two options: pursue some kind of grand bargain with the Liberals, after which both parties would campaign while acknowledging they’d try to form a coalition government should no party win a majority; or quit, and maybe take a shot at actually running something for a change.” Jack’s decade of experience at City Hall and his former post as president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, coupled with the fact that he’s a household name, would certainly give him a great shot against the other contenders.

Mind you, Selley doesn’t consider Layton to be the ideal candidate; he gives that award to John Tory, and he doesn’t seem to think much of George Smitherman. But he argues that in a race between these two potential candidates, “there would be enormous potential for a left-leaning individual to swoop in and capitalize on a split centre-right vote” – though he cautions that “it portends disaster for the city if it comes to pass.”

It’s an interesting case, and the article is well worth reading. Sure, the comment section is already drawing out the uninformed reactionary dimwits who fly into a fury of Lenin metaphors at the very mention of Layton’s name. But the post itself is pretty great.

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