David Soknacki does the impossible, by turning the police budget into an election issue

D-Soks is still behind in the polls, but he has just made a valuable—maybe even a very valuable—contribution to the 2014 mayoral campaign: just by opening his mouth, he has turned Toronto’s $1-billion police budget into an election talking point. In a press release issued on Wednesday, Soknacki promises to rein in that budget by at least $65 million per year. For city hall watchers, this is an issue that has long been a source of concern (this handy chart illustrates just how much property-tax revenue TPS gobbles up), but politicians are understandably reluctant to criticize cops, who have a powerful union and a role to play in maintaining order. Even so, this, and not the Ford approach, is how a mayor could save taxpayers real money. If getting other candidates to answer questions about police spending is the only thing Soknacki accomplishes, his whole campaign will have been worthwhile.