Former city budget chief David Soknacki officially enters the 2014 mayoral race
After last week’s initial flood of candidate registrations, today is the day the 2014 mayoral campaign truly begins. That’s because Rob Ford’s first credible rival, former councillor and city budget chief David Soknacki, just officially put his name on the ballot. The operative word here is “credible.” We’re sure the other people who have entered the mayoral race all have some really good ideas, but none of them have the type of experience in business and politics that successful mayoral candidates almost always need.
According to the Globe‘s Ann Hui, who was there at city hall when Soknacki filed his nomination papers, he pledged to release the names of all his campaign donors to the public in real time. That’s a remarkable commitment, because candidates aren’t legally required to file their financial statements until after an election is over. He also pledged to disclose meetings with lobbyists—another thing candidates aren’t generally required to do. Also, in a direct challenge to Rob Ford, Soknacki promised to make his daily itinerary public if he’s elected—something Ford has never done. He even managed to pick up what is probably his first endorsement: a nod from councillor Paul Ainslie, a disenchanted former Ford ally.
Soknacki doesn’t have the name recognition of Olivia Chow or Karen Stintz (neither of whom have officially entered the race yet), but, with the election still almost 10 months away, he’s off to a promising start.
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/city/former-city-budget-chief-david-soknacki-officially-enters-2014-mayoral-race/&title=Former city budget chief David Soknacki officially enters the 2014 mayoral race&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/david-soknacki-624x395.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_253556" align="alignnone" width="656"] (Image: Soknacki.com)[/caption]
After last week’s initial flood of candidate registrations, today is the day the 2014 mayoral campaign truly begins. That’s because Rob Ford’s first credible rival, former councillor and city budget chief David Soknacki, just officially put his name on the ballot. The operative word here is "credible." We're sure the other people who have entered the mayoral race all have some really good ideas, but none of them have the type of experience in business and politics that successful mayoral candidates almost always need.
According to the Globe's Ann Hui, who was there at city hall when Soknacki filed his nomination papers, he pledged to release the names of all his campaign donors to the public in real time. That’s a remarkable commitment, because candidates aren’t legally required to file their financial statements until after an election is over. He also pledged to disclose meetings with lobbyists—another thing candidates aren’t generally required to do. Also, in a direct challenge to Rob Ford, Soknacki promised to make his daily itinerary public if he’s elected—something Ford has never done. He even managed to pick up what is probably his first endorsement: a nod from councillor Paul Ainslie, a disenchanted former Ford ally.
Soknacki doesn’t have the name recognition of Olivia Chow or Karen Stintz (neither of whom have officially entered the race yet), but, with the election still almost 10 months away, he’s off to a promising start.){kind=link}