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King of Kensington

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Howard Moscoe, Toronto city council’s wiliest veteran, has decided not to run in the Oct. 25 election.

The 70-year-old North York warhorse is bidding farewell to municipal politics after a 31-year career that included a stint as chairman of the Toronto Transit Commission and decades of battling right-leaning mayor Mel Lastman in North York and the megacity.

“I have some interesting offers. It’s time to move on,†Mr. Moscoe said Tuesday from a hotel on Frobisher Bay, where he is attending a meeting of the Canadian Federation of Municipalities.

Mr. Moscoe declined to say what jobs he’s been offered. His exit means the race for Ward 15, Eglinton-Lawrence, is about to heat up. Mr. Moscoe is endorsing Josh Colle, the son of Liberal MPP Mike Colle, to replace him.

Mr. Moscoe has already endorsed another long-time council ally, Joe Pantalone, for mayor.

Mr. Moscoe said he felt comfortable leaving after achieving some milestones for his ward, including council support for a sweeping makeover of the Lawrence Heights housing project and a museum celebrating the “Ward,†a downtown neighbourhood that welcomed successive generations of immigrants.
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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...oward-moscoe-wont-defend-seat/article1691866/
 
I'm kind of sad to read this in a way. Yes, he's bombastic, yes, he can be a jerk. But he's also a teddy bear. He was a bad TTC Chair (Pizzazz anyone? David Gunn), but when he took over Municipal Licensing and Standards, he did a good job. His heart was most often the right place, and he's as clean as municipal councillors get.

My favourite story about Moscoe is how he won Mel Lastman's toupee in a charity silent auction and proceeded to bring it to North York council meeting to taunt Mel.
 
yep, a dedicated public servant that loved the city of Toronto, always entertaining. I agree, kind of sad to see such an old character retire...
 
The old gas bag should have packed it in 32 years ago
 
Some of you guys are really out of touch eh?!

Moscoe is the reason we still have such antiquated laws of having our cabs all adhere to a standard size and dimension (mostly fits crown victoria's, a few large Camrys - you don't think he's on the take from the Cabbie institutions?)

And quite frankly, it's very ironic that the Dalton sticker could just be one of the factors that HUDAK might get a few seats lol..
 
Some kind words for Moscoe from right-leaning Globe columnist Marcus Gee.

But there was design to Mr. Moscoe’s devilry. He knew that to get things done in the free-form, party-less city hall system, you had to focus attention on an issue, even if it meant playing the fool. In that respect, he admits, he was a lot like his old foe Mr. Lastman.

His mastery of the workings of council gave him an edge over less attentive councillors. Unlike many of them (hello, Rob Ford), he actually read the reams of reports that go before council every session. So he came to meetings well prepared, armed with slyly fashioned motions that often caught others unaware. “If you’re not careful, he messes you up,†says fellow councillor Adam Vaughan. “You have to read his motions, twice. He was the most devious and clever and imaginative councillor.â€

This combination of directed goofiness and administrative guile allowed him to score a fair number of little victories. Thanks in part to him, the city prohibits landlords from charging for visitor parking (so you can visit your grandma without having to pay). He helped push through a rule requiring large stores to provide public washrooms. He backed a plan that requires condo developers to provide free one-year transit passes for every unit.

A professed champion of the little guy, he pushed for the rights of struggling street vendors and taxi drivers. Recently, he was an important figure in the city’s decision to launch a massive makeover of the rundown Lawrence Heights housing project in North York. City council gave him a rare standing ovation when the plan passed.

Mr. Moscoe often visited the press gallery, full of beans and grinning broadly, to boast of his latest crusade. Some of those were quixotic to say the least. Angered when U.S. stores refused to take his Canadian small change, he tried to get the city to take revenge by forcing Toronto retailers to reject American coins. He could be a pain in the neck when he wanted to be. As chair of the Toronto Transit Commission from 1998 to 2006, he often meddled in things that were best left to TTC officials, and two general managers left amid reports about his interference.

Mr. Vaughan says Mr. Moscoe “had the ability to drive those in power crazy.†In fact, “if he was on your side he could drive you crazy too.†His style could “inspire and confound you all at the same time.â€

Even many of those who opposed him admit they will miss his zest, humour and hard work. Mr. Moscoe says being a city councillor was “the most exciting job in the world.†Far from being dysfunctional, he says, city council is “actually the most functional form of government†– an interesting argument in these days of rampant anger at city hall. Without the bonds of party discipline and ceaseless partisan wrangling of federal or provincial politics, he contends, an engaged and creative councillor can make a difference.

Mr. Moscoe did.
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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...Mail-Front+(The+Globe+and+Mail+-+Latest+News)
 
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