The Doug and Ari Goldkind

“As much as Mr. Tory and I disagree on almost every policy, I appreciate what he’s done and his support for the democratic process,” Mr. Goldkind said. “If Doug is going to act this way unelected, how unfortunate the affairs of this city will look if he is elected.”

 

Doug Ford has said he is prepared to debate John Tory any where, any time.  That's all fine, except for the fact that Ford doesn't debate - he takes potshots and pushes out platitudes.  Ford shows no in-depth understanding of the issues, nor interest in them beyond how they feed into his soundbites.

 

Ford's interest isn't discussing issues and presenting visions - it's in tearing people down.  He's a bully.  Like most people, I'm not over fond of bullies.

 

It's fitting, then, that Doug has found his foil in Ari Goldkind.  Ari, a defense lawyer (and Jewish, too, so you'd think Doug would be friendly with him), is used to standing up against bullies on behalf of those less well-off.  He's got a powerful personal story of why he's running for mayor, too.

 

Ari is an ideal voice to hear from at a debate that focuses on the issues faced specifically by Neighbourhood Improvement Areas - he's studied these issues and debated these issues and brings important ideas to light around them.

 

At a recent Why Should I Care?, for instance, he dug beneath the headlines around police carding and explained why it's not just the practice, but the whole database of information already collected needs to go.

 

Given his chosen narrative as being the guy to protect "common folks" from City Hall, you'd think Ford would relish the opportunity to wade in to all the issues and depth Ari will bring to the Inner City Union debate.

 

Which leaves the question - why did he back out?

 

Doug Ford doesn't care about the issues or the substance of the debate.  What he cares about is taking down rivals to win - and not being taken down himself.

 

Ford is afraid of having his integrity torn to shreds by Ari in front of a supposedly friendly audience.  Ford is afraid of the headlines another encounter with Ari could produce, yes, but he's got to be terrified of having his brand as "fighter for the little guy" exposed for the lie it is.

 

Rather than engage with an opponent over issues that matter in front of an audience he needs to win, Ford has run away.

 

Yes, Ford continues to take his pot-shots at Tory and is trying to bait-and-switch the story from being about his weaknesses, but it all comes across as so much posturing in light of how desperate he is to avoid another confrontation with Ari Goldkind.

 

Tory knows full well that he's going to be square in Goldkind's sights in debates where Ford is absent - but supports his participation in the Inner City Union debate on principle.  The narrative here is clear; John Tory has the back of the underdog whereas Doug Ford does not.

 

Bullies rely on the appearance of being undefeatable to succeed.  Doug Ford has been publicly bested by Ari Goldkind and is now clearly running away from him.

 

We're not going to end up with Doug Ford as mayor, folks - and for that, you can thank Ari Goldkind.

Ari's Why

"Something wrong with your eye, Craig?" Ari Goldkind asked me at the recent campaign office opening for Ward 20 candidate Terri Chu. 

 

I told him he had a good eye, that I'd been putting in a few too many hours at computer screens of late and was suffering some eye strain as a result.

 

Not realizing that the man I was talking to only had one eye.

 

"I tend to notice details," Ari replied.  Which is true.

 

I've gotten to know Ari a bit over the past couple of months, primarily through Why Should I Care, where he has twice been a speaker (once on the issue of police carding, the other in our Mayoralty debate).  He's a thoughtful, informed guy who - true to his message - cuts right through the crap.

 

Ari is a great communicator - he's got a folksy style of engaging, but what he engages with and over is more about substance than platitudes.

 

One thing Ari isn't great at (and has so observed himself) is the political verbal trickery that helps politicians avoid landmines.  Ari doesn't bridge, he doesn't bait and switch - he doesn't even pontificate which, seeing how he's a defense attorney, is pretty special.

 

Ari doesn't do pretense. 

 

So when he says things like "I realize that, as a driver, I'm more a cause of gridlock than the people on public transit" you know he's not feeding a line; it's true, and he believes it.

 

When he says "I've been lucky in life, I have money, I am totally comfortable with paying a bit more to help others reach the same quality of life", he means it. 

 

I understood all this about him before today - but what I didn't know, what I hadn't heard clearly articulated was his why. 

 

Every person standing for political office needs to have a "why" - a reason why they have chosen to run for office.  Fighting the status quo doesn't cut it - you can do that from the outside more effectively than the inside.  In my experience, most politicians who start with "fighting against" are primarily interested in replacing the incumbent, not changing the status quo.

 

Though Ari has used similar messaging, I could tell that wasn't his core motivation; if it was, he'd have spent more time working on finessing his political presence, on hobnobbing with those who could fund or otherwise support his campaign and would have been more aggressive in his recruitment strategy.

 

So what's his motivation?  Why does he want to be mayor of Toronto?

 

I wonder no longer.

 

“So many people who are so lucky in so many ways don’t understand how quick your luck can change and I think about that every single day,” he says. “When I see people who haven’t been as lucky as me through no fault of their own, it makes me want to go to them, not go away from them.”

 

Ari is a self-made man whose journey has nevertheless been a rough one.  His family has been rocked by mental illness, as so many families have.  I can't say I know many people who've been shot in the face by a camp councilor, though. 

 

Kids are supposed to have the comfort of looking up to parents and persons in position of authority and knowing they are in good hands, safe hands. 

 

Ari learned early and learned hard that such is not always the case.  It's clear he's thought about this a bit and gets the contextual nature of personal misfortune.

 

With true grit, hard work and a fire in his belly, Ari's life has evolved in to a purpose, as is the case with all the best leaders out there.

 

Why is Ari running to be mayor of Toronto?  It's pretty clear to me now - he knows what hardship is like and knows how to come out of it on the other end.  He recognizes that he's pretty lucky to have had that revelation - and now, he feels a responsibility to empower others so that they, too, can move forward.

 

Ari Goldkind has always been one to notice details and look out for others.  He doesn't draw attention to his own challenges, nor do they jump out at the people he engages with - even people like me, who tend to be pretty detail-oriented.  It's never about him with Ari - it's always about his purpose, and that shows.

 

I'm glad to see that he's starting to turn eyes in this mayoralty race.  Whatever happens on the 28th, his purpose won't change, nor will his commitment.

 

That's leadership.

Ari Hits Home

“I would start on the issue of anti-Semitism by not having a mayor who refers to us — the Jewish people in this room — with a derogatory name that starts with ‘k,’” he said. “We cannot have a mayor like that because that is where it starts.”

 

Ari makes a damned good point here. 

 

Bigotry is something that exists in every society, seething just beneath the surface.  It's particularly prominent in places where a population or subset of the population feels like they're getting the short end of the stick.  Bigotry is always looking for validation by people of position, which enables it to push the envelope that much further.

 

There's a lot of anger out there right now, bitterness at the economy fueled by hyper-partisan populist nonsense at all levels.  And as we all know, Jews are history's favourite scapegoats.  At this particular juncture in history, our leaders don't get the luxury of "being human," if that means setting the wrong example for others to follow - which Rob Ford has unquestionably done.

 

The Fords don't see themselves as bigots, of course - from their point of view, they call a spade a spade.  Black youth are in need of a white saviour, but make for good slumin' buddies; gay people are a menace to society; anyone who believes in social responsibility is clearly a weak-minded fool.

 

That their supporters feel empowered to use the Ford Nation brand when sending in hate-mail to elected officials is deeply disturbing.  For elected officials to brush off or bait-and-switch on such issues of hate committed in their name is truly alarming.

 

While more polished candidates have been hesitant to poke the Ford Nation bear for fear of reprisal, Ari has the guts to call out bigotry for what it is.

 

Good on him.  Now's not the time for good folk to do nothing.  It's the time for them to speak out against bigotry with a strong voice.

 

As tension mounts globally and locally, we're going to need leaders like Ari unafraid to speak truth to power, even when personal risk is involved.

 

Ari's not the kind of guy to pick a fight - but he's certainly showing the willingness to end one.

 

I'm glad he's increasingly being included in the debates - his is a voice we need to be hearing more often.