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| '''Mel Lastman''' (b. ] in ], ]), the |
'''Mel Lastman''' (b. ] in ], ]), was the mayor of the former city of ] from ] until ]. In 1998, North York amalgamated with the city of ]. Lastman ran for and won the mayoral race for the new city, beating incumbent Toronto mayor ]. Re-elected in November ], he chose to serve his final term. Lastman did not run for the ] municipal election. | ||
| Mel Lastman currently holds the record as the longest-serving mayor of any major city in the world. | |||
| Mel Lastman became wealthy and well-known by owning a discount furniture store (called "Bad Boy," which had television and radio advertisements with the slogan "Who's better than Bad Boy? Nooooooooooooobody!"). Although the company became the largest furniture retailer to ever go bankrupt in Canadian history, he was elected as mayor of the former Borough of ] in ] and successfully kept that position for 25 years. Lastman became the first mayor of the amalgamated City of Toronto on ], ], defeating former (original City of) Toronto Mayor ]. | |||
| Outside of his political career, Lastman ran a discount furniture store, ]. It eventually went bankrupt, but was later resurrected later by his son. | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| Re-elected in November ] with an 80% majority, his closest opponent, civic activist ], drew just a little more than 8% of the vote. | |||
| After his re-election, Lastman faced a number of challenges including: | |||
| *publicization of an extra-marital affair | |||
| *loss of the ] to ], after some controversial and seemingly racist comments by Lastman had offended many African countries | |||
| *a garbage strike in the midst of a visit by ] to ] in ] | |||
| *the worst outbreaks of ] in ] in early ] | |||
| *the ] which brought the city to an utter standstill, requiring evacuation of people from ] ]s, and office buildings. | |||
| ⚫ | Lastman shared Gomberg's three main campaign planks with Gomberg: committing Toronto to 100% ] diversion by ] to replace the controversial ] plan, agreeing with Prime Minister ] to end ] in Toronto, and appointing ], the ethicist and urbanist to head the ] to explore the potential for ]. Jacobs had publicly endorsed Gomberg. | ||
| Some, including his own staff, according to rumour, called him ]. He does have a reputation for promoting "]" projects including putting hundreds of variously decorated plastic moose statues all through the city in imitation of similar art projects involving cows in ] and ]. | |||
| Lastman's outspoken nature was a double-edged sword. His frequent "misunderstandings" with the media caused him to sometimes be painted as a fool while at other times a passionate and sincere proponent of Toronto. Lastman's passion for Toronto cannot be overstated. | |||
| ⚫ | On ], ], ] was elected to replace him as city mayor. Lastman retired from politics, due to his deteriorating health |
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| ⚫ | On ], ], ] was elected to replace him as city mayor. Lastman retired from politics, due to his deteriorating health. | ||
| ==Quotes== | |||
| == External Links == | |||
| *"When have you ever heard the United States take the blame for anything? This is no different." - ''Mel Lastman, questioned on the origins of the ]'' | |||
| *"What the hell do I want to go to a place like ]?... I just see myself in a pot of boiling water with all these natives dancing around me." - ''Mel Lastman, before leaving for Kenya in 2001 to promote Toronto's bid for the 2008 Olympics. I comment spark a flood of criticism. Later on, Lastman explained the comment was caused by irritation from his then secret condition of having Hepatitis.'' | |||
| *"Now all I want to know is what does a controller do?" - ''Mel Lastman, upon winning his seat as Controller of ] in ]'' | |||
| *"You're all a bunch of crybabies – go screw yourselves!" - ''Mel Lastman, during a civic meeting (after which he walked out)'' | |||
| *"Some girl dancing on a table is not bothering anyone – it's the loud music and drunks at these establishments." - ''Mel Lastman, when asked about "burlesque dancing"'' | |||
| *"It would save energy. There are more car accidents at night. Everybody else is out of their heads if they don't go along with this." - ''Mel Lastman, in ] (as Mayor of North York), explaining the reasoning behind his idea to have North York go on ] one month before the rest of the world'' | |||
| *"What's wrong with being a little mouthy? A politician is supposed to be mouthy. If you can’t blow your own horn, who can?" - ''Mel Lastman'' | |||
Revision as of 20:26, 2 July 2004
Mel Lastman (b. 1933 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada), was the mayor of the former city of North York from 1972 until 1998. In 1998, North York amalgamated with the city of Toronto. Lastman ran for and won the mayoral race for the new city, beating incumbent Toronto mayor Barbara Hall. Re-elected in November 2000, he chose to serve his final term. Lastman did not run for the 2003 municipal election.
Mel Lastman currently holds the record as the longest-serving mayor of any major city in the world.
Outside of his political career, Lastman ran a discount furniture store, Bad Boy Furniture. It eventually went bankrupt, but was later resurrected later by his son.
Re-elected in November 2000 with an 80% majority, his closest opponent, civic activist Tooker Gomberg, drew just a little more than 8% of the vote.
Lastman shared Gomberg's three main campaign planks with Gomberg: committing Toronto to 100% recycling diversion by 2010 to replace the controversial Adams Mine Dump plan, agreeing with Prime Minister Jean Chrétien to end homelessness in Toronto, and appointing Jane Jacobs, the ethicist and urbanist to head the Toronto Charter Committee to explore the potential for more autonomy for Toronto. Jacobs had publicly endorsed Gomberg.
Lastman's outspoken nature was a double-edged sword. His frequent "misunderstandings" with the media caused him to sometimes be painted as a fool while at other times a passionate and sincere proponent of Toronto. Lastman's passion for Toronto cannot be overstated.
On November 10, 2003, David Miller was elected to replace him as city mayor. Lastman retired from politics, due to his deteriorating health.