Tory endorses incumbent Joe Mihevc in robocall sent to voters

John Tory endorses Joe Mihevc for city councillor John Tory’s support for Joe Mihevc appears to be his first endorsement of an incumbent in this campaign.

In a robocall sent to midtown voters in the city’s Toronto-St Paul’s ward, Toronto mayoral candidate John Tory made the second endorsement of his campaign.

In a voice recording obtained by CP24, Tory can be heard telling voters that he endorses incumbent Joe Mihevc as city councillor for Ward 12.

“Joe Mihevc and I don’t agree on everything, but I know he always places his city’s best interests first,” he said in the robocall. “He has worked with me as council’s poverty reduction advocate and I am confident I can work with him in the next term on poverty and any other issues. We want to get things done in city hall, including getting transit built, keeping our neighbourhoods safe, keeping our city affordable - and I know Joe Mihevc wants to get things done too.”

“Now more than ever we need a city council dedicated to working together for Toronto residents and I am confident Joe Mihevc is committed to that as well,” the recording said.

The robocalls started circulating around 2 p.m. on Friday.

Mihevc began his career in local politics as a councillor for the former City of York in 1991 and continued to represent the neighbourhood on Toronto’s council after amalgamation.

“I really have across the political spectrum some great endorsers and I am delighted that mayor Tory is one of them,” Mihevc told CP24. “I’m delighted that he sees me as someone that he can work with. That does not mean, as he says on the tape, that we agree on all the issues. It does mean that there is a way of working together.”

Due to the province’s decision to reduce the number of Toronto’s municipal wards from 44 to 25, Mihevc is now running against incumbent Josh Matlow, who was previously representing the neighbourhood of St. Paul’s as councillor for Ward 22.

Matlow has been city councillor for the area since 2010.

"If there are politicians and other candidates who want to get in bed with that kind of politics, that’s their prerogative," Matlow told CTV News Toronto after news of the robocalls broke. "But, I hope people will see that if we really want to get something done in the city, we’ve got to be honest, we’ve got to do things right, and we’ve got to do it for the right reasons. And that’s what I’m going to do"

Last week, Tory offered his support to Brad Bradford, a candidate in the Beaches-East York council race, in what was his first public endorsement.

“Brad Bradford in my exposure to him is a person who will say ‘Yes I have a job to do in representing Beaches-East York and all the different concerns that those people have’ but at the same time he will know he is there to move forward the best interest of Toronto and that is why I came to support him today,” Tory said at an event inside Jawny Bakers Restaurant.

Tory’s endorsement of Mihevc appears to be the first time the mayoral candidate has offered his support to an incumbent in this campaign.

While speaking with CP24, Mihevc said that he will not be making any endorsements of his own in the mayoral race.

“As it happens, I have many of my residents that support Mayor Tory and many residents support Jennifer Keesmaat as well,” he said. “I’m staying out of that race.”

“I look forward to working with whatever mayor the good citizens of the City of Toronto give me.”

Toronto voters can submit their ballots during advance polling, until 7 p.m. on Sunday. The municipal election is being held on Oct. 22.