Relief palpable as John Tory wins Toronto mayoralty - blogTO (blog)
The Ford years didn't end with any of the spectacle we had come to expect from the city's most controversial elected representatives, but rather with confirmation of what we thought would happen since the summer: a John Tory victory. The mayor-elect consistently led in the polls since the end of July, but the final result was closer than expected. For a few nervous minutes it appeared Doug Ford was within striking distance of snatching a win. Most of Tory's 40 percent (less than the amount Rob Ford netted in 2010) came from from downtown, midtown and North York. As expected, Ford placed strongly in north Etobicoke and Scarborough while Chow won in just a handful of ridings: Parkdale, Davenport, and Trinity-Spadina area. Perhaps Rob Ford's gift to the city was record turnout: 980,000 of eligible voters cast a ballot, more than 10 percent higher than in 2010 and a record since amalgamation. The outgoing leader, who pulled out of the mayoral race from a Mount Sinai Hospital bed and was largely absent from the campaign trail, comfortably won the Ward 2 council seat, beating out Andray Domise. John Tory's victory party at the Liberty Grand started quietly. Ne-Yo and chants of "Tory, Tory, Tory. Source: www.blogto.com
