Women's Post publisher throws hat into ring to become mayor of Toronto

The CEO and publisher of the Women's Post magazine has announced what can only be called a wild card candidacy to become mayor of Toronto. Sarah Thomson announced Tuesday that she is quitting to jump into the race to succeed current Mayor David Miller, who is not seeking a third term.

Thomson has virtually no elected political experience, save having run unsuccessfully for a council seat in Hamilton at one point. 

In her press conference, reported by CBC.ca, she had pointed criticism of the current state of the city:

"We can watch as the spirit of innovation gets stifled by our politicians. We can watch businesses relocate to other cities, taking our jobs with them. We can watch the slow construction of light rail lines hurt our local businesses and waste millions of our tax dollars. Or we can unlock a different future — a future of opportunity," she said.

Thomson will be up against former deputy premier George Smitherman, deputy mayor Joe Pantalone, former Liberal party director Rocco Rossi and councillor Giorgio Mammoliti, with TTC chair Adam Giambrone is widely expected to enter the race on Feb. 1.

The website Torontoist reports that Thomson has been a successful business person:

A self-made business woman with her own "bootstraps" story, Thomson struck out on her own at fifteen, staying afloat by couch surfing and occasionally sleeping outside. After working as a gas station attendant she franchised a station at seventeen, was operating four stations by the time she was twenty-four, and started a home renovation business on the side. Meanwhile, she completed a philosophy B.A. at McMaster as a part-time student. Years later, Thomson ran for city council in Hamilton, narrowly losing to the incumbent. She also founded the Hamilton Examiner, later selling it to start Women’s Post, the women’s business magazine that she has been publishing for the past eight years.

But Torontoist also noted acidly that a post on her blog  "How to Run for Mayor of Toronto" made her campaign sound more like a school project.

Globe and Mail municipal affairs columnist Marcus Gee said quizically of Thomson:

It's easy to see why she's a hit in the business world. In person, she is peppy, direct and brimming with confidence. She says her experience of making a payroll would help her fix Toronto's budget mess. Business owners "understand what it means to be fiscally responsible." She says her 20 plus years of managing people would help her get the city's feuding councillors working together. Under Mayor David Miller, "They haven't had a strong leader who can unite them in a solid strategy." That leader, she says, is her.

If all you need to be mayor is enthusiasm and a business résumé, Sarah Thomson is a shoo-in.