If you were in the Trinity Bellwoods area on Saturday you probably would have heard the sounds of Queen West Music Festival, a local event put on by Ward 19 candidate Sean McCormick.
I met Sean a week or so ago to talk about issues in Ward 19, and why he decided to run for office in this area. If you are a sports fan you’ve probably heard his name as he was a broadcaster for Rogers Sportsnet for 15 years and host of a program called Connected.
While in that career Sean got connected to a bunch of charities including Right to Play, as well as the St. Joseph’s Health Centre, which is the benefactor of the fundraising from Queen Street Music Festival, so giving back to the community is part of Sean’s life in Toronto.
After recently leaving leaving Rogers Sportsnet, Sean told me he was looking for something new to do which would make an impact on his neighbourhood, where he’s lived since moving from Vancouver about 8 years ago. Sean lives on Queen St and has seen the great change that has happened to the area and wanted to keep that change moving in the right direction as well as impact larger issues such as improving the TTC and cleaning up parks in the city.
His background also contains a number of entrepreneurial ventures when he was younger, which seemed to be much of the basis for his platform – which is focused less on environmental and transit issues, and more on ensuring accountability in spending and reducing taxes for homeowners. His discussion on issues revolved a lot on making sure money is spent correctly in the city so that local homeowners can have their taxes reduced. His approach to most issues is very practical and business oriented, and the lack of his connection to the more political approach to issues may prove a great advantage in getting things done, but also will be a challenge.
Like the other candidates in the race, Sean is obviously well connected. The Queen West Music festival, which he organized, had a number of high profile sponsors including Rogers, TD and Molson, and it takes some influence to get them involved in a local music show. It shows a determination to make things happen and change the community, which the music festival does.
The Ward 19 race involves a lot of young candidates, and some names we know. Sean is a welcome addition and is going to provide more visibility to the issues of the neighbourhood. Let us know what you think of how the Ward’s election is shaping up.
Sean McCormick is supposed to be the all-business fiscal conservative, but judging by his FB updates or his twitter feed (http://twitter.com/Sean_McCormick), all the guy seems to care about is mixed martial arts, baseball and arena rock.
Business from the front, but party in the back … this Dude is the mullet of politics.
Nothing wrong with a diverse set of candidates.
I think it’s great that Sean is running, finally someone who’s not a career-politician, or the son of one. Someone who resides in the community and cares about how our taxes are being spent at City Hall. As the article states, Sean’s a welcome addition to the Ward 19 race and would be a strong representative.
What’s wrong with baseball and arena rock? You’re talking about at least half the males in this City. Sean stopped by my door the other day and I think he has a plan to get Toronto and Ward 19 specifically back on track. Fiscal responsibility is a key issue in this election and Sean is the candidate that is going to protect my hard earned tax dollars. It’s time for some fresh faces and progressive leadership at City Hall. The Queen West musicfest was a blast, hope it’s back again next year!!
I like baseball and arena rock too, but I want my councillor to demonstrate some actual experience and knowledge, and a little awareness of the issues facing people other than 14-year-old boys.
I also like fiscal conservatism. I just don’t like “free lunch” conservatives who talk about “tough choices” without ever explaining what spending they intend to cut. Sean reminds me of a (much) better-looking Rob Ford, who apparently thinks you can build a world-class subway system by clipping a few thousand bucks from councillors’ office budgets. Anyone who thinks you can tame Toronto’s finances without some pain is deluding themselves.
We need conservatives who know what they are talking about, and not sportscasters whose knowledge of City Hall is based on arguments with his TV. You can’t run a city on confidence and hair gel.
Jeffery, don’t you think you are being a bit harsh? From looking at the other candidates running in Ward 19, if you are concerned about spending than Sean is the best candidate to represent that philosophy at City Hall. He’s got a track record of community involvement. He has some ideas to tackle the tough issues facing the City and comparing him to Rob Ford is just plain unfair. He even quit his job so he could dig his heals in at a run for council isn’t that saying something?
Lots of great comments here all. Let’s keep it all civil, which I know you’re doing. I’m not a fan of having to censor posts. Certainly makes it a more fun race than having Joe Pants in the area.
Aaron, Sean quit his job because he was forced to. It is against CRTC rules for an on-air personality to remain on the air as a candidate. It’s a pretty well-known and important rule (as John Tory knows very well), and yet when Bob McCown asked him about this on PTS, it was clear Sean had NO CLUE. He told McCown he planned to campaign while still being an anchor, and actually remained on-air for a MONTH as a registered candidate until Nelson Millman presumably told him to choose between being an anchor and running for council. I mean, he recklessly put his job and Sportsnet at risk and didn’t even know! And he thinks he can manage my tax money? No thanks.
He does seem like a nice guy, and I’m sure his heart is in the right place. He is obviously not a Rob Ford-like asshole, and sorry about the hair gel crack. But like Rob Ford, he is heavy on talk-show rhetoric and low on facts or real solutions, and I am seriously tired of this sort of thing.