What to expect from John Tory's first 100 days in office

In politics, pundits and analysts like to give elected officials arbitrary milestones.

Sometimes, during an election campaign, politicians will promise change within 100 days; often the media will put out report cards at the end of that period.

So, what can Toronto mayor-elect John Tory accomplish in his first 100 days in office?

On Monday, Tory beat out Doug Ford and Olivia Chow to earn the right to be the 65th mayor of Canada’s largest city.

In his victory speech at a crowded Liberty Grand at Exhibition Park, he foreshadowed some of his first steps.

"Tonight, voters have sent a message that is abundantly clear. Voters want their elected officials to get down to work on the priorities that matter most to them," he said.

"Better transit, more jobs, an end to the gridlock that is choking our streets.

"And the electorate has spoken on one other issue: Torontonians want to see an end to the division that has paralyzed city hall in the last few years."

Tory’s first task will be building his team — a team that can unite City Hall.

According to the Globe and Mail, that task has already begun.

"Over the past few weeks, Mr. Tory’s advisers have been quietly assembling a transition team that brings with it decades of knowledge of the inner workings of the municipal government," the Globe notes.

"Mr. Tory’s team, according to a source on his campaign, will be divided in two: a “working” group that will meet regularly and include his chief of staff, and a broader group meant to reflect the diversity of the city that will meet occasionally.

"The team may also include former rivals such as David Soknacki."

Tory’s next task, which will also begin this week, is to start selling his his big-ticket ideas to his new council colleagues.

At the top of his list — the centrepiece of his campaign — is the SmartTrack program, a planned 53-kilometre, 22 stop surface-level rail project.

Tory estimates that the project will take seven years to complete but, first, he needs to get council on-side.

Meanwhile, expect Tory push forward on some of his less-ambitious traffic and gridlock initiatives in his first 100 days: during his campaign he promised more parking enforcement during rush hours, queue-jumping bus lanes and better construction staging.

Tory to will also extend some effort, early is mandate, to re-establish and solidify the City’s relationship with the provincial and federal governments.

The relationship between the Ford’s and Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne was considered to be strained — so much so, that, according to the Toronto Star, Wynne literally said “Hallelujah” when she was told that Tory won the election.

"Congratulations to John. I’m very pleased for him and I look forward to working with him," Wynne told the Star from China.

"‎He is somebody who’s got good working relationships wi‎th both senior levels of government and that’s extremely important. We need a mayor in Toronto … who can work with the provincial government and the federal government."

Tory will need financial support from both levels of government especially for his transit and social housing plans.

[ Related: What went wrong for Olivia Chow? ]

Tory may not affect as much change in his first 100 days as Rob Ford did during his.

During his first three months in office, Rob Ford accomplished a lot: he reduced councillors’ office budgets, chopped the mayor’s office budget, killed the much-maligned vehicle registration tax, froze property taxes and pushed forward on privatization of garbage collection.

But if Tory can bring some civility to the City Hall and avoid the drama that became commonplace with the previous administration, Torontonians will likely be satisfied.

The new mayor is to be sworn-in on December 2nd.

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