Shannon Higgins
Editor-In-Chief
Rob Fob doesn’t want your measly little vote.
Nope, not yours. Certainly not mine. And not anyone under 25 with a mildly left-of-centre political persuasion, a normal to above average level of literacy and a love for the gays.
When the Eyeopener masthead sat down to talk about our election coverage, we decided it was important not to jump on the ‘anyone but Ford’ bandwagon. Sure, he’s not the most eloquent guy and his ideas are simplistic at best, but we wanted to give the man a chance to prove us wrong.
He didn’t. Instead, Team Ford ducked interview requests for two weeks while every other major candidate was happy to chat without arm twisting.
Finally, two hours from deadline, I received a call from Ford. To his credit, the man is sharply consistent with his message track: he will, “stop the gravy train” and “return your phone calls.”
He also mentioned speaking with President Sheldon Levy about the possibility of a Ryerson football team. “I’ll have to look to find property for that.”
But as sincere as he sounded on the phone, there was nothing new I hadn’t heard on televised debates or in the papers. Nothing specific about young people. People who don’t pay property taxes and who don’t care about city hall.
Now, I’m not going to get on a soapbox and tell you who to vote for. But I will help you vote based on the candidate’s platforms and track records. The Eyeopener is a student paper. So, what is Ford’s stance on student issues?
The polarizing city councillor is an opponent of overspending at city hall, bike lanes and street cars. He wants to outsource garbage disposal and slash council from 44 to 22 seats. He is car-friendly and his campaign is based on being super accessible to suburbanites. And some Rye students will vote for him.
Most Ryerson students like yourself are struggling to survive under piles of midterms and essays. You probably don’t know who the candidates are or what their platforms stand for. You don’t know if you can vote if you live in residence or if you just moved and have no proper I.D. And you probably don’t give two shits. Odds are, you won’t be voting, anyway.
Or, you could prove us wrong. You could come out in droves and vote like there’s no tomorrow.
And why not? Voting is a fun way to say fuck you without having to open your mouth. Just drag your butt to the polling station on Oct. 25, put an X next to the person you deem least slimy and read Sam Edwards’ story on page 8 for a quick and dirty lesson on your options.
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