Their main mission is "Operation Save Fantino," but a number of right-leaning councillors made it clear yesterday that their chief target is Mayor David Miller.

"What level of involvement has he had in this?" asked Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti (Ward 7, York West) sitting in the mayor's elevated seat inside council chambers yesterday. "We have reason to believe there were other discussions that have taken place. If there was a level of influence given by the mayor, he has broken a tonne of rules."

Crowding the platform beside him were councillors leading a petition against the police services board's decision to not extend police Chief Julian Fantino's contract, including Mike Del Grande, Mark Grimes, Norm Kelly, Peter Li Preti, Denzil Minnan-Wong, Frances Nunziata and Cesar Palacio. (Another member, Bill Saundercook, was not in attendance.)

Their plan is to make this the central issue during the three-day council session next week, first by leading a rowdy rally of Fantino supporters into council chambers and then by presenting a flurry of motions for council to pressure the board into rescinding its decision.

"We have grave concerns, especially with a city council and a mayor who acknowledges we listen to Toronto. We are doing just that," said Del Grande (Ward 39, Scarborough-Agincourt), who, like the other councillors, was wearing a dark blue baseball cap emblazoned with "Fantino" in gold letters.

While signatures on their petition mount outside City Hall — they have about 15,000 — inside the building the councillors have been cementing their cause. They have launched a Web site, organized news conferences, and recruited colleagues to their cause. Since the "Keep the Chief" petition was launched last week, the number of councillors endorsing it has ballooned from three to 10. (That includes Councillor Rob Ford, who supports the petition but wouldn't pay the $500 each member was asked to contribute for production of the Web site).

Others not part of the campaign, such as Councillor David Soknacki (Ward 43, Scarborough East), say they support its thrust: that council should ask the police board to reconsider its decision until September, when at least two new members are due to take their seats. (Fantino is on vacation and unavailable for comment.)

"The board has had difficulties. It's been described as dysfunctional by its own chair," said Councillor Doug Holyday (Ward 3, Etobicoke Centre), who is not part of the campaign but has filed a written notice of motion that council ask the board "to rescind their decision and defer the matter until such time as a new board is appointed."

Is this a sign that the right wing is finally organizing into a real opposition, able to push through its own motions?

"It's no secret that the left does dominate council," said Ford (Ward 2, Etobicoke North). "On a regular day, we might get 15 votes," he said. (Council is comprised of 44 councillors plus the mayor.)

"On a good day, we can get the mushy middle with up to 20 votes. This might be a lot closer."

Since last November's election, a number of controversial issues has sparked fiery debate on the council floor. But when it came down to voting, the majority of councillors sided with Miller and what Ford terms his "NDP caucus."

The debate on Fantino's fate will be no different, predicted Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone (Ward 19, Trinity-Spadina).

"It has no ultimate destiny other than to collapse. I think there will be a lot of sound and fury, signifying maybe not nothing, but not much," he said, paraphrasing Shakespeare's Macbeth.

"There's no debate that a lot of the (petition) organizers clearly have a political agenda," Pantalone said. "These are people who didn't support Miller for mayor and, surprise surprise, they are targeting him. ... The facts speak for themselves. The mayor is not on the police services board. The mayor was not there. The mayor doesn't have a vote."

Three city councillors sit on the seven-member civilian oversight board which, among other things, oversees the Toronto police chief's contract. But since former board chair Norm Gardner was suspended for accepting ammunition from a police training facility, the board has been short-staffed and deadlocked.

When the news broke at last month's council session, many right-wing councillors accused Miller of influencing how his left-wing supporters on the board had voted.

Yesterday, Mammoliti insinuated that Miller has had his "dirty work" done for him before he takes his seat on the police services board next year. (The mayor's office had no comment.)

Councillor Pam McConnell (Ward 28, Toronto Centre-Rosedale), who is the board's vice-chair, said the petition won't affect the board's decision. But the right-wing councillors disagree. If council could reverse its support on building a bridge to the Toronto island airport and call for the federal government to scrap the plan, it could do the same here, they believe.

"Any decision this council makes, or the police services board makes, can be altered," said Li Preti (Ward 8, York West). "Where there's a will, there's a way."