Friday July 9, 2004: THE TORONTO SUN EDITORIAL

Our city, our chief, our say

We're amused by the increasingly frantic insistence coming from the left wing of city council and the police services board that the ouster of Toronto Police Chief Julian Fantino is a done deal.

You know, this constant refrain from the likes of Coun. Pam McConnell, one of three board members who voted against rehiring the chief, that there's no point in the public complaining because it's all over, the decision has been made, etc.

Well, excuse us, but no. Need we remind McConnell and her allies, and for that matter Toronto Mayor David Miller, who all keep insisting that the decision is a fait accompli, that they work for us and not the other way around?

That the people of Toronto have every right to petition for Fantino to have his contract renewed, not only with city councillors and police board members, but with MPPs, since the city appoints four members to the police services board and Queen's Park the other three.

They can do this by backing the four city councillors now campaigning on Fantino's behalf -- Giorgio Mammoliti, Mike Del Grande, Mark Grimes and Frances Nunziata -- and submitting their expressions of support for the chief to their Web site, keepthechief.ca.

They can also relay their thoughts through David Artemiw's efforts, a private citizen who has created his own Web site at keepchieffantino.com.

They can phone, write and e-mail the mayor, the police services board and any city councillor or MPP they choose.

The fact is that who will be the next police chief is definitely in political play right now, both in the corridors of power at City Hall and at Queen's Park. It might be Fantino, which would suit us just fine, or it might not.

But regardless of who is the next chief, what's disturbing is how backroom political machinations are playing an increasing role in the chief's selection. Toronto's last three chiefs haven't lasted beyond five or six years and what we're really seeing over the long haul is the politicization of our police force, which is primarily an American phenomenon that we need to put a stop to here.

Our next chief, whoever he or she is, must be focused on fighting and reducing crime, not on sucking up to the latest political regimes at City Hall and Queen's Park, whichever way the political winds happen to be blowing.

The real answer may be direct, city-wide elections to the police board and the end of the present system of indirect appointments, which insulates board members from the judgment of the very citizens they claim to represent.

And another thing ...

Wanted: Top-notch lawyers to defend the city of Toronto in a $500 million lawsuit launched over its decision to kill the Island Airport Bridge. Salary: A toonie. Please send resumes to Mayor David Miller, City Hall, Toronto