Ari Goldkind, who finished fourth in Toronto’s mayoral election, vowed to remain vocal and in the public’s view.
Surrounded by family, friends and supporters, Goldkind seemed buoyant when arrived at his campaign reception at Andrew Richard’s Designs in downtown Toronto. The criminal lawyer by profession entered the race, he said, to give citizens a viable option in the mayor’s race.
“The people wanted to hear my voice, and I wanted to and still want to speak up for them,” Goldkind said.
Unlike the top three mayoral contenders, Goldkind has no previous political experience. Attracting just short of 4,000 votes, he said that his campaign was not about him but about the people of the city. He said he’d dedicated the focus of his campaign to listening and understanding the problems that Torontonians are facing on a daily basis.
“A lot of people want bold, visionary thinking that is backed up with fiscal truth,” he pointed out in his “Building a City of Yes” platform.
Goldkind said he’d received positive feedback from Torontonians because of what he called his “unfiltered honesty” and the absence of political jargon to distract citizens from asking specifics. Goldkind left the distinct impression he planned to maintain his profile in city politics.
“I am not going anywhere,” he said. “It might not end tonight but it starts tomorrow.”