Global News is holding one-on-one interviews with the top seven polling candidates vying to become Toronto’s next mayor on June 26. Candidates were asked to choose an interview location to talk about their policies and campaign promises. Links to each of the interviews can be found below as they are published. Here is more from Brad Bradford in discussion with Global News Anchor Alan Carter.
Brad Bradford wants voters to know he’s a man of action. His mayoral campaign videos show him always on the move, whether fighting congestion from behind the wheel or walking through a park with drink in hand to show his support for adults being able to imbibe in public.
“I will be a strong mayor of action,” Bradford told Global News as he sits down for a conversation in a gastropub on Danforth Avenue near Woodbine Avenue in Toronto’s east end.
This Toronto neighbourhood is home for Bradford and he chose it for our interview because of its diversity and how “it represents some of the best aspects of the city.”
Re-elected to council for a second term in 2022, at age 36 Bradford is both younger and less experienced than many of his main rivals, something he claims is a positive.
“Yes, I’m younger. I’m quite a bit younger than some of them,” he said, adding his experience as a young father makes him uniquely qualified.
“I understand the challenges of young families,” Bradford continued.
Bradford has a growing family of his own, welcoming a second daughter in the midst of a gruelling mayoral campaign. He admits it’s a lot to juggle, but says so far the newest member of the family is nocturnal, allowing him to campaign during the day and help out with the overnight shift at home.
Bradford’s promises include keeping the Ontario Science Centre where it is, allowing for open tendering for city projects and keeping property taxes at or below the rate of inflation.
“We have to get more juice from the squeeze” he says.
When pressed on the meaning of the slogan, Bradford says he’ll usher in a new accountability at city hall for civil servants.
Those just waiting to retire can “take a package and leave” he says.
Bradford’s slogans haven’t always been appreciated, like his lawn signs about affordability that say, “You don’t have to move to Hamilton.”
“Those ruffled a few feathers” Bradford admits. When asked if he chose his words carefully enough with the signs, Bradford rejects the idea they are insulting.
“I was born in Hamilton,” he says. “But if you want to stay in Toronto you should be able to do that.”
From his fast-walking videos to his fast-talking interview answers, Bradford is all about relentless energy, although he stops to reflect when asked if patience is a virtue.
“I’ve thought a lot about this,” he says. “All of the problems in the city require both urgency and patience.”
On June 26th voters will decide if they think Brad Bradford can deliver on both.