One politician not running for mayor

[attach]1262[/attach]Adam Giambrone?

Yep.

George Smitherman? Check.

Rocco Rossi? Yes.

Shelley Carroll?

No thanks for now.

While there was speculation the Ward 33 councillor would add her name into the running for mayor, after careful thought, Carroll has decided the city’s top political job isn’t for her.

This time around, anyway.

“The timing doesn’t work for me,” said Carroll, who debated her decision on whether or not to run with her staff.

“There was a lot of encouragement,” she said. “A lot of people begging me to run (for mayor).”

Instead, Carroll said the people of her ward still need her.

She’d rather focus on ward-specific and citywide issues, namely Toronto’s budget, given her role as the city’s budget chief, a position she’s held since 2006.

“In terms of the budget file, this (next term) will be a true budget since the recession,” Carroll said.

Locally, Carroll wants to focus on a number of community building initiatives if she’s re-elected come Oct. 25.

The development of Parkway Forest is a strong point.

“It’s part of a process of rebuilding a community,” she said.

She says civic engagement is visible in her North York ward, with members of the community supporting one another as a team.

This was evident in late summer and fall 2005 when Carroll and residents worked together to establish the $4 million City Flood Grant
Program to help areas affected by devastating rainstorms.

While for now her heart is with the residents of Ward 33, Carroll hasn’t ruled out ever running for mayor in the future.

“My duty has to be based on what I can best do for the city,” she said.

What she isn’t so sure of is the 2010 mayoral candidates.

“There is a lot of variation at least,” Carroll said, with a laugh.