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PAGE 4, WEDNESDAY, NOV EMBIER 20, 1985, WHIT Y FREF PR ESS Pulishe'd every edint'suIay whitby - - ~ ~ -b M. 1 Publishing and Iiotography Inc. Phone 608-01il VALERIE COWEN Advertlslng Manager The F re rss t uilGisg Voice of the County Town Michael lan Burgess, Publisher - Managing Editor 1 rk1 . rBox. Whithet Ont. Regîslaonass Ml531 The only Whitby newspaper independently owned and operated by Whitby residents for Whitby residents. Guest editorial by Edward Buffett "A man for the times" The selection of Larry Grossman as the new leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party signals, in dramatic fashion, the dawning of a new era for both the party faithful and the populace who will ultimately determine Mr. Grossman's fate. In choosing Mr. Grossman as its leader, the Party eschewed its past. It did so by choosing its first leader from the Metropolitan Toronto area and an Individual who is of the Jewish faith. The choice of Mr. Grossman as Party Leader OTTAWA - It is only about a year since my wife and I moved to this city from Toronto. We have been back to Toronto in the last few months, but not too often and not for very long. There was a graduation late last Spring, for instance, which took us to Toronto, and a wedding on a recent weekend. We didn't have very much time in Toronto itself, since the wedding was in Oakville, but we were there long enough to begin to appreciate some of the things Torontonians themselves may take for granted. Toronto is quite simply one of the world's great cities. This is not merely a question of size, the city's natural environment, architecture, theatre, music, the arts, restaurants, shops and Toronto's wonderful ethnic and racial mix, although those things are part of it. It has to do with a kind of metropolitan sophistication that is very hard to define, a sophistication that goes beyond chic and charming. All of the world's great cities have it, whatever it is, but Toronto has additional qualities that you don't find in any of them. Toronto is pleasant to be in, for one thing. It's clean. It is also safe to be in, safe to use and live in freely. London and New York are dirty by com- parison, and both are dangerous. Recently, in the Globe and Mail, I read a despon- dent plece by Robert Chessyre of the Observer who has just returned to London after three-and-a-half years in the United States. And I have talked to other recent visitors who share his feelings about the London of 1985. The inner city riots appear only to be the tip on an iceberg of growing brutishness. Mr. Chessyre writes of a group of drunken youths in the London tube, who swore foully when asked to stop smoking, and hurled a beer can at the head of the middle-aged gentleman who had objected. The New York subway is much the same way. The cars are dirty, covered with grafitti, and full of loud youths and the disapproving middle class, hiding behind its newspapers. I was thinking about that recently as I rode the Toronto subway up Yonge Street. The car I was in was clean, neat and quiet. People were talking to each other, even smiling a lit- tie. I'm not saying, there is no unpleasantness in Toronto. Of course there is. You can't put two million people in one place and not have any friction. It's just that confrontation hasn't yet become an unremarkable event, an accepted part of the human landscape. And it occurred to me that Toronto would be a wonderful place for an out-of-towner to spend a weekend. can and should be seen as a statement by Progressive Conservatives that there is indeed a place ln our party for aIl individuals regardless of their race, colour or creed. It is difficult to argue that Mr. Grossman's selection as leader cannot fail but broaden the party's base, particularly in its efforts to appeal to ail Ontarians in what has become a multi-cultural society. A fiesty lawyer, known for his combatative style, organizational abilities and intellect, Mr. Grossman was seen by the majority of delegates as a man for the times. i was pleasantly surprised at the support which Mr. Grossman garnered from delegates representing the Province's northern and rural ridings. In discussions with these in- dividuals it was quite apparent that Mr. Grossman had demonstrated an ability to relate to their con- cerns and that he had made a profound im- pression in their respective ridings, particularly in his role as Cabinet Minister in a number of challenging portfolios while serving under the Honourable William Davis. Although his campaign was fought with tactical errors, Allen Pope emerged from the Convention as a politican with which to be reckoned in the future. in many respects he came to represent the consience of the party, a role which he earned as a result of his commitment to grass root politics. Campaigning strongly on the need for Party unity, Mr. Pope resisted the temptation to assume the role of "kingmaker" and in so doing he enhanced his political credibility and won the respect of many of the delegates who found themselves unable to support his candIdacy at this time in the party's history. Despite the personal growth which he exhibited during the course of his campaign, Dennis Tim- brell failed in his bid for the leadership simply because too many of the delegates saw him as an individual who was ill suited for the role of op- position leader and too similar in style to the Province's former premier, the Honourable William Davis. The time had come for change and Mr. Timbrell simply did not represent the significant change which many of the delegates felt was necessary at this moment in the party's history. It was my sense that the party emerged from the convention united. Certainly those who supported Allen Pope and Dennis Timbrell were deeply disappointed, yet I sensed that very few were bit- ter with the result. The healing process Is under- way; however, the party did not leave the conven- tion seriously divided. Mr. Grossman faces two major challenges in the weeks and months which lie ahead. Throughout his campaign Mr. Grossman commit- ted himself to revitalizIng the party; to opening up the policy making process to those at the grass roots level and to attracting new members. In the months which lie ahead, Mr. Grossman must be seen to be living up to this commitment, not only by party members but also by the public at large. Mr. Grossman's second major challenge lies In the manner In which he determines to attack the Liberal/NDP alliance. It is important that he con- centrate his attack on those areas where the Liberal/NDP coalition is vulnerable, choosing specific issues which represent either gover- nment mismanagement or those which illustrate the philosophical differences which exist bet- ween the Conservatives and the government of the day. As a delegate, I found this process to be a very moving experience. I was particularly impressed by the enthusiasm and sincerity of the youth delegates. That alone gave me a sense of op- timism not only for the future of this party but also for the future of this Province. Whatever one's political leanings, I strongly urge each and every Individual to become involved In the political process. Your views will be heard, your concerns will be acknowledged and you will derive a tremendous sense of having put something back into a society which has given all of us so very much. This was In fact the most poignant message which I carried wlth me from the conven- tion. EDITOR'S NOTE: Mr. Buffett, a Whitby resident, is an actuarial consultant and partner in the down- town Whitby firm Buffett, Taylor and Associate Ltd. He is also the current chairman of the Whitby downtown Improvement Area Board. z---- Now where was I?