Mayors past and present are calling on their friends to pay back the debt of former candidate David Soknacki — by drinking (and, okay, there is dinner involved).

In April, Tory will host a cocktail reception for his former rival at the posh University Club downtown.

“It is never easy to put your name forward to seek public office,” reads the invitation, signed by former mayor (two mayors ago) David Miller. “I think that we can all agree that David ran an excellent campaign of ideas, and over the past years as a councillor and budget chief has contributed significantly to the betterment of the city.”

The invitation goes on to say “democracy is expensive” and notes Soknacki has “significant debt.”

Mayors of the past Mel Lastman, Barbara Hall and David Crombie are all expected to help out, along with top three mayoral candidate Olivia Chow, who has recently taken up a teaching position at Ryerson University. Current councillors Maria Augimeri, Paul Ainslie, Joe Cressy, Josh Matlow, Kristyn Wong-Tam and Michael Thompson are also listed as attending.

Soknacki, who owns and runs a spice extract company in his home Scarborough and dropped out of the race when in fourth place behind Tory, Chow and Doug Ford, told the Star’s David Rider during the campaign that the personal debt to run was in the six figure range.

Election rules dictate that the most anyone can give to any candidate is $2,500, with mayoral candidates having a $1.3 million spending cap.

In the past, the successful candidate has topped that ceiling, with Tory’s early tally of donations totaling $2.48 million, second-place finisher Ford securing just $300,000 after a late-game switch with his brother Rob, and Chow raising $1.75 million.

Tory, who once donated to Doug Ford’s 2010 councillor campaign, also has a history of helping pay back rivals debt — even when he was on the losing side of the ballot.

In 2004, Tory attended a $500-a-plate dinner at the Fairmont Royal York in order to pay back then newly-minted mayor Miller’s $200,000 debt after losing to him in the 2003 election. He also vowed to pitch in to help third-place finisher Hall.

Tory’s schmoozing, in part, was credited for helping the provincial Tories pay down a huge $10 million debt in 2007.

Soknacki also came to Tory’s aide in November during the new mayor’s transition to the big chair. Soknacki agreed to sit on Tory’s transition team and to lending his ideas on housing and transit to the new administration.

The Soknacki reception, which does include dinner, has ticket prices starting at $1,500 or $2,500 for two tickets.