Voters are “sick of the elites and artsy people,” running politics, says Don Cherry, the outspoken hockey commentator and Mayor Rob Ford’s “special guest” at next week’s inaugural council meeting.

Cherry said in an interview Friday that Ford’s big Oct. 25 win, and former OPP commissioner Julian Fantino’s tighter victory in the more recent federal by-election in Vaughan, suggest a conservative trend.

“I’m happy — it seems things are shifting around a bit to the right, with Julian Fantino getting elected, and Rob,” Cherry said.

“People are sick of the elites and artsy people running the show. It’s time for some lunch pail, blue-collar people.”

Cherry, who lives in Mississauga, said he didn’t know the penny-pinching councillor and company owner personally when he got a call from Ford’s brother Doug, who replaced him as councillor for Ward 2.

“When they decided to run, Doug phoned me and I was on-board right from day one — I said ‘Don’t worry, you’re going to win by a landslide,’” Cherry recalled.

“I didn’t know either of them personally but the one thing I knew is Rob talks like the guy that I am . . . Rob speaks the people’s language and I think that’s why he got elected.’

During the rock ’em, sock ’em Toronto election, Ford was sometimes compared to the colourful co-host of Hockey Night in Canada’s “Coach’s Corner” for his unvarnished, sometimes politically incorrect statements.

But don’t expect Cherry to make a “Now listen here, kids,” speech to the new city council.

“Doug phoned me and said, ‘Rob wants you to hang the chain around his neck,’ and I said, ‘Sure.’ I’m not going to make an address or anything.”

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