As much as he may resist, Rob Ford’s days as mayor of Toronto could be over soon.

The end could come suddenly, with Ford resigning over the recent drug video scandal, taking a leave of absence until the air is cleared or quitting because of health concerns.

Ford has vowed repeatedly to seek re-election in the next mayoral contest in October 2014, issuing thinly veiled threats to fight hard and dirty against anyone who dares challenge him.

But with the video scandal deepening, Ford may not be able to withstand the growing scrutiny of his office and mounting calls for his resignation.

With Ford out, Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday would likely become acting mayor until the next election.

After Ford, though, who’s next?

On the political left, NDP MP Olivia Chow and councillors Shelley Carroll and Adam Vaughan are looking seriously at entering the race, regardless of whether Ford is running or not.

On the right, conservatives are urging talk show host John Tory to run and Toronto Transit Commission chair Karen Stintz is already setting up a volunteer team of election advisers. If Rob Ford doesn’t seek re-election, then big brother Doug might give up his council seat and enter the race.

Noticeably absent from this list, though, is a civic leader from outside established political circles.

That’s unfortunate because Toronto desperately needs a mayor everyone can be proud of, one who is good for our city and our future. Indeed, it’s time that Torontonians urged some outstanding civic leaders to come forward.

That’s because this city needs a mayor who can end the right-left political wars on city council that have defined Toronto under Ford and David Miller, his predecessor.

We need a mayor without ties to one particular area, be it downtown or suburban. We need a person with stature who can transform the mayor’s office from an international laughingstock into a centre for excellence and vision.

One such leader is Sheldon Levy, the dynamic president of Ryerson University.

Levy, 63, knows Toronto, loves Toronto and has worked tirelessly to promote the city and his university. People who know him, love him.

“Apart from condo builders, few people have done more than Ryerson University president Sheldon Levy to reshape the downtown core in recent years,” Toronto Life magazine said last December when it named Levy as one of the city’s top movers and shakers.

Over the years, Levy has earned a reputation as a leader who builds bridges, is co-operative and can work effectively with both the rich and powerful in the city and at Queen’s Park as well as with the less advantaged segments of our city. And one of the best things about Levy is that he isn’t associated with any faction on city council.

Since becoming president of Ryerson, Levy has led the drive to revive the area around Yonge and Dundas. Under his leadership, Ryerson is getting a new student centre where Sam the Record Man once stood and now has a new recreation centre in what was the historic Maple Leaf Gardens.

Toronto has a long history of only electing mayors who have risen up the ranks of local politics. Most mayors served first on city council or, in the case of Mel Lastman, as mayor of North York before it was amalgamated with the city.

Maybe now is the time to stop that tradition. Residents in other major cities often elect political “outsiders” with outstanding backgrounds in other fields, such as in New York City with Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

With no direct political experience and no established election machine to call upon, Levy or any other “outsider” would face an uphill fight. He has some name recognition in the city, but clearly not as much as Chow, Tory, Stintz or Vaughan.

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Still, Levy is one of the civic builders moving this city forward. With encouragement from both conservatives and liberals, such city builders, be it Levy or someone else, can often be persuaded to enter local government and make a difference from the inside rather than from the outside.

It’s what this city requires after the divisiveness of the Miller years and the morass that has set in under the Ford mayoralty.

Bob Hepburn’s column appears Thursday. bhepburn@thestar.ca

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