Once a week through the end of the mayoral election, we'll introduce you to an obscure person who is vying to be Toronto's chief magistrate.

Toronto-born Ari Goldkind, 40, is a defence lawyer whose high-profile client, pedophile Gordon Stuckless, is expected to plead guilty to more than 100 sex-related offences Tuesday.

In the midst of running to be Toronto mayor, Goldkind realizes this might not be the ideal photo opportunity. Nevertheless, he is unabashedly “proud of what I do.”

Goldkind is single and lives in the Spadina and St. Clair area with his beloved dog. Below is a condensed transcript of a recent conversation with Goldkind.

Why do you want to be mayor?

This city needs a conscience. This city needs a cross-examiner and an advocate. This city needs someone simply telling the truth about it. There are real issues in this city; none of the candidates have the courage to talk about the challenges we face. When we talk at our dinner tables, everybody knows what we need to do. There’s a mutual sacrifice that we can make to improve this city, and I intend to put that before the people.

You are advocating higher taxes. Who does that?

Somebody with courage and guts and belief in themselves to stand up to the machine and know the people of this city want it to improve, somebody who’s interested in bringing this city into the 21st century.

We essentially have the same infrastructure we had when I was born. We pay far less (property tax) than anywhere else in Ontario by a significant average. So when you’re fortunate enough, like me, to be living in a house valued over $700,000-$800,000, asking for a couple of extra tanks of gas a year to get this city’s transit infrastructure built, I say respectfully, it can be done. When you live in a house over $1.1 million and I say, “Let’s raise the land transfer tax” on people buying these houses over $1.1 million, that’s not sacrilege. (Some councillors are) asking poor people to pay user fees to take their kids swimming or skating — but when you talk about tolling the DVP or Gardiner, you say “user fee” on that and people go nuts. I don’t care that people go nuts, I care about doing the right thing.

What would you do if you were elected mayor?

The police budget of $1 billion, out of a $9-billion budget, is the sacred cow that is the albatross around Toronto’s neck. We need to take a hard, hard look at trimming this beast. The educated and well-informed people of Toronto know that the crime rates are going down. The people know we have issues with police services in this city. We’ve learned that in the last five years. When it comes to the police, not only do we never look at it, we never talk about it . . . Mayor Ari Goldkind is going to look at every issue that the career politicians are afraid to touch.

What are your priorities on the transit file?

The Scarborough subway is a complete boondoggle and waste of money. The LRT in Scarborough could be built extremely quickly with the co-operation of all levels of government. The downtown relief line (should be) built immediately; shovels must be in the ground, and we as Torontonians have to pay for it. And then further LRT lines through Liberty Village and the Port Lands. We have a city that’s changing, and these are all things that we can afford.

How can you be the conscience of Toronto when many will say that as a lawyer you represent “scumbags”?

Here’s where my conscience is. I’m not prepared to give up on people. These are not my clients . . . my client is the system, my client is a peaceful society, my client is a world and a city where, before you throw somebody in jail, you make sure that they’re guilty. People think that my job is getting somebody off. It’s not. It’s making sure we dot I’s and cross T’s; and the bottom line is people from all over the world want to come to this city and this country because of what the rule of law represents.

How do you feel about being referred to as a fringe candidate?

There’s nothing outsider about me. I’m a simply a normal person living a normal life in Toronto. I care about this city. Rather than complaining, I decided to sign up. There is no sideshow here, and anybody who looks at my website, my platform, hear me speak, they all ask me: “Why are you not at the debates, why are you not at the table?”

Why not run for council and build name recognition?

This is not about building a pathway to a career in politics. This is simply about running a city properly that I think is going the wrong way, and the current choices we have will simply keep that wrong way going.

Aren’t you more interested in sparking dialogue?

No. I am doing this to become mayor of Toronto.

MORE ON THE TORONTO MAYORAL RACE

Toronto Campaign 2014

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Rob Ford launches campaign by thanking those who stuck by him through ‘rocky’ times

Chow, Tory target curb parking scofflaws in gridlock-fighting plans

Olivia Chow leads again in Toronto mayoral poll