Former TTC chair Karen Stintz sat down with the Star in her city hall office shortly after announcing she is ending her campaign to become Toronto’s next mayor.

Q: When did you decide to quit your mayoral campaign?

A: “There was no one definitive moment, it was more of a process. But when I saw the last Forum poll, that showed voters leaving Olivia (Chow) and going to John (Tory), I saw that voters were moving and they were not moving to me. It took a while to come to terms with it — I talked myself back in and out of it a few times. My husband and my father were adamant that I stay. I wrestled with the decision and probably about a week ago I came to the conclusion that it was not practical to continue and then started telling people.

Q: Was it a tough decision?

A: “Yes.”

Q: Why?

A: “I could see how to fix the city and I had experience doing it and I thought I had a compelling story about the combination of leadership, experience and solutions for the challenges that we face as a city. In February, entering the race, I knew it would be a difficult race but I thought I could make my case, but every day was just harder and harder and when my numbers didn’t move, and I wasn’t getting momentum, it was harder to get volunteers, harder to get money, harder to get my message out.

Q: Why did your candidacy not take off the way a lot of people thought it would?

A: “I struggle with it. Certainly I grew as a candidate, I got better in debates, I sharpened my message, we had a good message, we had a great team. But it was a full slate of candidates and I was running against some big names. It was just more and more difficult to get my message out.

Q: There was talk that famed Liberal strategist Don Guy and other advisers had drifted away.

A: “Campaigns do go through evolutions, they go through different phases and we brought different people in. Don was always an adviser and he stayed in that role. (Former Dalton McGuinty adviser, Stintz’s campaign manager) Dave Gene was more day-to-day. He transitioned out.”

Q: What was the impact of shrinking donations?

A: “I don’t have a debt but looking at the next phase of the campaign, it’s just that much harder to raise money when you don’t have momentum. I can’t run a debt — I’m just not able to do that. I have a mortgage — that just wasn’t an option available to me. Heading into the next couple of months, with more debates, people were looking for momentum and, to be honest, I just couldn’t show it. We knew that that last Forum poll was very difficult to overcome. “

Q: How many paid campaign staff do you have?

A: “I have had up to nine paid staff in various capacities. Now we’re down to four.”

Q: What was their reaction when you told them?

A: “They were very disappointed. We were all committed, and I was committed to staying on the ballot until the very end. I wanted to stay to the end, I really did, but I looked to the future and thought, ‘Well, if I’m going to stay at 5 per cent, how practical is that? When you pay people and you’re running to be mayor ... I wasn’t running to be at 5 per cent.”

Q: Was there any policy or performance that caused you any problems? Your changing position on the Scarborough subway?

A: “I don’t think so. I believe in the Scarborough subway from a city-building perspective. My issue was always funded transit, it wasn’t motive transit. I certainly think I became a better candidate through the process. I felt I was hitting my stride but it wasn’t translating into momentum.”

Q: Many people say your politics and view were too similar to John Tory’s, that you were going to be drawing from the same donors, advisers and voters. Did that hurt you?

A: “I have a different narrative — I have experience on council, I had answers to solutions, I had stood up to Rob Ford, I had a very compelling narrative that was unique from John Tory.”

Q: But he is at the front of the pack and you are out.

A: “He’s been in the public eye and realm for the last 11 years — radio show host, chair of CivicAction.”

Q: Tory seems to have momentum. Who do you think will be the next mayor?

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A: “Honestly, when it comes to anything involving Rob Ford, I don’t predict. He defies every law known to man including gravity so I just don’t make predictions.”

Q: What’s in your future?

A: “It’s not going to be in politics. That I can guarantee.”

Q: Never in politics, or not in the short term?

A: “Never is a definitive position but I’m not running federally, I’m not running provincially and I’m not running municipally. I have immensely enjoyed the last 11 years and there is no other political job I wanted other than the mayor.”

Q: Did you consider at all running for your old council seat?

A: “No. After 11 years, I’ve done the job, I’ve done a good job, I’ve served the community well but you grow out of jobs. I’m looking for a new challenge.”

Q: Have you heard from the other candidates?

A: “David Soknacki sent me a nice text and Rob called.”

Q: Why aren’t you endorsing another candidate?

A: “What I’m hoping is that my ideas will survive my exit from the race, particularly around Transport for Toronto, partnership with the school board and even getting rid of the rebate for landlords that keep their properties vacant. I have the best team of any campaign but they will make their own choices around who they support.”

Q: You have had an amazing 11 years, from being recruited through an ad to run for council, to TTC chair, to battles with the Fords, and the mayoral campaign. How are you going to look back on them?

A: “I want to look back with pride. Part of why I wanted to be pragmatic about this is I didn’t want my legacy to be ‘I finished the race at 5 per cent.’ I fought for more than that for the last 11 years and I’ve built a strong community and I’ve contributed to the city and I’ve fought for funded transit — I wanted that to be my legacy.”

Q: Who are you going to vote for?

A: I don’t know.

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