Jeff Canning knew he was “pushing back against history” when he decided to run in the Ward 2 (Etobicoke North) byelection to fill the vacancy on city council left by the death of Rob Ford.

But as Monday’s vote draws near, the 56-year-old first-time, self-funded candidate hopes the contest will not be the dynastic cakewalk for Michael Ford that everyone predicts.

Ford is the 22-year-old nephew of the late councillor and former mayor, who died of a rare form of cancer last March. Michael Ford’s other uncle, Doug, was Ward 2 councillor from 2010 to 2014 during his brother’s turbulent mayoralty. Their father, Doug Sr., also served the area in the ’90s as a Progressive Conservative MPP at Queen’s Park.

Canvassing in parts of Etobicoke traditionally “entrenched in the Ford camp,” Canning says he’s hearing that voters want “a new voice, new leadership; they want change.”

On the election trail, Ford has adopted his late uncle’s sloganeering, promising to eliminate waste, keep taxes low and show up at voters’ doors when needed.

“It’s hollow. It doesn’t have meaning any more. People look beyond that veneer and see that it hasn’t benefitted us in any way,” says Canning.

Michael Ford insists the opposite is true. At almost every door he has knocked on, “every person tells me that if you continue customer service, you have our support.”

Canning also suggests that while Ford is trying to persuade Ward 2 residents he is just like his beloved uncles, he has also made public statements “that would make Ford Nation throw him off the boat.”

He cites Ford’s admiration for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — whom Rob Ford infamously disparaged — and participation in the gay Pride parade.

“He’s (Michael Ford) got his legs sort of in both pools, saying he’s a softer version but still holds their beliefs. But he doesn’t,” says Canning, a married father of three who owns his own headhunting firm.

“I always and will continue to represent my own values and opinions,” responds Ford. He resigned his position as a school trustee to seek the position on council. “I believe wholeheartedly in what my uncle did for our community, and my message to the voters is continuing on with customer service.”

That doesn’t mean he can’t admire Trudeau’s “style of politics.” Trudeau has “connected with people right across this country, (a) very down-to-earth, a very human connection, in fact very similar to how Rob connected with people,” says Ford.

And if his uncle notoriously steered clear of Pride festivities, Michael Ford says he “was there to stand with the community in solidarity and support them,” especially after the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Florida.

Other candidates in the Ward 2 race — 12 in all — acknowledge it is Ford’s election to lose on Monday.

Chloe Marie Brown, who spent two years as a volunteer and intern at city hall, threw her name into the ring to help bring change to the Rexdale area’s socioeconomic conditions.

“As I watched Michael Ford and the rest of them sign up, I wasn’t satisfied with the level of passion or experience that any of the candidates were bringing, so that’s why I felt compelled to run,” she said.

“To me, it needed to be more than a race about the Fords; it needs to be a race about the soul of the community.”

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On Ford’s candidacy, she says this: “This was not about representing the community as much as it was securing power for his family, especially Doug.”

Christopher Strain, who describes himself as the “standard bearer for progressive politics,” is realistic about his chances but doesn’t think voters are “convinced that the nephew, just because he has the last name, is going to be the right guy.”

If elected, Strain is leaning toward pushing for a personal income tax on high-income earners, earmarked for a specific purpose, to tackle the city’s revenue shortfall.

While Canning believes his “sheer force of will” and small number of dedicated volunteers make him a contender, he acknowledges that beating a Ford would be a remarkable triumph.

On the campaign stump, people have told him they like his message and who he is, “but I can’t put your sign out front out of respect for Rob.’ I think there’s some of that there, that legacy to it,” Canning says.

He finds it bewildering.

“It shouldn’t be simply because we feel bad for a gentleman who served the community for so long that his nephew should get the job; it defies logic,” Canning says.

He pauses, then adds quickly: “But I know voting is not always about logic. Sometimes it’s just about emotion, and you’re not ever going to get people to admit that.”

Gloria Lindsay-Luby, former city councillor, had a rocky relationship with the Fords. She is backing Canning.

“I feel he brings a nice, clear perspective without having a whole bunch of background noise,” she says.

“He can come to it with a fresh viewpoint. I like that. Nobody’s going to be telling him what to do or what to say or how to vote.”

But can he beat a Ford?

“Most people would say . . . forget it,” she says. “It’s going to be an uphill battle.”