Blayne Lastman ready to enter the Toronto mayoral race

Blayne Lastman is expected to confirm Thursday that he hopes to follow in the footsteps of his father Mel in the Toronto Mayor's Office.

Lastman made a morning visit to City Hall and invited reporters to a subsequent announcement across the street at the Sheraton Hotel.

"Everyone will know exactly the same time tomorrow exactly what we are doing," Lastman told The Star Wednesday. . There is nothing that I do without putting my heart and my soul into it. The decision will be taken tomorrow morning at 11 o'clock.

Lastman would be the only big hurdle in Mayor John Tory's hope for a second four-year term. term. While the Toronto progressives claim a left-wing political candidate to challenge right-wing Tory, Lastman is preparing to join Tory's right-wing conservative.

Lastman resurrected the chain of household appliances and Bad Boy furniture from his father. Nooobody! "Catchphrase in the early 1990s. He has no experience as a politician but grew up in the campaigns of Mel, the colorful mayor of North York for 24 years and Toronto's merged from 1998 to 2003

Blayne Lastman Threatened the Idea of ​​Defying Tory Last Week A rally that included his father and Premier Doug Ford

Mel Lastman said in a telephone interview Wednesday that he was not going to Did not hear Ford encourage his son to challenge Tory, to whom Ford lost the mayor in 2014.

"Doug did not say that he was going to support him or anything, there is none of that, "said Mel." I do not think he was encouraging it, I think he was simply thanking Blayne for his support because Blayne has supported, "the Progressive Conservatives of Ford in the June provincial election.

The former mayor said he did not know his son. but he would make a great mayor of Toronto.

"He starts from the bottom and works," said Mel. "He's doing a good job." He has taken over Bad Boy and he has tripled the volume, his work ethic and his desire to satisfy customers and his thoughts on working with people and getting them to work with him are incredible. [19659022"Hegoescrazywhenhehastoandhestickstohisweaponswhennecessary"

Marilyn, Mel's wife, intervenes: "This is not a kid!" [19659024] If Lastman gets the support of Ford and his supporters of "Ford Nation", he could erode the suburban support sought by Tory – much of his first term – the possibility of a split in the vote. Conservative could also attract a top progressive in the race.

Nominations close at 2 pm Friday.

David Rider is head of the Star City Hall office and a reporter covering Toronto Politics Follow him on Twitter: @dmrider