Presidential hopeful falls out with Fedeli
Race for major job in PC party gets nasty with spat over campaign materials
Vic Fedeli is blasting a Progressive Conservative MPP’s husband who’s running to be party president next month for unauthorized use of the finance minister’s image in campaign materials.
Fedeli accuses grassroots Tory activist Jim Karahalios — a lawyer and spouse of Cambridge MPP Belinda Karahalios — of unfair “personal attacks” online and misusing his words as a testimonial.
Karahalios, who made his name fighting ousted PC leader Patrick Brown over a promised carbon tax, on Friday dismissed Fedeli’s complaints as “ridiculous.”
He claimed the finance minister is trying to bolster support for rival presidential candidate Brian Patterson, a party veteran who has worked with leaders since Bill Davis in the 1980s and is the preference of Premier Doug Ford.
“It’s disappointing to see an online attack launched against
me,” Fedeli tweeted Thursday.
“I spoke to Jim Karahalios personally and asked him to retract a flyer that used my image without my consent, which he refused.
“Now we see personal attacks and revisionist history.
“We need a party president that is respectful of its members, and it’s clear that president should be Brian Patterson.”
A Karahalios brochure uses a head shot of Fedeli, who as interim leader last winter hailed the Cambridge lawyer for his outspoken criticism of Brown and reinstated him as a party member.
“It was part of a settlement where (Fedeli) apologized and praised the importance of my campaigns and there was no time limit on the quote,” said Karahalios, noting the treasurer’s comment was dated March 1.
An online ad for the Karahalios campaign uses a clip from Fedeli on Global’s Focus Ontario supporting Brown’s ill-fated People’s Guarantee election platform, which included a carbon
tax pledge that Ford has since scrapped.
“I think it’s the best platform I’ve seen in a long time and I fully endorse it … I’m so excited about it,” Fedeli told Focus Ontario host Alan Carter last January.
Karahalios also accused the party of undermining his candidacy by excluding his brochure from a bulk mailing to members before the vote at a Toronto convention Nov. 17.
“They’re not running a fair, democratic race,” said Karahalios, who is concerned there are too many lobbyists and former
Brown executive members running.
The same flyer that quotes Fedeli also uses blurbs taken from articles written by Star Queen’s Park bureau chief Robert Benzie and TVO’s Steve Paikin about the role Karahalios played in challenging Brown, now mayor-elect in Brampton.
These appear to be presented as endorsements and include unauthorized Star and TVO photographs of the two journalists.
Both Paikin and Benzie have made it clear on Twitter that they are neutral and never endorse political candidates.
“Jim has accurately quoted what I said about him. However, I was not asked for permission to appear in his brochure and obviously have never endorsed any candidate for any office EVER,” Paikin tweeted.
Benzie issued a similar tweet. “Notwithstanding the @TorontoStar’s considerable influence in the @OntarioPCParty, I am not endorsing any candidate for PC president.
“The unauthorized inference in Jim Karahalios’ brochure suggests he is in a tough contest against front-runner Brian Patterson.”