The Globe and Mail, Aug 29, 2014

The Jokester

Dave McKay doesn’t expect to become the city’s next mayor. In fact, if you were to ask him whom to support on Oct. 27, the 50-year-old IT consultant – who’s running for the position as his alter ego, Sketchy the Clown – would urge you to not cast your vote for him.
“I’m not a serious candidate,” he said. “I’m looking to bring a little education to [city politics] and the only way I know how to do that is to add a little humour.”
A self-described political junkie, Mr. McKay has been interested in all levels of politics since he was a teenager and is frustrated by the lack of general interest and knowledge of Canada’s political landscape – especially on the municipal level.
“I was upset that people [would say they] didn’t like David Miller, and they didn’t even look into why they didn’t like him,” he said. “They weren’t following municipal politics; they were just taking whatever headlines are throwing at him.”
Running what he describes as an educational campaign, Mr. McKay does not want the success of his mayoral bid to be measured by how many votes he receives, but by how many Torontonians he is able to engage. His hope is that through his social media presence, educational YouTube videos and various appearances that Sketchy can provide a way for people to learn about municipal politics and what their city and local government does for them.
“If I get people to vote who wouldn’t normally vote or people who are going to vote to at least look into some issues … [or] look more into what the city does, then that’s a victory to me.
“I don’t actually want the job; it doesn’t fit my lifestyle.”