There were seemingly two Romanians running for Toronto Mayor: Radu Popescu and Michael Nicula. Radu Popescu has not listed anything other than his name, while Michael Nicula has listed a lot of info, but nowhere is it mentioned that he is (or was) Romanian.

Searching for info on “Radu Popescu” proved rather difficult. Though I found a LinkedIn page of a Radu Daniel Popescu in Toronto, and his business RDP Sports Management, finding any info connecting RDP to a mayoralty candidacy proved impossible. Still, according to preliminary results, (1767 polls out of 1637 and 838802 votes,) Radu Popescu received 213 vs Michael Nicula’s 126 – almost two times more! 213 is probably the Romanian vote – people who will vote with any candidate who sounds Romanian and it’s probably close to the maximum any Romanian name will get [if it’s the only one].

Michael Nicula, on the other hand, had a more or less clever website, a Twitter account, a Facebook page, 3 phone numbers and listed even his regular address, but gave up just before the election, announcing he would not be voting. The Romanian expression is “he drowned like the Gypsy on the shore.”

To run in the election for Mayor, one has only to register with $200 and complete a form. Michael Nicula went a few steps further: apart from his aforementioned strong social media presence, he went to a few debates and gave a few interviews (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). He wasn’t a complete novice either: he had founded a Federal party, PACT. Yet he either underestimated the effort that must go into getting elected (financial and otherwise) or got cold feet along the way. This is more embarrassing than not running at all.

I have Masters degree in Architecture and Urban Planning, and Executive MBA, and I am a Chartered Professional Accountant. I own a small business specialized in Human Resources Information Systems, familiar with Public Sector Unions and compensation issues. I made an effort to put together a Platform that addresses the main issues of the election in a very serious manner. I requested most debate organizers to include me in their list but I was denied in most cases.

Most importantly, Mr Nicula failed to understand that the “rags to riches” way of getting elected as a Mayor of Toronto is to have been a City Councillor (“alderman”) first.

I happen to share his contempt for campaign financing rules, yet his solutions are bizarre and logically inconsistent.

I do understand the reasons why some candidates are being excluded from debates. Many of them are not serious; they don't have a platform, tend to create disturbances, present themselves poorly or in an erratic manner. I wish there was a selection process for candidates something that would not be undemocratic, but unfortunately those candidates who don't have media connections or a million dollars to spend but have the qualifications and a coherent platform to present, are treated the same way Sketchy the Clown is treated.

His good bye message is grammatically challenged (my emphasis added).

The only thing I can do is to abstain from the vote. I refuse to legitimize this undemocratic system by participating in it. I am doing this as a form of protest. Recently people of Hong Kong took the streets to protest against an undemocratic process. If anyone tries to protest in the streets here in Canada, would be considered a foul. We Canadians believe we have the best electoral system and democracy there is - and maybe we do, but it has it's own major flaws.

The most likely winner at this time, John Tory, has been trying for decades to get elected, always failing. He spent millions of his own money on his attempts and it’s the first time he managed to cross the finish line [victoriously]. Nicula’s ambition was empty and sadly, his solutions to the problem of the poor, unknown but “educated” candidate isare idiosyncratic.

LE: Mr Nicula commented on this article, but his comment didn't make it in Disqus, making it, unfortunately, invisible on the main site. Here it is:

Merci pt 'atentie'. Am explicat in Huffington Post de ce am renuntat:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/michael-d-nicula/ontario-election_b_6051702.html
Citat celebru: democratia e un mecanism care asigura ca oamenii sa aiba liderii pe care ii merita. Timp de 4 ani l-am avut primar pe un individ care abia a terminat liceul si s-a comportat ca un vagabond de cartier. Urmeaza John Tory pe care l-am intilnit personal in mai multe ocazii (la citeva dezbateri low-key unde am fost invitat si eu) si pot sa spun ca va fi mai rau.. Tory are o gramada de 'donatii' de platit 'indarat'.
Am atasat poze cu scrisori de refuz, asa de amuzament.
(citeva poze nu s-au incarcat din cauza marimii cred).
Hai la multi ani.
Posted by Michael Nicula, CPA, MBA on Monday, 27 October 2014 23:55:00 GMT-4

In all fairness, some small spelling mistakes at the end of a frustrating campaign that took quite a bit of resources are understandable – I just corrected a few of my own. His website does indeed have highlighted cut-outs from rejection letters of debate organizers; my criticism is that these were to be expected and his suggestion for an “exam” for candidates is unworkable. I wrote more on this in Liberté, Égalité, Vaseline.

Sources / More info: li-popescu, torontoist-results, mayor4.to