Kevin Clarke (politician)

Kevin Mark Clarke is a perennial candidate for public office in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. For several years, he was also one of the most recognizable homeless persons in the city.

Clarke worked in the automobile business during the early 1990s. He sought election as mayor of East York in the 1994 municipal election, describing himself as a "advertising consultant, political rebel and welfare recipient". He promised to resign after three months if elected, and to form a provincial party for ordinary people ("Toronto Star", 10 November 1994).

Clarke first campaigned for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 1995 general election, challenging New Democratic Party Premier Bob Rae in York South. He received 170 votes, finishing seventh in a field of nine candidates. During this election, Clarke vowed to oppose the "pimps" of government who "live off the avails of people" ("Toronto Star", 5 June 1995).

Clarke campaigned for York South again in 1996 after Rae retired from the legislature, and finished last in a field of six candidates with 70 votes. The winner was Gerard Kennedy of the Ontario Liberal Party.

He sought election to the Canadian House of Commons in the 1997 federal election, and finished sixth out of eight candidates in Broadview—Greenwood with 211 votes. The winner was Dennis Mills of the Liberal Party of Canada. During this election, Clarke described himself as a salesman and a businessman.

He became homeless in 1998, after his auto business failed. For the next seven years, he frequently sang and preached on the streets of Toronto while wearing long, flowing robes. He also was actively involved in public affairs, and was a member of the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee.

Clarke ran for the Ontario legislature a third time in a by-election for Beaches—East York on September 20, 2001. He finished sixth out of eight candidates with 94 votes. The winner was Michael Prue of the New Democratic Party.

Clarke also campaigned for Mayor of Toronto in the 2000, 2003 and 2006 municipal elections, and ran for the Toronto City Council in by-elections held in 1998 and 2001. His primary issues were street safety and water safety, though he also emphasized anti-drug policies. He ran the 2001 campaign out of a homeless shelter that he used every night. [http://observer.thecentre.centennialcollege.ca/news/clarke113001.htm] In the 1998 campaign, his age was listed as thirty-four ("Toronto Star", 29 October 1998).

He took part in an unusual protest during the 2003 campaign by tearing up pieces of a telephone book, and scattering them to the wind during lunch hour at a busy Toronto intersection. "You care if there's paper on the street," he said to passers-by, "but you don't care if there's people on the street." ("National Post", 11 November 2003). He also described himself as an "ex-con, ex-drug dealer and ex-teacher" ("Toronto Star", 6 November 2003).

Clarke can often be seen in the streets of Toronto in various flamboyant garbs. He will often wear robes and skate by on Rollerblades asking for donations/handouts. He has lately been seen in the area of King and Dufferin in Toronto. His rhetoric often takes a Christian bent.

Clarke finally found housing again in 2005 [http://www.eye.net/eye/issue/issue_05.26.05/city/clarke.html] , and is now an actor ("Toronto Star", 4 April 2005).