Nikki Benz to Register Next Week as Toronto Mayoral Candidate

TORONTO, Canada—Remember Rob Ford? You know: the binge-drinking, crack-smoking, foul-mouthed mayor of Canada's largest city? The guy who's been made fun of on every late-night talk show in the world, and who's currently in rehab? Well, guess what? There's a Canadian porn star ready, willing and able to take his place come October: Nikki Benz. "I can do a great job at running the city," Benz said. "If Rob Ford can do it, I can do it." Benz, an Etobicoke, Ontario native and the veteran of almost 200 adult movies beginning in 2002, should be the 55th candidate to register to run against Ford, assuming she can get her ID problems worked out. (She tried to register this past Wednesday, but Toronto city hall's Election Services Office wouldn't accept her expired Ontario driver's license as proof of address, so she'll probably either have to get that renewed poste haste, or possibly bring in some utility bills or voter registration ID to seal the deal.) And of course, the press is all over how she'll change city government for the better—or worse, depending on the particular news outlet's biases. For example, the True North Times' headline was "Porn Star Nikki Benz Bends Toronto Election in New (Seedier) Direction," with writer Maxwell Stockton lamenting, "Alas, her entry into the race changes everything. We expect a debate between her and Barbie Bitch in short order to determine Toronto’s best master debater, and we’re crossing our fingers for the imminent sex scandal." (That's Mizz Barbie Bitch, if you don't mind; one of the city's more popular dominatrixes, who'll likely be known on the ballot by her real name, Carlie Ritch.) Other candidates in the race include Sketchy the Clown (guess his profession!); fashion designer Christina Van Eyck; indie band Paint's lead singer Robb Johannes; former Rob Ford paramour Sarah Thomson; attorney Ari Goldkind; photographer Selina Chan; Rocco "The Rock" Di Paola (no idea what he does); and of course Ford himself. In an informal poll conducted by Mike Strobel of the Toronto Sun seeking the "Sexiest Mayoral Candidate," as of Tuesday, Nikki had a lock on first place with 44 percent of the vote. The next closest was Karen Stintz, who had recently placed third in Strobel's list of "City Hall Hotties," with just under 19 percent. "What do we gain by replacing an (alleged) crack smoker with a (no-ifs-about-it) porn star?" asked Strobel. "There’s notoriety and stigma to both, don’t get me wrong," Benz responded. "But porn is legal. Crack isn’t. [Porn] doesn’t cloud your mind for decisions or making statements. And there’ll be no surprises with me. Everything you want to know is online, as long as you’re 18." Strobel also noted that Benz has a high "Q" (recognizability) rating, having been Penthouse's 2011 Pet of the Year, not to mention having about five times as many Twitter followers (642,000) as Ford. She's also won a bunch of AVN awards, like 2006's Best Tease Performance, 2008's Best Threeway Sex Scene, and 2010's Best All-Girl Threeway Sex Scene. And check out her Playboy interview here. This is hardly an adult personality's first foray into high-level politics. Industry veterans will recall that in the  135-candidate race in 2003 to replace ousted California governor Gray Davis, when the votes were counted, Hustler publisher Larry Flynt finished seventh and adult actress Mary Carey scored 10th place. And Benz certainly has the makings of a winning platform. One of her prime selling points, from an economic if not social point of view, is her desire to help the adult entertainment industry's content producers move to Toronto. "My industry is one of the biggest in the world," she stated. "It could do for Toronto what it’s done for L.A. in jobs, business and taxes." "It would generate a lot of profit for the city," she added. "I would fix the whole situation with transit and I would definitely lower property taxes." Also on her mayoral agenda: Make National Masturbation Day (May 7) a city holiday, and fix Toronto's traffic problems, which apparently rival LA's and NYC's. "I can do a great job at running the city," Benz stated. "If Rob Ford can do it, I can do it."