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Library cuts, a Ferris wheel, Transit City - Former mayor David Miller just couldn't seem to resist taking one snide jab after another at his City Hall successor Rob Ford.

Mr. Miller spoke about civic engagement Friday evening at the Royal Conservatory at the TedxToronto event, a series of talks about inspiring ideas modelled after the popular TED Talks based in California.

He said he keeps hearing from Torontonians who say they miss him, which Mr. Miller said he believes they are actually saying "I miss having a progressive mayor in office" and incited loud laughter from the audience.

Although he never explicitly named Mr. Ford, it was clear that Mr. Miller was affected by the volume of respondents that have voiced their complaints about proposed library cuts.

He said Torontonians have spoken and said "we don't want a giant Ferris wheel ... We don't want library cuts."

Mr. Miller also suggested that Transit City, which many consider his legacy to Toronto, could have been saved in its original form had the city not become complacent.

"It [Transit City]didn't just happen ... Torontonians committed to transit and the environment made it happen," he said. "But then we took it all for granted collectively."

Mr. Ford has also repeatedly said that he listens to taxpayers, but Mr. Miller says that term can be "derogatory." Taxpayers, Mr. Miller says, implied consumers of government. Instead he encouraged Torontonians to consider themselves as "citizens" and "residents" of the city, and to continue to voice their opinions.

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