i believe that the GM Drug Ford story to be extremely crucial. not so much because of its relevance to the larger Rob Ford story, to which it is only tangentially related, but because it permanently deep-sixed Drug's larger political ambitions.
no one who was a known drug dealer in their youth has a future in provincial or federal politics. full stop. (occasional) pot smoker? sure. drug dealer? no.
also, the fact that David Price is widely believed to have been one of Dougie's drug lieutenants back in the day, and that the Fords decided to invite Price into the lair right now, makes the whole thing extremely germane.
also, the story is continuing to be developed. i think it is only a matter of time before it becomes widely known that the scale of his drug dealing operation was bigger than previously believed. all it is going to take is having one person go on the record, and i think that is an inevitability in this case.
But it still might have been better for the G&M to hold off until they had a more sure-footed story.
I got that email from Ford, and I have NEVER emailed him or the mayor's office in my life. I have, however, emailed my councillor and City planning.....
Are you sure that you never even copied his office? If not something stinks (surprise), someone on his staff has somehow managed to harvest email addresses from the City's servers.
I guess councillors will have to think twice before calling in sick or suggesting a leave of absence for His Warship.
www.newstalk1010.com/News/localnews/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10555525
In addition to all the other disgraces, this creates an Executive Council with no women.
I am curious to know if the Ford Bros. are DC Comics fans or Marvel Comics fans.Do you think he sleeps in Superman or Batman pyjamas?
Councillor critical of Rob Ford over drug allegations is off executive committee
Councillor Jaye Robinson, who has called for Mayor Rob Ford to temporarily step aside while he deals with allegations he was caught on video using crack cocaine, is off his cabinet-like executive committee.
The mayor’s office announced Monday that Councillor Anthony Perruzza will replace Ms. Robinson as chair of the community development and recreation committee. That means Ms. Robinson is also off executive committee, of which she had been the only female member.
Ms. Robinson had been critical of the mayor’s handling of the drug allegations. She said he needed to address the unanswered questions about the scandal and that she had not seen “comprehensive information coming from the mayor’s office.”
The mayor has said he does not use crack cocaine and is not an addict.
Ms. Robinson was also criticized last week by the mayor’s brother, Councillor Doug Ford, for missing a meeting. Ms. Robinson said she had notified the mayor’s office, the chair of the civic appointment committee, and the city clerk that she was ill and would not be able to attend.
In the statement announcing the change, the mayor thanked Ms. Robinson for her work on the community development committee.
An email from her office said she would respond to the news Tuesday morning.
The mayor also announced Councillor Paul Ainslie no longer has the key post as chair of the government management committee. Norm Kelly will take over that file. Mr. Ainslie will replace Mr. Kelly as chair of the parks and environment committee.
“These changes will help my administration continue delivering results for the taxpayers of Toronto,” the mayor’s statement said.
Ms. Robinson is not the only person who’s been urging Mr. Ford to tackle the drug scandal. The Globe and Mail reported last week that Nick Kouvalis, the mayor’s former campaign manager, has said he won’t run the mayor’s re-election bid unless Mr. Ford goes to rehab.
Rob Ford boots last woman, Jaye Robinson, off executive committee
Mayor Rob Ford’s 13-member executive committee is now composed of 13 men.
Ford removed the committee’s last remaining woman, Councillor Jaye Robinson, in a Monday leadership shuffle in which he targeted two councillors who have challenged him over his apparent substance use.
Robinson, seen as a centrist, had publicly urged him to take a leave of absence to deal with an ongoing crack cocaine scandal. Ford also demoted Councillor Paul Ainslie, who angered Ford in March by confirming to the Star that the mayor was asked to leave a February military ball at which organizers were concerned that he was intoxicated.
It’s been three weeks since the Star revealed two reporters had seen a video of the mayor appearing to smoke crack cocaine and uttering a homophobic slur.
Robinson, who had been arguably the most liberal member of the executive, was ousted as chair of the community development and recreation committee. Ainslie, a staunch Ford ally in 2011 and 2012 who drifted noticeably in 2013, was ousted as chair of the government management committee and made the chair of the less powerful parks and environment committee.
Ford did not offer a reason for the moves. In a statement, he said, “These changes will help my administration continue delivering results for the taxpayers of Toronto.”
The executive is a powerful cabinet-like body that gets the first chance to vote on many major issues. A major city report on the casino issue, for example, was submitted to the executive for consideration, not council itself.
A record 15 women were elected to the 45-person council in 2010. Two of the three conservative women continue to serve in prominent positions for which Ford chose them: Frances Nunziata is the council speaker, Karen Stintz is the chair of the TTC.
But Ford has repeatedly castigated Stintz, and he has called his decision to appoint her a “mistake.” He has also criticized Gloria Lindsay Luby, a moderate conservative from Etobicoke. Michelle Berardinetti, a Liberal who had been allied with him, resigned from the executive late last year, citing what she said was excessive vote-whipping.
Ford appointed Councillor Norm Kelly, a loyal ally, as the new chair of the government management committee. He named Councillor Anthony Perruzza, a former NDP MPP, the new chair of the recreation committee — the first time he has given a leadership position to a left-leaning critic.