Rob Ford's Toronto

[typezed]

Ford is toxic. He pisses in every pool within three area codes of himself. Look at the subway debate, he tore down whatever was planned before him, repeated slogans for a year and a half without plans or any real interest of his own, and everyone came to him to throw a bunch of money at the fourth-rate option. He'll do the same with the next election. Someone like Chow will try to take the high-road, struggling to focus the debate on policy, and two years from now Ford will again be mayor and in the post-game analysis we'll be saying it's because the other candidates lacked appeal and had an incoherent message.

Ford built his nation beating to death simple grievances about bunny suits and $12,000 retirement parties. Could he withstand opponents who constantly reminded us and Ford himself that he staffed his office with football coaches and assistants for his highschool team or that hired his brother's best friend Dave Price for $130,000 to perform tasks he refuses to specify? I'd like to see someone prominent in the next election who can barely contain their contempt for Ford, someone who is willing to say they consider him unfit for the job, a liar and a fool. Ford has to be vulnerable on so many fronts if someone would get in his face and make him answer questions. For some reason people read Ford's thoughtless anti-government stances as authentic, perhaps someone who was willing to confront him on his own level, drilling down on every possible accusation, real or manufactured, might be able to grab some respect from those who lean towards Ford in ways that more wonkish politicians cannot.

 

[jje1000]

Ford is toxic. He pisses in every pool within three area codes of himself. Look at the subway debate, he tore down whatever was planned before him, repeated slogans for a year and a half without plans or any real interest of his own, and everyone came to him to throw a bunch of money at the fourth-rate option. He'll do the same with the next election. Someone like Chow will try to take the high-road, struggling to focus the debate on policy, and two years from now Ford will again be mayor and in the post-game analysis we'll be saying it's because the other candidates lacked appeal and had an incoherent message.

Very true. While people say that he can be worked around, the fact that Ford is able to publicly spew his bile is something that seriously damages discussion going on in the city. Take this for example:

http://www.torontosun.com/2013/09/2...ver-75gs-chair-purchase-for-toronto-city-hall

While a reasonable discussion might reveal that these chairs, which cost around $2000 each are designed for city hall itself (the public face of the city) and are supposedly of extremely high quality (meant to last for a long time), Ford has reduced the argument to a number value. All while he and his supporters (eg. CowboyLogic) stand silent/make excuses about the millions of dollars pissed away on cancelled transit plans.

Ford absolutely needs to be removed by the next election- he isn't a conservative, he's a populist and he hasn't done squat. If he remains and gains more power, we'll be circling the drain arguing about dollars and cents while the city stagnates. I'm sure that Montreal and Calgary will be chuckling at our fortunes.

 

[Jude]

hi jude. welcome to the thunderdome.

Thank you for the welcome!

About those chairs, here's the full City of Toronto report, which indicates a single quote came in to refurbish the old stuff, and was rejected because it was much too expensive (more costly than the replicas turned out to be): http://twileshare.com/baqd

And here's an interesting spacing story about the history of furniture at City Hall: http://spacing.ca/toronto/2013/08/01/concrete-toronto-city-halls-concrete-furniture/

 

[Lenser]

Ford absolutely needs to be removed by the next election- he isn't a conservative, he's a populist and he hasn't done squat.[/B] If he remains and gains more power, we'll be circling the drain arguing about dollars and cents while the city stagnates. I'm sure that Montreal and Calgary will be chuckling at our fortunes.

I'm no fan of the brutish clown we have for a mayor but Montrealers can hardly chuckle at Toronto's misfortunes.... that city has epic problems of its own, ones which have long held it back from the kind of economic performance it ought to be enjoying. Our own humongous transit problems here may stem from a mess of opprtunistic politicking, but Montreal is badly hobbled by political shackles arising from highly controversial identity issues... not to mention systemic corruption at the municipal level.

 

[Electrify]

I'm no Ford supporter, and I'm also not a furniture elitist, but how does one spend $2500 on a chair?! Keep in mind that since they got 30 of them, they probably got some bulk savings and would go for $3000+ individually. I'm not saying that City Hall should be getting furniture from Ikea, but there has to be something between the discount store and the lifestyles of the rich and famous.

I wouldn't be surprised if Ford actually set this whole thing up just to remind people of the "waste" which goes on a City Hall, and how he is the only one willing to fight it.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Well chairs from Staples cost $500 each. Considering that these chairs are designed specifically for the chambers, and that they're in a public space and designed to last a long time, $2,500 per chair sounds reasonable.

 

[Gavin]

I'm no Ford supporter, and I'm also not a furniture elitist, but how does one spend $2500 on a chair?! Keep in mind that since they got 30 of them, they probably got some bulk savings and would go for $3000+ individually. I'm not saying that City Hall should be getting furniture from Ikea, but there has to be something between the discount store and the lifestyles of the rich and famous.

I wouldn't be surprised if Ford actually set this whole thing up just to remind people of the "waste" which goes on a City Hall, and how he is the only one willing to fight it.

Read the report: http://twileshare.com/baqd

If people can set aside the feigned outrage, it's actually completely reasonable.

 

[Electrify]

http://nlini.com/en/warren-platner-wire-chair-replica.html
http://www.roveconcepts.com/store/d...ining-room-chairs/warren-platner-dining-chair
http://www.sears.com/interior-trade-modern-platner-arm-chair-replica-new/p-SPM5840839109P

Granted these are technically dining chairs, but at a fraction of the price, I'm sure no one would notice.

 

[soimelk]

This week in a Toronto Star poll measuring popularity - almost 50% had a favorable opinion of Rob Ford ! The poll was taken before Ford's huge Subway victory.

Ford's approval ratings a month after the crack scandal were measured by the same company at 47%, so the fact his numbers have increased within the margin of error don't strike me as particularly impressive given he's had three months to spin his version of reality.

 

[Peepers]

http://nlini.com/en/warren-platner-wire-chair-replica.html
http://www.roveconcepts.com/store/d...ining-room-chairs/warren-platner-dining-chair
http://www.sears.com/interior-trade-modern-platner-arm-chair-replica-new/p-SPM5840839109P

Granted these are technically dining chairs, but at a fraction of the price, I'm sure no one would notice.

Do you really think no will will notice the difference between this....

and this.......?

The authentic designs manufactured by Knoll have a full retail price of $5,000 a piece so at $2,500 each a substantial volume discount was obtained. Sure the city could buy cheap Chinese knock-offs for a few hundred dollars each but they in no way look like the original and they will never last 50 years. You only get what you pay for!

EDIT: I don't often agree with Adam Vaughan but he is correct the original chairs should have been restored. Looking at pictures of the new chairs they look like cheap knock-offs also. No doubt junk made in China. To spend $75K on junk like this is outrageous.

http://www.torontosun.com/2013/09/27/chairs-should-have-been-saved-not-replaced-vaughan-says

New chairs are cheap knock-offs

 

[Riverdale Rink Rat]

I can already hear the Ford talking points against Chow:

- "She has never run a business"
- "She has no executive experience" (how did that work on Obama in 08?)
- "She is a pro-LRT, pro-bike radical"
- "She is staunchly ideological and a non-consensus builder
- "Anti-business with connections to radical anti-development groups" (Porter Airlines)
- "Lived in subsidized housing in the 80s" (long squashed myth)

Yep, that'll pretty much assure she gets elected.

 

[dforthandbview]

While you guys are discussing chairs, emails aren't being released: http://www.torontosun.com/2013/09/27/mayor-rob-ford-staffers-emails-come-out

 

[TheTigerMaster]

While you guys are discussing chairs, emails aren't being released: http://www.torontosun.com/2013/09/27/mayor-rob-ford-staffers-emails-come-out

This is exactly what he wants. To distract us from real issues with nonsense like this..

 

[TheTigerMaster]

So the question is what was Rob Ford using our tax dollars to write 186 pages of email relating to his cocaine use that it so personal that we can't see it. He is the most transparent mayor ever, so I'd like an explanation. And its not like he has anything to hide. I mean, he "does not" use crack cocaine right?

 

[freshcutgrass]

Considering that these chairs are designed specifically for the chambers, and that they're in a public space and designed to last a long time, $2,500 per chair sounds reasonable.

Cheap chinese made replicas of the real thing is the real scandal here. What a stupid tacky thing to do. It's also a waste of money, as replicas have no resale value. Buying replicas also has legal/ethical ramifications.

Like all classic design still being manufactured by license, the older the vintage, the more valuable they are (sometimes far more valuable than their new counterparts). If the City Hall chairs are from when it opened (1965/66), then these are of the earliest known vintage, and handled by the right auction house, could fetch big money.

Of course if the city hadn't cheaped out and actually commissioned Revelle to design all custom furniture for city hall at the time, that stuff would probably be worth huge money now. It reminds me of how all that discarded Le Corbusier stuff from Chandigarh the government was chucking out would have chairs selling for $20,000 at auction.

Mayor Philip Givens, who supported the Knoll entry, stated, “Design is the guts of the situation. Otherwise we could have ordered from a catalogue.”

Imagine...this mayor lost an election over having the audacity of supporting a Henry Moore sculpture for NPS (which ended up costing the city zero dollars).

Obviously this city is as full of Philistines as it ever was. We've come full circle back to Toronto circa 1950's.

Toronto...you used to be something kinda special for a while there. Remember the future?