Rob Ford's Toronto

[dt_toronto_geek]

Despite the contretemps over Pride, I don't think that Ford has yet distinguished himself as the worst Toronto mayor in my memory -- that easily goes to Lastman, who was far more of a national and international embarrassment for the city.

Ford's only seven months in, give the bonehead a little more time. I wasn't a big fan of Lastman but at least he had many strengths as a civic leader plus he was a quite a character. You wouldn't have found Lastman out cottaging on Pride weekend.

 

[jje1000]

Despite the contretemps over Pride, I don't think that Ford has yet distinguished himself as the worst Toronto mayor in my memory -- that easily goes to Lastman, who was far more of a national and international embarrassment for the city.

Of course, if Ford actually does half the things he's threatened regarding city development, then there's no contest.

The thing is, there is no telling if he'll try to sneak through his plans like he did with the Fort York Bridge and the Jarvis Bike Lanes.

 

[GraphicMatt]

Ford's power is far more tenuous than Lastman's. He's already started to lose votes on some issues, and we're not even one year in. If he loses hold of one or two of his allies on council, he won't have the 23 votes he needs to pass key items.

 

[Urban Shocker]

What's the big old fat guy scared of? Gays? That's the definition of homophobic.

Chubby-chasers?

 

[CanadianNational]

Ford's personal fear of a whole lot of things aside:

It's going to be interesting when the people who are still rooting for him get the same kind of snubs from him in the near future that Pride got this weekend. How he handled Pride Week is not just evidence of his personal prejudices, it's evidence of his governing style.

The inability to think due to being swamped by confusion and fear is not an attractive trait in a leader. Especially when things aren't going badly.

Hiding, evading, lying and implying that he doesn't owe anyone an explanation are going to be a pretty toxic mix when the suburbs start finding out that none of the items on their wish list are are going to be delivered by him, and that they've never been really included to begin with.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Ford's power is far more tenuous than Lastman's. He's already started to lose votes on some issues, and we're not even one year in. If he loses hold of one or two of his allies on council, he won't have the 23 votes he needs to pass key items.

From The Globe and Mail, at this link:

It was the first time the city’s mayor had missed Pride since Barbara Hall started the tradition during her term in office.

Last month the rookie councillor (Doug Ford) stated that he would attend the parade on Sunday, even if his brother wasn’t coming. But Mr. (Doug) Ford was not among the 15 councillors who joined an estimated one-million spectators at the weekend parade.

Heavy traffic and his teen-aged daughters convinced him to remain at the cottage, he said.

 

[TonyV]

Royson James (Star) on Ford snubbing gay community:

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1019457--james-toronto-elected-a-mayor-not-a-priest?bn=1

Royson James
City Columnist

It’s not easy being mayor. And it shouldn’t be. Not in a big city with complex relationships, disparate dreams, and citizens sprung from the corners of the globe and brought together to navigate ancient grievances.

No, it’s not easy being a mayor of a large city with a world view and global reach.

So, there is only a little corner of sympathy today for Mayor Rob Ford, the people’s choice who chose to fold his arms when extended hands were what Toronto required this past week of gay community events.

Stubbornly clinging to a narrow view of his role, his purpose and his job, the mayor squandered a civic moment and laid the carpet for many hateful people to engage in cruel thoughts and spout vitriol.

I got a full dose of that, following a column stating Mayor Ford had a civic duty to attend the Parade or some other Pride week event. Yes, a full 90 per cent of the reaction supported Ford’s decision to snub Pride.

I expected the same from friends, family and fellow church members.

I understand where Ford is coming from — all the excuses about family time at the cottage notwithstanding. If family time was the real reason, the mayor would have spent the past weekend with his immediate family and still find time to spend one hour or fraction thereof with the gay side of his civic family. There were a multitude of events that need not upset his sensibilities or offend his sense of right or wrong.

So, the mayor didn’t have to attend the Pride parade. Many citizens refuse to attend the parade because it’s too risqué, too racy, too much nudity, too much exhibitionism for their prudish, some say sexually conservative or repressed selves.

Those are moral choices made by the individual, the citizen, not the civic father.

If the only way to give a civic, secular imprimatur to this major city event was to attend the parade, then, as mayor, you must bury your personal misgivings and attend. Alas, Ford had many other options — including the Pride flag-raising on the civic square right outside his office.

By avoiding every single event, no matter how innocuous, Ford sent out the signal that gay people are not part of his city. He will take their taxes. He will take the economic benefits that flowed from the event. He will even give a couple hundred thousands in seed money to deliver millions. But gays don’t count.

Those huge numbers of supporters who argue that the mayor should have the right to go where he wants and support whichever events he chooses, choose to forget this: Tomorrow, you will be the one snubbed.

How do you think Jamaicans would feel if the mayor chooses only to attend events planned by the Barbadian community because everyone knows they are more peace-loving Caribbean people, with higher educational levels, higher standard of living in the Caribbean, and as such, suffer from fewer dysfunctions that play out on the streets of Toronto?

Maybe he doesn’t feel like going to a Tamil event, opting for Sri Lankan-sponsored ones. After all, attending a Tamil even may lead someone to believe the mayor supports the Tamil Tigers.

Following that logic, a mayor coming to office still harbouring resentment over British slavery and the raping of African resources, may refuse to attend any event during a royal tour.

No, when you are mayor, you cast a wide net and you make everyone feel welcome. You embrace and encourage, not exclude and disparage.

Mayor Ford may share your Judeo-Christian outlook on the gay lifestyle. But last October, the citizens of Toronto elected a mayor, not their priest.

 

[adma]

Well, James has implicitly joined Gee in throwing unflattering light on the response. Expect more media focus upon the fal;se consensus of the response-thread cretins out there.

Oh, and don't be *too* hard upon Mel--he, himself, may have been buffoonish; but he had a certain sense of his own weakness, and knew how to delegate authority and compromise when necessary (thus his attending Pride). He was actually an *under*rated mayor, all things considered--at least compared to the current Ford situation. (Mel's was a case where a "weak mayor" system worked to benefit.)

 

[nfitz]

Oh, and don't be *too* hard upon Mel--he, himself, may have been buffoonish; but he had a certain sense of his own weakness, and knew how to delegate authority and compromise when necessary (thus his attending Pride). He was actually an *under*rated mayor, all things considered--at least compared to the current Ford situation. (Mel's was a case where a "weak mayor" system worked to benefit.)

As much as I don't think Lastman was a great mayor - at least you had to respect him for admitting his weaknesses. While never showing much sign of significant prejudice, he had no problem coming out and saying he was uncomfortable participating in Pride, and was concerned of how the community would react to him - but still had the balls to come out anyway, rather than running away like a coward. I have a lot of respect for someone who can be honest about their own weaknesses and fear.

 

[adma]

Well, Lastman had another thing going for him, Pride-wise--he was camp. All the more so with Marilyn factored in. Rob Ford has no camp to him whatsoever, nix, nil, zilch...

 

[tkip]

Lately, I've been thinking on the Ford issue.

I sometimes wonder if Ford is generally uninterested in attending public events or if he suffers from some sort of social phobia. And about this one million people in attendance at the parade. There is no way there is anywhere close to a million people there along the route. It's short and people are about 25-30 deep. Look at images of a true million plus gatherings and you can see the difference.

So the numbers have been enormously exaggerated.

 

[taal]

Lately, I've been thinking on the Ford issue.

I sometimes wonder if Ford is generally uninterested in attending public events or if he suffers from some sort of social phobia. And about this one million people in attendance at the parade. There is no way there is anywhere close to a million people there along the route. It's short and people are about 25-30 deep.

If you look at satetllite images of parades/large gatherings, a million people takes up several square kilometers. So the numbers have been enormously exaggerated.

Yea I was thinking that too, regarding the attendance, hmm are they just making the numbers up ?

Did it seem busier then last year, everyone I talked too thought it was, but that may not imply a million .

You want me to guess what it is, it's the attendance at all the events throughout the week.

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

Lately, I've been thinking on the Ford issue.

I sometimes wonder if Ford is generally uninterested in attending public events or if he suffers from some sort of social phobia.

My roommate suggested social phobia on the weekend then a light bulb went off in my head and I suddenly felt some sympathy for him over this possibility. About ten seconds later it dawned on me that he chose not to stand in front of a few dozen people at a flag raising ceremony & read the Official Proclamation, so I got pissed at him again.

Yea I was thinking that too, regarding the attendance, hmm are they just making the numbers up ?

Did it seem busier then last year, everyone I talked too thought it was, but that may not imply a million .

I don't know about numbers, but it was definitely busier this year (Sat/Sun) than in any past year. No question.

 

[tkip]

Stop putting words in my mouth. I've made it very clear that I'm talking about prejudice in areas covered by hate crime laws. Anti-black, anti-gay, anti-women ...

Is your case so weak that you have to invent my position and then attack that instead?

Why such a blatant attempt to misdirect the discussion into areas where it wasn't?

You're full of it nfitz. You're a raging hypocrite. Most of you posts revolve around Ford or bigotry. With you, all roads lead to Ford and bigotry.

Ford has never stated or been quoted as saying he hates gays or any group or that he would act on such hate. So hate crime laws couldn't apply to Ford. You've been spewing anti-Ford rhetoric since the beginning and calling for the man's head. The most you can accuse the man of is that he seems uncomfortable and makes bad judgement calls.

And I don't recall reading you applying the same intensity to Smitherman when he was running. A man with a very colourful past of abusing others especially while in power or his past out of control drug problem or his questionable involvement in the ehealth scandal. Nothing. Not one bloody peep from you.

Gee, what a surprise.

A openly gay man commits the same abuses while in office that you rant against and gets a free pass. Show me the posts where you called Smitherman evil as you did Ford on so many occasions, that and all those other slanderous things you said about the man. I'd love to see these posts where you went after Smitherman too with the same ferocity as you did with Ford .

Gee, you can't can you? Because it never happened.

You knew the entire time what kind of person Smitherman was, what he was doing in office and the people he was abusing and you were silent. So this whole "Ford has to go" because he's a bigot and threat is fake. Your issue with Ford has nothing to do with intolerance. It's something deeper.

I can only imagine what you would do in a position of power, seething with all this hate and contempt for others that don't fit your "mold" of what society should be.

 

[cdr108]

Aside from the privately-funded Sheppard Subway dream -- which not much can be done on until 2015 anyway -- he has no major plans. No desire to improve transit service, continue revitalization efforts along the waterfront, launch new cultural programs, or anything like that.

but that's all 'gravy' which he has vowed to cut