Councillor Doug Ford says he has “zero respect†for Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly. Ford came out swinging at Kelly — who now has most of Mayor Rob Ford’s powers at City Hall — a day after the deputy mayor encouraged anyone to show him the gravy in the 2014 budget.
Kelly didn’t end up swinging back at Ford, dismissing the attack as, “part of the sound and fury of the battlefield.â€
“I used to respect Norm Kelly, I have zero respect for him right now,†Councillor Ford said.
“No one has even tried to find savings in this budget, didn’t even try.
“Norm Kelly wasn’t part of the budget committee, he doesn’t have a clue what’s inside this budget, not a clue.â€
Councillor Ford — the vice-chairman of the budget committee — questioned why the proposed 2014 budget includes hiring 750 people — 479 at the TTC.
“Is your TTC cleaner? Is your TTC faster? Is your TTC cheaper?†Ford asked.
“Speaking of cheaper, they are raising the fees … No it is not cleaner, no it is not faster, no it is not cheaper.
“Let’s look at the overall 750 people they’re hiring, that’s my message to Norm Kelly — he should do his due diligence before commenting and maybe put in a little bit of effort to find a quarter per cent in a $12-billion-a-year overall budget.â€
The mayor’s brother questioned why Kelly accepted the job as deputy mayor back in August when “the whole world knew†the mayor wanted a 1.75% tax hike.
Ford also took a jab at Kelly’s penchant for historical references.
“I think Norm Kelly is more worried about living in the Roman days, you know in how the Roman Empire worked, we’re living in 2013,†he said.
The Etobicoke North (Ward 2) councillor said Kelly won’t make “tough decisions.â€
“If it was between being the media darling and getting an endorsement from the Toronto Star or making tough decisions, he’ll go with the endorsement from the Toronto Star,†he said.
Kelly took a diplomatic approach to Councillor Ford’s barrage of comments.
“This is a very emotional and trying time for the mayor and his brother,†Kelly said.
“Doug’s an emotional sort of guy and he expresses himself without reservation, but I like him, I like Doug.
“The only advice I would give to him and others is let’s concentrate on policy rather than personality.
“It is a democracy and sometimes you’re debating rationally and calmly and other times there is more fire involved in it.â€
He stressed the proposed budget is a work in progress that still has to go through the budget committee, the executive committee and city council approval.
The Scarborough councillor said he’s looking for specific budget cutting ecommendations.
“I would invite Doug, who has an excellent record in business, to bring his recommendations forward but again, make it as precise as you can,†he said.
