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Rob Ford's Toronto

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pattycakes said:
My late husband worked for the city and was often involved in hiring staff. I remember him telling me that even garbagemen needed a grade 12 education now, mostly due to reading and comprehension issues related to health and safety.
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And I bet if he was involved in hiring someone who lacked qualification that he would face some sort of consequence.
 
lizangel11 said:
You are making fun of a medical condition he was born with . NOT cool. he was born with cleft palate.
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Sorry for being uncool, Lizangel. I'm sure he will be a great trustee.

ETA Thanks for sharing confidential medical information with us. I did not read that in the papers.
 
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sweetlou said:
Oh I take your point on the outcome, no quibble there. The Ward 2 result including Andray's surprisingly weak numbers, as well as the TDSB Ward 1 election in which Kathy Ford's toothbrush won 44% of the vote on name recognition alone, show that north Etobicoke isn't remotely ready to give up on the Fords. I suppose it would have been possible to develop a platform that out-Troggs the Fords - "We'll cut bus service another 25%! We'll close all the lieberries! We'll chop down trees! That'll show those downtown elitists!"

But that wasn't the point. Andray succeeded in bringing a broader conversation to the city, especially about racism. He raised a ton of cash and now has a donor base. And he put together a platform that would have done Ward 2 an immeasurable amount of good, even if the voters weren't interested in listening. Ward 2 may yet benefit from Andray's commitment even if not as city councillor. Or he may well take his talents elsewhere, who knows at this point.

This Star article is helpful.

http://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/toronto2014election/2014/10/28/torontos_poorest_neighbourhoods_chose_doug_ford.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
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Tell you what...my read on Domise (and it maybe out to lunch) is that yes he is serious about making a difference at the municipal level...to that end he felt the easiest course was through Ward 2...there wasn't an incumbent running in the Ward and there was a level playing field for all candidates...all things being equal he presents well, says the right things and has acted for the betterment of youth in the ward thus giving him a good chance of election (when competing against only LaRocque, Akubar etal)..that changed with the return of R Ford's last minute candidacy...it was a foregone conclusion that R Ford would be returned and at the same time stuck both Domise and LaRocque in a nowin situtation
The reality is Domise would have been a better fit for Ward 5 however he wouldn't take the chance with the possibilty of a placeholder (Moloney) Councillor running for reelection
The same can be said of LaRocque (he would have made a race of it in Ward 3 or 4)Ward 3 with its placeholder not returning and GLL's late announcement to retire offered him the same advantage as Ward 2.
Too bad neither of them took the opportunity to switch
 
lizangel11 said:
You are making fun of a medical condition he was born with . NOT cool. he was born with cleft palate.
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Curious about this...I haven't actually heard his speaking voice. However, I'd hazard a guess that cleft palate, especially if now corrected, is not the cause of an unlovely speaking voice. My husband was born with cleft palate and lip - not totally correctable via surgery, so he must wear a partial hard plate - and his speaking voice is pleasant and nuanced enough that his professional role now involves his talent for public speaking and group negotiations.

What is the issue people are referring to regarding Michael Ford's voice that might result from a corrected cleft palate condition? (I will see if I can find some audio interviews to take a listen) - I know my husband worked hard on eradicating a lisp, but that can certainly be done, particularly if the cleft was corrected in his teens - and I don't think from his photos that he was afflicted with a cleft lip as well, which might have made that more difficult.
 
casita said:
"hastings has degrees from the university of western ontario (1963) and the university of toronto (1967). He worked as a political researcher, and as a teacher in ontario's secondary school system. In 1975, he worked as executive assistant to provincial cabinet minister lorne henderson. Hastings was a member of the worker's compensation board from 1977 to 1994, and also served on the advisory board of the institute of study of antisocial behaviour in youth before entering public life."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/john_hastings_(ontario)
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elitist!!!
 
pud99 said:
Well, strictly, he only needs some nominators and the fee. But of course he would be vetted (and not do well on that) and spoken to very early on about whether he, rather than his rivals, could expect the support of the party apparatus (namely, not). The lone wolf schtick does not work well for seeking to lead a party, no matter how supposedly constipated the party might be.
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe I read that Doug had been vetted by the PCs before the provincial election and told to take a hike. Why would they change that decision?
 
Racquette said:
What is the issue people are referring to regarding Michael Ford's voice that might result from a corrected cleft palate condition?
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I searched UT, Google and #topoli. The only source I could find was this:

lizangel11 said:
Actually Michael was born with cleft palate and due to the drunk mother of his he never had the surgury to fix it until in his teens.
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OSS 117 said:
Well, it's possible he has a vested interest in that particular issue, if you believe the rumours.
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Vested interest or not, I don't believe that I've ever heard his uncles say anything as forthrightly compassionate as "I believe everyone regardless of race or sexuality should be included." Indeed I don't think Ro or Do have any concept of inclusivity. So maybe he's not toeing the Ford line in that way. He may prove to be a total eff up in office, completely incompetent and absolutely in over his head, but I think I like him better than his uncles.

Respectfully, I think I disagree with the notion that there are people who are "qualified" for public office and those who are not. There are definitely people who are good at it and those who are bad at it, but I think saying that an individual needs some prior qualification means that public office is not open to everyone. Indeed that sort of thinking favours the white middle aged individuals that are already in public office in great numbers.

Of course I think Mikey came into this not giving two craps about being a school trustee, and coasted to election based on his "brand" (barf) alone. It's reprehensible, but his acclamation was never in doubt in my mind since I don't think people are in general very engaged in the trustee races.
 
sweetlou said:
Agreed. I'd be kind enough to 'give the kid a chance' if he was starting his first job in the local deli or at Loblaws, or as a camp counsellor, in line with his demonstrated level of education and experience. But giving him a chance at a job that requires a more comprehensive skill/experience set or evidence of similar work, just because he seems to be a nice kid, isn't right. As someone said upthread, it's a cynical move that shows total disrespect for the voters and for the parents and children he'll represent.
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This is bang on.

It's just awful that this kid got in. Now I'm not a TDSB junkie, but I would imagine the other rookies who got in likely did so through, oh I don't know, running a campaign? This kid got in through entitlement, a silver spoon, and an application to legally change his name. It's not like he had a vision and a plan and then it was bolstered by an endorsement from his family. That I could see as acceptable. He literally did nothing other than maybe go door-to-door for a few minutes a day. To have the victory bestowed upon him in this manner, is to my knowledge unprecedented. It's a joke, and if I was a parent in that ward I'd be furious.

I'm not giving him any benefit of the doubt to see what he does, regardless of how his high school peers view him. I'm assuming he is going to fall flat on his face, at least as much as a trustee can. I'm just hoping someone is in the woods to hear him when he falls, and it becomes public knowledge.
 
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DufferinMallrat said:
Vested interest or not, I don't believe that I've ever heard his uncles say anything as forthrightly compassionate as "I believe everyone regardless of race or sexuality should be included." Indeed I don't think Ro or Do have any concept of inclusivity. So maybe he's not toeing the Ford line in that way. He may prove to be a total eff up in office, completely incompetent and absolutely in over his head, but I think I like him better than his uncles.

Respectfully, I think I disagree with the notion that there are people who are "qualified" for public office and those who are not. There are definitely people who are good at it and those who are bad at it, but I think saying that an individual needs some prior qualification means that public office is not open to everyone. Indeed that sort of thinking favours the white middle aged individuals that are already in public office in great numbers.

Of course I think Mikey came into this not giving two craps about being a school trustee, and coasted to election based on his "brand" (barf) alone. It's reprehensible, but his acclamation was never in doubt in my mind since I don't think people are in general very engaged in the trustee races.
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basically, public office positions are popularity contests and regardless of how the electee performs is the fault of the electors.
 
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