Rob Ford's Toronto

[Urban Shocker]

When I asked if any of them would support paying =/- half of a $25 million cost for something cool like this...the answer is the same as usual "nah, we can't waste tax dollars on something like that"......we want everything every city has....we just don't want to pay for it. (my opinion of a generalized Toronto attitude).

Toronto taxpayers have already bought an important, landmark Anish Kapoor, much earlier than Chicagoans purchased theirs ( Untitled, Mountain was his first public commission, in fact ... ), and we paid $500,000 for it as befits our status as an early-adopter city.

Whether they're talking up a ferris wheel because they saw one in some foreign city, or going gaga over one of Kapoor's big shiny objects, the Fords consistently reveal themselves for the know-nothing rubes that they are.

 

[MetroMan]

Do we know it's the verdict, or have they been called back to court for another reason?

If I was Clayton Ruby and Ford had testified that he no longer used city staff to help with his football foundation, after what has come out recently I would be trying to reopen the case, and recall Rob Ford, and all the relevant staff, to the stand, to make a case that he has perjured himself.

I believe it's the verdict. Maybe these new facts helped precipitate the judge's decision.

 

[taal]

Despite the (deservingly) critical commentary in this thread I would still say Ford has a greater than 50 percent chance of being re-elected.

I agree, what does that say about the general populous though ... no one in their right mind can claim he's intelligent, and most folks that support him, admit that much, the rest that attempt to claim he is are a lost cause.

I think many find him entertaining, and like his attitude to spending as little as possible ... i.e. think Toronto is fine otherwise ... that's why he'll keep getting votes.

 

[rm20010]

TVO's The Agenda will focus on Ford Nation tonight.

http://theagenda.tvo.org/episode/182117/fumbling-with-ford-nation-and-angry-us-voters

Unfortunately Steve Paikin is not hosting this one.

Video is up for that episode. A very enlightening clip.

 

[W. K. Lis]

The Toronto Standard website, at this link, has an article on David Miller.

Q&A with David Miller: The Intersection of Economy and Environment

Last week, SAIL Capital Partners, a venture capital investment firm specializing in emerging cleantech energy projects, announced that former Toronto mayor David Miller has joined their advisory board. Toronto Standard spoke with Mr. Miller about his new role with SAIL, his ongoing work in the environmental sector and his life as a private citizen.

They tried to ask David about the scrutiny going on with Rob Ford, but he tried to say a no comment with:

The reason I bring it up is that, in a roundabout way, she talks about the office you had in London, England while you were still mayor for your role as C40 chair, she’s speaking about $140,000 a year. Basically the crux of her point was that, when you were the mayor and other mayors in the past weren’t receiving the same kind of scrutiny as our current mayor. Doug Holyday said, “None of the media ever did it against David Miller or Mel Lastman… Rob Ford is put under a magnifying glass a thousand times greater than anyone before him.” I’m sure you’ve been following the mayor’s recent – I don’t know what you’d describe it– the story that’s going on right now, do you think that’s a fair assessment?

I’m really sorry I’m not going to comment on any of that. I’m a private citizen now, I’m happy to comment on what I’m doing as a private citizen including that work with SAIL, but I’m just not going to talk about whether the press scrutinized me or not when I was mayor. I think if you go back and look at the articles that were written, it speaks for itself.

However, it was with the last section that perked me up:

Okay. But in general are you enjoying your life post-mayor?

I’m lucky enough to be doing work I really believe in that’s making a very big difference and on top of that I coach my daughter’s soccer team and I’m able to catch my son’s events as well, and that was something I couldn’t do as mayor. It’s not possible, when you’re the mayor of Toronto to be present for your family when you always want to be. So I’m in a very lucky position to be doing some rewarding fulfilling work and seeing my kids grow up at the same time.

 

[MetroMan]

I wish I could find the footage of Ford deriding David Miller for travelling to other cities as gravy. He said so in at least two debates that I attended and I believe I heard him say it on a YouTube video as well. That video would be very appropriate right now to demonstrate his hypocrisy.

A Mayor is the City's representative to the world. They should absolutely go out and make inter-Mayoral connections. It's great that Ford realized that -- despite being 2 years into his term -- but some people I've chatted with think that this was one of his brilliant and innovative ideas all along.

God this is creepy: http://www.torontosun.com/2012/09/18/rob-ford-on-chicago-trip-its-jobs-jobs-jobs

Watch the video, at about 20sec in, Ford talks to a young lady. She extends her hand to leave and Ford gives her a card and semi-whispers: "If you're ever in Toronto". Did that just happen? Also in the video, I found it funny how a Chicagoan who's been a tourist could tell Ford more about Toronto than he was able to tell a reporter at the airport who asked how he would sell the city. That same tourist told Ford that he loves that Toronto is a walkable city...

I'm genuinely embarrassed for our city.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

More troubles - from the Globe:

http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/t...amily-business/article4556066/?service=mobile

AoD

 

[Tee]

and the 'hits' just keep on comin' folks (as the Fords would say). It's mind boggling to me that Rob Ford would have put in this request. But, then again, he lives in his own world. Here's hoping that this is another complaint put before the Integrity Commissioner.

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

I don't know how much more of this I can take. It was like "YESSSS!" when the problems started, then it became funny, then mildly amusing and now it's just too much. Did anyone see him on the news in Chicago "trying" to read at the podium from a prepared statement? Poking 'The Bean' and chucking like a little boy? Hear or read the report from The London Times referring to our "Mayor" as "colourful"?
It's just too much already.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

dttogeek:

Yeah, he has become that awkward worst kept secret for the city. It's like Mel in his waning days - gaffle after gaffle in his attempt to represent the city. Such incompetence.

AoD

 

[TonyV]

I don't know how much more of this I can take. It was like "YESSSS!" when the problems started, then it became funny, then mildly amusing and now it's just too much. Did anyone see him on the news in Chicago "trying" to read at the podium from a prepared statement? Poking 'The Bean' and chucking like a little boy? Hear or read the report from The London Times referring to our "Mayor" as "colourful"?
It's just too much already.

Situation just about the same for me. I am dreading the next external media discovery of Ford, and unfortunately such a thing is inevitable because the bait is just too irresistible. There is a very well known comedic news show that could skewer Ford (and Toronto) very viciously if they ever get a slow news day south of the border. I won't name the show, because I just don't want to tempt the fates.

 

[canmark]

Chicago coverage: an opinion piece from local NBC affiate: Opinion: Sister City Mayors Are Like Brothers

Another thing we have in common: colorful mayors. Ford has been arrested for DUI and marijuana possession in Florida, belligerently insulted rival hockey fans at a Maple Leafs game, said that when bicyclists are run down by motorists, “it’s their own fault,” and praised Toronto’s Asian-Canadians for their work ethic, saying “the Oriental people, they’re slowly taking over.”

Even the Sun admits the Chicago trip will cost taxpayers money* despite Ford's claims. [*Which I have no problem with if it's a legitimate business expense that benefits the city.]

Early in the day Wednesday, Ford did a live radio interview with Toronto station Newstalk 1010 and stressed the mission “doesn’t cost taxpayers one red cent.”

City officials have said there will be a cost to the city for staff to attend and Invest Toronto - an arm’s length city agency will also be picking up some of the trip’s costs.

Some of the eight councillors who joined the mayor on the trip stressed they won’t be paying the bill out of their own pocket.

Asked about councillors possibly charging their office budgets for the trip, Ford shrugged.

“That’s not up to me,” Ford said. “As for as I’m concerned, I’m paying for my own trip. It is not costing taxpayers a dime. It’s the jobs, it’s the economy. You come to a city like Chicago and see it first hand, it is well worth it.”

Councillor Peter Milczyn said the trip was “a legitimate business trip.”

“It is not a junket, it is not a sightseeing tour, it is not a vacation,” he said. “It is important city business so it is an allowable expense under the office expense policy that is how it is being paid for.”

Councillor Michael Thompson, chairman of the city’s economic development committee, couldn’t say for sure whether the cost of the trip would come out of his office budget or another budget. But Thompson said he “will not be paying any monies personally for this trip.”

 

[W. K. Lis]

I wish I could find the footage of Ford deriding David Miller for travelling to other cities as gravy. He said so in at least two debates that I attended and I believe I heard him say it on a YouTube video as well. That video would be very appropriate right now to demonstrate his hypocrisy.

A Mayor is the City's representative to the world. They should absolutely go out and make inter-Mayoral connections. It's great that Ford realized that -- despite being 2 years into his term -- but some people I've chatted with think that this was one of his brilliant and innovative ideas all along.

God this is creepy: http://www.torontosun.com/2012/09/18/rob-ford-on-chicago-trip-its-jobs-jobs-jobs

Watch the video, at about 20sec in, Ford talks to a young lady. She extends her hand to leave and Ford gives her a card and semi-whispers: "If you're ever in Toronto". Did that just happen? Also in the video, I found it funny how a Chicagoan who's been a tourist could tell Ford more about Toronto than he was able to tell a reporter at the airport who asked how he would sell the city. That same tourist told Ford that he loves that Toronto is a walkable city...

I'm genuinely embarrassed for our city.

A "walkable" city? Too bad Rob doesn't know how to walk. He has to drive everywhere.

 

[Hipster Duck]

Despite the (deservingly) critical commentary in this thread I would still say Ford has a greater than 50 percent chance of being re-elected.

I agree with this. I also think this is the reason the legal system has to intervene and override democracy and the will of the people in certain (increasingly many) circumstances. If the courts toss out Rob Ford before the electorate does, so be it. Rob Ford has repeatedly demonstrated that he is contemptuous of the rule of law and is unfit to serve public office. If we left it to the electorate, a good chunk of them would vote for Rob Ford because he offered them free burgers, kissed their baby or made some flippant remark about "hating lefties"; the fact that he has not made the city any better off, cut services that many of them rely on, made our city a laughingstock and broken pretty much every election promise he made is not going to enter their minds when they're sealed in the ballot booth.

There are other cases like this, where the 'sacredness' of democracy has to be overruled by the sense of a higher authority because common people lack common sense. For example, if gay marriage or civil rights had been put to a vote, they would have been easily defeated, even though they were both - in a humanitarian sense - the right things to do.

 

[voxpopulicosmicum]

I, unfortunately, agree with all of that, except that I don't. While I think anyone who voted for Rob Ford should be sterilized and stripped of their voting rights, I also wouldn't like the precedent it sets. Bottom line is that Canada, on the whole, has too many stupid and/or evil people. There's no real solution, because any such solution runs the risk of being no better (and actually quite a lot worse) than the problems its purports to solve. Give Harper a chance to finish stacking the courts with political appointees and changing the laws to suit his nutty worldview and then come and talk to me about giving courts power to overrule democratic outcomes. The situation is pretty much hopeless when one considers the direction we're headed.

All that said, Ford appears to be guilty of numerous instances of conflict of interest, influence peddling and misappropriation of public resources, so none of my critique of "courts overruling democracy" applies to these particular circumstances.