Rob Ford

[zipperzon]

Sorry, but every professional on salary usually has the freedom to leave work early to do things like childrens events and coaching childrens activities. Ford is not on an hourly wage, so i do not know how you can hold him to a different standard than anyone else. He was in city hall lots and doing his job and you know it. Do you know how many times other councillors left early? No you don't, you are just picking on Rob Ford. He goes to events nightly as part of work, don't you think he should have some freedom to do personal things or volunteer things during the day? Every professional job allows things like this.

A couple times he was noticed to be tipsy, but no doctor proved it or he was not sent to the police.
Sometimes people drink, sometimes they are tired or both.
I would bet that Ford attends 200 or more events a year on his same salary.
He has been seen possibly drunk a couple times, how is this a fair judgement.
So a guy that probably puts in 100 hours or more a week on his shitty wage, and you guys attack him over one or two incidents?
What a smear campaign over nothing.

You are just grasping at straws. Coaching football is volunteering with children.
If he used a few city resources to help out childrens activities, and this is what you are attacking him for?
Helping children? OMG what a monster!
Show me some real misappropriation, this is such a joke. This is the best you people can do.

Ignore workplace rules, really? Every politician campaigns in office.
He raised money for charity and you are calling his a flaw or illegal or wrong?
Charity is never wrong in any workplace.
Grasping at straws again.

Trying to sway co-workers and others to your agenda?
This what politicians do, they have an agenda and they use it to get voted in.
Now you are just making stuff up. Show me one mayor on earth that does not do this.

Breaking law during work hours?
Drinking during work hours is not against the law.
Going to the park with your friend is not against the law.
Where are you getting the BS from?
Again Ford is on a Salary, he is often expected to work 18 hours a day with events.
Anyone with this type of job should be allowed to take off during the day.
He is not allowed lunch break or anything in your books, it appears.

Refusing to attend functions?
There is no reason he has to March in Pride.
It is an event in Toronto but it is not far reaching event where all are included.
It does not celebrate a cultural event it celebrates people who like to have unconventional sex with each other.
There is no reason he has to march.
In fact people are telling him they don't want him at their events, if he doesn't seem to have a choice in your mind, why should they be able to stop him?

Ford is a colourful character, this is still no reason to kick him out.
I can name hundreds of colourful policitians.

Why don't you just say YOU don't like him.
None of this stuff is grounds for what is happening.

Sorry but Ford did not start the pussy talk.
People that don't like him are making stuff up, they said it first, he is just repeating it.
You don't like him, we get it, but all of this is esoteric.
You back someone into a corner and poke sticks at him, this is what you get.

Now to get into the money thing, I am not sure why you are making up hearsay off the top of your head.
It is not facts and it is mostly wrong and biased by your hatred for Ford.

Under Ford?s watch ? and with the disciplined leadership of Del Grande ? a total of $360-million in permanent savings have been found in the first two budgets. The budget hole has been reduced to $200-million with promises from Del Grande to apply an equal amount of discipline to the 2013 budget.
http://www.torontosun.com/2012/10/25...in-money-saved

The other things is savings Ford implemented may not be recognized during his term.
So future Mayors will get the benefit of his work, while pretending they did it.
The fact is previous mayors handed Ford a fiscal mess.

• $200-million from cancelling the vehicle-registration tax.
• $6.4-million from cutting expense budgets of city councillors and the mayor?s office.
• $78-million from contracting out garbage collection west of Yonge Street.
• $606-million from various ?efficiencies? ($57-million in the 2011 budget, $327-million in 2012 and $222-million in 2013).
• $89-million from a streamlined labour contract with city employees.
• $24-million from higher user fees.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...ticle12915419/
http://www.thestar.com/yourtoronto/r...al_record.html

You don't seem to understand his opposition to LRT.
The LRT is taking away space for extra lanes of the road.
Sure the LRT runs down the middle, however 2 extra lanes could be put in that space.
Those people do deserve a subway, whether you think so or not.
Why should they have to compromise.
Above ground transportation has addtional costs such as traffic concerns and addtional clogging of traffic.
In fact when bike lanes are pushing out Car lanes, they need this space, going underground is the best idea.
Now they can have enough bike lanes and car lanes.

How are people that support Ford's policies suckers?
Explain exactly how they are getting sucked in and ripped off.

All you do is attack based on hearsay.
You are not covering all the issues, you are just picking ones that are good for you.

The fact is this guy was hard working and followed the mandate he set out to, whether you like it or not.
No where can I see that he stole money, ripped off taxpayers or was convicted of a crime?

So let me see, Toronto has the lowest property taxes in the Country and some of the lowest in North America and you are complaining about this. Ford is committed to keeping Taxes low, and has done that. Maybe they aren't the lowest every but they are very low. The fact also is the cuts that Ford has made will make taxes in the future lower for sure. He will just not get the credit. In fact, you are blaming him for a tax load that is the responsibility of a previous mayor.

All of this is that your moral compass feels off.

Ford is a good mayor period.
If you people want to lynch him because you don't like his personality, go to it.
I don't think you can find a harder working or more fiscally honest person.
The guy is truly working for the taxpayers.
However all you guys care about is some minor BS that has been blown up into something it is not.

The police chief is biased and playing games.
This is a clear sign of a Coup de tat.

Some of the articles you link to refute Ford's claims about savings. The LRT line he cancelled doesn't even run along a road at all, most of it was elevated so wouldn't interfere with traffic future or present. Putting subways in where density points to LRT does nothing but waste money. As far as working 18 hour days, I don't think so http://metronews.ca/news/toronto/349...ayor-rob-ford/

Charity might be encouraged in the workplace but do you think the CEO of a company would be ducking out of budget and other major meetings like transit planning on a regular basis, I don't think so.

Drinking in the part with his friend, nope not making that up, cops photographed him doing that http://www.thestar.com/news/city_hal..._meetings.html

As far as public events in the evening, how do you know he goes to events nightly as part of his job? I don't think it's asking too much for him to not get hammered (sorry but saying he's just a little tipsy doesn't cut it) at events where he's supposed to be speaking such as at the Danforth festival. I got no problem with him doing whatever he wants in his own time, whether that be drinking or smoking crack, but he should be a professional and do his job. As far as making peanuts, well I guess maybe you have a much higher idea of what a good income is than me, as I certainly would love to be making Ford's 'peanut' base salary of $173k.

He's not a good mayor period. Part of being a mayor is leading city council and building consensus, another colorful mayor Mel Lastman was good at that. You are right that I don't like his policies, but ultimately it's that he can't seem to do his job effectively or meet his professional obligations. I'd feel the same way if I supported his policies. There is no way that someone in a private company that has acted the way he has would still have a job. With council stripping him of some of his power, he even admitted he'd do the same thing if he had acted as he has http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/11/15/rob-ford-faces-city-council-vote-to-strip-him-of-powers-make-him-mayor-in-name-only/, direct quote from that article "If I would have had a mayor acting the way I conducted myself, I would have done the same thing"

So the police chief is biased and out to get him, along with the 39 Councillors who voted to strip his powers, along with all 4 major newspapers in Toronto, including the Sun and the National Post that aren't exactly left wing rags like the Star? There's no reason for any of this but that people are biased against him and out to get him?

I think you are the one who is showing bias.

[Rockheart]

Some of the articles you link to refute Ford's claims about savings. The LRT line he cancelled doesn't even run along a road at all, most of it was elevated so wouldn't interfere with traffic future or present. Putting subways in where density points to LRT does nothing but waste money. As far as working 18 hour days, I don't think so http://metronews.ca/news/toronto/349...ayor-rob-ford/

Charity might be encouraged in the workplace but do you think the CEO of a company would be ducking out of budget and other major meetings like transit planning on a regular basis, I don't think so.

Drinking in the part with his friend, nope not making that up, cops photographed him doing that http://www.thestar.com/news/city_hal..._meetings.html

As far as public events in the evening, how do you know he goes to events nightly as part of his job? I don't think it's asking too much for him to not get hammered (sorry but saying he's just a little tipsy doesn't cut it) at events where he's supposed to be speaking such as at the Danforth festival. I got no problem with him doing whatever he wants in his own time, whether that be drinking or smoking crack, but he should be a professional and do his job. As far as making peanuts, well I guess maybe you have a much higher idea of what a good income is than me, as I certainly would love to be making Ford's 'peanut' base salary of $173k.

He's not a good mayor period. Part of being a mayor is leading city council and building consensus, another colorful mayor Mel Lastman was good at that. You are right that I don't like his policies, but ultimately it's that he can't seem to do his job effectively or meet his professional obligations. I'd feel the same way if I supported his policies. There is no way that someone in a private company that has acted the way he has would still have a job. With council stripping him of some of his power, he even admitted he'd do the same thing if he had acted as he has http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/11/15/rob-ford-faces-city-council-vote-to-strip-him-of-powers-make-him-mayor-in-name-only/, direct quote from that article "If I would have had a mayor acting the way I conducted myself, I would have done the same thing"

So the police chief is biased and out to get him, along with the 39 Councillors who voted to strip his powers, along with all 4 major newspapers in Toronto, including the Sun and the National Post that aren't exactly left wing rags like the Star? There's no reason for any of this but that people are biased against him and out to get him?

I think you are the one who is showing bias.

You are not understanding, I am not biased here.
I don't even know who the other candidates were or are and i live thousands of miles away.
I am saying Rob Ford and Democracy is getting screwed here.
I AM NOT TAKING A POLITICAL SIDE.
I am talking about what is truly right.

Above ground transport interferes with traffic period, poles, reroutes, etc. I have seen it in dozens of cities.
Montreal has lower population density and has much underground. Toronto should have the same in the core.
A mayors views should get him ELECTED OUT but no KICKED OUT.
Non issue.

You don't seem to understand what running the city of Toronto entails.
You think politicians are getting into it to work fewer hours?
There is many many events on weekends and night times.
Mayors have to show up everywhere and speak and cut ribbons.
Rotary clubs, kiwanis clubs , every club.
New arenas, libraries whatever, you are delusional if you think he wasn't doing this stuff.
All major city events, greeting visiting politicians, celebrities, whatever.
He was doing this stuff whether YOU heard about it or not.
He is on the radio, always in the news, it is a 24 hour a day job man.
173,000 is peanuts for the job of mayor really, this is 70,000 after tax and all that work and stress.
NO way man, you can have it but you will agree with me after a week on the job, it is not easy.
Not everyone can do this job, period.

Yes CEOs do come and go to meetings.
That is why they have the board and stenos that record everything and departments that actually do the work.
Now you can stay at a meeting and still be on the road.
Just because his fat ass was not in the chair at some meetings, how do you know he wasn't conferenced in or reading all the notes. If a boss could do everything no one else would work there.

So let me see, everyone has drank a beer in the park.
Police are surveying him and he drank a beer in the park.
I am so shocked, whatever man, this is soooo weak dude.
There was probably someone nearby smoking weed that the cops could have busted too.
However has Rob been arrested for anything?
So you advocate throwing out a mayor for drinking a beer with his friend in the park during his lunch hour?
At worst this is a fine, they didn't even litter for gosh sakes.

Why won't the cops release the video, they only release suspicious surveillance pics.

Building consensus?
His job was fulfilling his mandate for the electorate, which he seemed to be doing fairly well.
Regularly ducking out of meetings is not true, a couple times which was blown out of proportion.

Dude the newspapers need him, they are sucking him dry, they are doing most of this to him.
The newspapers are sinking fast, nobody wants to pay for news anymore.
They are making a circus out of a mole hill.
Soon all the newspapers will be closed.

There is only a few incidence of drunkenness and bad judgement which is totally been blown out of proportion.
He is colourful and everyone knows that.
This is what you are advocating them throwing him out of office:

1. His views on public transport.
2. Collecting charity money at the office.
3. Never stealing any money.
4. Missing a couple meetings that you are not sure how many.
5. Doing small amounts of drugs in his own privacy.
6. Being drunk a couple times at events, maybe.
7. Leaving work to volunteer with children.
8. Drinking a beer in the park with his friend. (Not a felony)
9. He won't dance on a float with a bunch of Gayboys and Drag Queens?
10. Saying pussy on tv.

None of these are reasons to eject a democratically elected official.
This is terrible for democracy and should not be involved.

Wynne in her political correctness cannot see this either and now it is affecting higher levels of politics.
Time to leave this stupid country when the bleeding hearts can just choose who they want by whining and exaggerating things in the media. All media is left wing by default. The left wing is about expense and rhetoric and making everything ten times bigger than it is. A true right wing paper would have only a few pages, as they believe more in minimalism and getting right to the point, whether it be good or bad.

[Guest]

...Coup de tat.

It's a coup d'?tat (stroke of state).

Back to your bickering.

Babe,
xoxo

[Rockheart]

It's a coup d'?tat (stroke of state).

Back to your bickering.

Babe,
xoxo

Um, i cannot do this because i am not using a french or multilingual keyboard.
The e with a thingy on top is beyond my capability.

So I am just using a regional English interpretation spelled phonetically.

Sounds like you have more in common with the Quebecois that you thought.
Correcting my English with French.

[Guest]

but Crag...

I use an English keyboard.

? = ALT + 130

Not hard.

By the way, i corrected your French, with French.

Babe,
xoxo

[zipperzon]

We obviously aren't going to agree, I think if you had lived thru the last few years of Rob Ford you would realize you are minimizing a lot of his transgressions. At one point there comes a time when even an elected official should be removed if they aren't doing their job, I feel that point has been reached. Some people don't feel that way, a poll indicates 76% of people in Toronto feel he should take a leave of absence or resign, so he does have a core of supporters that feel he should stay on. http://www.cp24.com/news/ford/most-w...says-1.1540734

The LRT project was in the suburbs btw, not the core, and I agree in the core we should have underground transit, the streetcars in the core aren't effective.

I never said I thought being the mayor was easy, Ford unlike previous mayor's doesn't release his schedule so the press gets it retroactively via FOI requests. Based on those requests he seems to have a light work load compared to previous mayors. Maybe this is media bias and they aren't reporting accurately on this, but I kinda' doubt it.

It wasn't beer at lunch, it was a couple of bottles of vodka.

The police can't release the video, it's part of an ongoing court case and only the judge can authorize it's release.

Building consensus is important btw, he's actually had trouble getting his agenda pushed thru because after his first 6-8 months he often isn't able to build enough support on council, an example would be the 2012 budget. I have to concede your attendance point, you are right on that http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2012...d_millers.html

Not sure how you can say it's the media that is exaggerating things, they are quoting police interviews conducted with former and in some cases current mayoral staff. Granted many of the allegations haven't been proven, although he has admitted to many of them. I guess it is possible that is staff is lying.

Anyway as I say, you aren't going to convince me and I'm not going to convince you... so if I guess it's one of them agree to disagree situations! Maybe politicians should be more like hockey players, I'd trade Ford to ya for that Nenshi guy, he seems alright!

[Rockheart]

We obviously aren't going to agree, I think if you had lived thru the last few years of Rob Ford you would realize you are minimizing a lot of his transgressions. At one point there comes a time when even an elected official should be removed if they aren't doing their job, I feel that point has been reached. Some people don't feel that way, a poll indicates 76% of people in Toronto feel he should take a leave of absence or resign, so he does have a core of supporters that feel he should stay on. http://www.cp24.com/news/ford/most-w...says-1.1540734

The LRT project was in the suburbs btw, not the core, and I agree in the core we should have underground transit, the streetcars in the core aren't effective.

I never said I thought being the mayor was easy, Ford unlike previous mayor's doesn't release his schedule so the press gets it retroactively via FOI requests. Based on those requests he seems to have a light work load compared to previous mayors. Maybe this is media bias and they aren't reporting accurately on this, but I kinda' doubt it.

It wasn't beer at lunch, it was a couple of bottles of vodka.

The police can't release the video, it's part of an ongoing court case and only the judge can authorize it's release.

Building consensus is important btw, he's actually had trouble getting his agenda pushed thru because after his first 6-8 months he often isn't able to build enough support on council, an example would be the 2012 budget. I have to concede your attendance point, you are right on that http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2012...d_millers.html

Not sure how you can say it's the media that is exaggerating things, they are quoting police interviews conducted with former and in some cases current mayoral staff. Granted many of the allegations haven't been proven, although he has admitted to many of them. I guess it is possible that is staff is lying.

Anyway as I say, you aren't going to convince me and I'm not going to convince you... so if I guess it's one of them agree to disagree situations!

Those suburbs are now the core from what i have seen from Toronto, essentially anything inside the airport radius.
All i am saying is this is what elections are for, municipal issues.
You want LRT, you vote for the LRT guy.
YOu want subway, you vote for the subway candidate.
He won the election on this type of stuff and he was prudent at getting his way.
You can't march down to city hall and lynch the Mayor because he puts in subways.

Nothing so far is enough to remove him from his democratically elected office.
Drinking well show me that no other people at city hall are not drinking martinis at lunch.
There is no context to anything, what if it was actually his day off or he had some vacation to burn off, who knows.
People on Salary like this have flexibility, he spends way more than 8 hours working, it doesn't always have to be when you think it should be. How many documents do you think he has to read at home?

A poll is not an election, you cannot quote them as truth.
Other polls say his popularity is up.

Anway, I am not disagreeing with you on any political or municipal point,
I am just describing alternative paradigms that are realistic.

Unless he is convicted of murder or extortion or embezzlement he should stay in office.
Or he goes to jail for some reason, leaving him unable to do his duty.
The council is wasting tax dollars and time that could be spent doing business, Ford is right there ready to do business.
He has no choice to sue them even though he knows it will cost taxpayers, because there is a good chance he is right.

[Alexis]

Robby is awesome!

Rob Ford is fucking funny..

Why the fuck he got voted in.. not too sure..

Torontonians need to pay more attention..

I commend him for being honest these days..

Should he step down.. hell no.. lol..

He got voted in and Toronto is just gonna have to enjoy the limelight..

As I recall.. my dad used to drink with Ralph Klein when he was mayor of Calgary..

They both had to be poured into a cab on more than one occasion..

Ralphy the drunk he was then proceeded to get elected as premier of Alberta and ruled for several consecutive terms as the best premier Alberta ever had..

Including his multiple trips to rehab to stop drinking..

Which he never did..

[Mike72]

Hey...

Buffoon and criminal come to mind.
I mean, the list is endless: assaulting three staff members, assaulting his wife, sexual assault (grabbing Sarah Thomson's butt... and that is sexual assault), drinking while driving, cocaine abuse, alcoholism, homophobia, transphobic comments, racism, sexism etc., etc.
Oh, hanging out with criminal gangs....
Anything else -- ha ha!
People voted for him 'cause they were sick and tired of government officials abusing so-called taxpayers. (I mean, we aren't citizens or human beings. We've been reduced to little else than taxpayers/consumers. And mass consumption is great for the environment and thus future generations -- )
So he capitalized on that. And, too, politicians are sold to us like brands of toothpaste or cans of Pepsi. It's ALL advertising and marketing. Nothing else.
Political actors want the populace to be uninformed. So they want uninformed voters making irrational choices. Much like in the so-called market. Whereby corporations want uninformed consumers making irrational choices.
Now if you've taken an economics course you'll know that in order for markets to work, to be efficient, you need informed consumers making rational choices. But corporations work to undercut that. So therefore we've inefficient markets... and one could argue inefficient politicians.

[handpuppetboy]

Well, this is not the way to frame it Shyla, IMO.

We can also have the leader type who doesn't smoke crack etc. I understand where your argument is coming from, but when someone choose to be at that level of public administration then they must at least maintain some decorum. This is one point.

The other point, which is far worse, is that he "repeatedly lied" about the issue. IMO, he would have had more respect if he came out and admitted the whole issue when it came out initially.

Last, the activity he engaged in is illegal by all means. Officially he could be convicted on this one! This is not similar to a personal matter that is judged by society. It is not like having an affair with another woman etc. Or like Jack Layton and the massage parlor event.

Very well said. I agree with you on this. He should have come clean right from the beginning.

[Shyla Wild]

I am shocked at how naive people are when it comes to politicians. Honest politicians? There has NEVER been an honest politician. By up front with the people? What planet is this from? We have not had a decent leader in this country since Trudeau, the US since JFK....

Look at Obama with his healthcare system....it will never get done. I have said this before, and I will say it again. It stopped being "we the people" a long time ago.

Take a look at the corruption in Montreal...heads are rolling left and right, because of unions, kickbacks, and the people in office.

[dom r]

I believe there should be no mayors, prime ministers or presidents, let the individual, indiividuals and society groups run the country if they care to but since he is mayor, if he is able to preform his job duty then its no one's G D business what he smokes or does in his personel life. Its this kind of fascist and controlling mind frame we have in Canada and USA where they dont hire a woman as a teacher if she was or is a stripper or a man if he did or does gay porno or a mayor if he did or does drugs, to say theyre not suitable to or cant preform their job duties based on their past or present personel life WHEN THEY CAN is discrimination and those who fire or dont hire a person for this reason ARE THE ONES that should be fired.

And it was funny what Rob Ford said on tv, a woman yelled out to him and said "eat my pussy" then he said on tv, "I dont do that with any woman because I eat plenty of pussy at home". HE SAID THAT RIGHT ON TV, HAHAHA.

[Rockheart]

I am shocked at how naive people are when it comes to politicians. Honest politicians? There has NEVER been an honest politician. By up front with the people? What planet is this from? We have not had a decent leader in this country since Trudeau, the US since JFK....

Look at Obama with his healthcare system....it will never get done. I have said this before, and I will say it again. It stopped being "we the people" a long time ago.

Take a look at the corruption in Montreal...heads are rolling left and right, because of unions, kickbacks, and the people in office.

Well I think it has alot to do with your popularity, looks and charisma.

If you are a bad boy but you are good looking and charismatic like JFK or Bill Clinton.
People will just think you are a just cute and misbehavin' a bit.

If are a big fat guy with hard political views.
Well nobody will think you are just cute, and probably think the worst.

Plus, if the women are not on your side, you are in trouble.
JFK or Billy grabs your ass it is fun and sexy,
Rob grabs your ass and it is rape and assault.

Any woman meeting JFK or Clinton in private will find their panties on the floor.
Any woman meeting Ford in private will find their panties in a knot!

As i have said, Ford was doing his job better than most.
He just is rough around the edges, but that is the voters fault.
It ain't Ford's fault nobody finds his hijinks cute.

[cobbler]

The basic flaw in your argument is your assertion that Ford was doing his job properly. He isn't by any measure a competent mayor. All of the supposed fighting for the little guy is false. Property taxes keep going up, and services continue to be cut. I live in this city, and have done for 56 years, and I have never seen such disarray in our local government. The mere fact that the police had to target him for surveillance due to his alleged associations with organized crime figures points to a creeping rot. He won the election because too many citizens chose not to vote, thinking Ford wouldn't win, so what's the worry? Well he did win, and the last three years has seen the city pay the price. I do care what he smokes and how often he drinks. Once you take an oath of office you are no longer a private citizen.

[toban]

FORD is still slopping the gravy around!

I do not believe he has come anywhere near doing what he promised Torontonians. Unfortunately he has covered himself with a very heavy coating of that very same gravy he was reportedly going to put a stop to! Without trying to think of some recent gravy spills here’s a few that easily came to my mind without hardly trying!

Using his $1,900,000.00 personal “office budget” he is still passing the family sized gravy boat, and it's a big one:

- hired assistant football coaching staff for his much touted high-school football team and also provided city vehicles for their use. Isn’t this pure gravy, the very kind he pledged to stop?

- Provided a city bus throwing it’s paying passengers out into the rain, so his football team wouldn’t get wet!! Isn’t this pure gravy , the very kind he pledged to stop?

- just days ago provided $5,000.00 bonuses for each of his 19 member personal office staff. Isn’t this pure gravy , the very kind he pledged to stop?

- according to recent reports found within police files, frequently used those very same staffers who got big $5000.00 bonuses to pick up or deliver his gravy stained laundry and to shop for his workaday vodka micky’s. Isn’t this pure gravy, the very kind he pledged to stop?