Re: Rob Ford Again
 

Allegedly Rob hasn't hd a drink for almost 3 weeks and not smoked crack since last year. He is a good friend of Jim Flaherty and a couple of weeks ago Flaherty was visibly distressed when asked about Ford in an interview which was a tipping point for Ford.

What Torontonians need to ask is did Ford do the job he promised to do. Has he saved the city money and got rid of some of the things he said he would.
Love him or hate him some TO residents think he has done a goo job as opposed to David Miller and Mel Lastman and they voted for him.
Sure his actions have brought the media spotlight on Toronto in a less than ideal way and the residents can now say they are the centre of the Universe.

Actions aside is he a good Mayor?

Re: Rob Ford Again
 

I no sweet bugger all about his guy

But when i think of the scandal-plagued Montreal and Laval administrations and what this bloody mess has cost our area of the world, plus we have an ongoing anti-corruption investigation, plus the nightmare in the senate in nearby Ottawa, I truly can't help having some sympathy for Ford.

Who knows what his legacy will be? There is no hint of personal dishonesty and that is a refreshing change for any politician. Indeed he seems to have saved taxpayers money.

I can recall, at least a couple of occasions where politicians went over the line

1. Clinton and the stained dress legacy after he had gotten an up close and intensely personal encounter with Monica.

2. Nixon and the inept Watergate break in and the even more stupid cover up attempt.

Thinking back, at my ripe old age on past events, both these guys were vilified way back then, but in my view over time their reputations were not really tarnished

Re: Rob Ford Again
 

Ford seemed to be saying he was being attacked on personal issues as "they" couldn't get him on his performance as mayor. From a clip they showed later it seems like one of the councillors was a drink driver who got away without being charged.

The councillors come over as a rather supercilious snotty nosed bunch who want business as usual. If it's necessary for someone like Ford to be around to shake things up a bit then perhaps it's worth putting up with the other stuff.

Re: Rob Ford Again
 

Personal dishonesty, as opposed to impersonal? What's the distinction?

No hint of dishonesty? Lying about drug use, the video, drink driving. Using city time and letterheads when fund raising for his football team? Does any of that count as dishonest?

Oh and an interesting thing. He has a conviction in Florida for DUI which would make him inadmissable as an immigrant but not, it seems, as mayor

Re: Rob Ford Again
 

Oh it all counts, but taken individually still not murder or robbing the church poor-box. The premier of BC had a DUI on holiday in Hawaii 10 or so years ago and while embarrassing it wasn't the end of his career. Ford didn't get a DUI at home either, didn't have his license revoked, but admitted to driving after a few beers. Throwing vodka bottles in the trash from his car may mean there's more to it, but doesn't prove he drank it all at once, or while driving. His alleged association with criminal elements is the dangerous bit - you don't want the mafia or the HA getting their hooks into the mayor of the largest city in the second largest country in the world. Again, I use the recent corruption scandal in Montreal's city hall as an example. If the mayor gets bent it's all too easy for the police department to follow

Re: Rob Ford Again
 

The word 'personal' was redundant on my part. Point is that he did not have his hand in the till.

Not so far as we know.

His lying about drugs and driving while intoxicated and other shenanighans are hardly to be excused and could be construed as being dishonest of course.

His use of letterheads is a minor issue. He meant well and it was for a good cause.

I look at him as what his effect has been on taxpayers.

This in sharp contrast to our local scandals, Montreal and Laval, and widespread corruption in municipal govt. which has cost us here a few millions.

In that respect Toronto is lucky, Ford or no Ford .

Crazy as it may seem he may well win re-election next time unless something very drastic happens.

Re: Rob Ford Again
 

My property taxes (in Toronto) have gone through the roof under Ford. He's not a tax reducer but a tax rearranger, he's moving the tax burden away from the suburbs to the city. In terms of taxes he's a bad Mayor if you live in Toronto proper, less so if you live in Etobicoke or Scarborough. In that regard he's a new Mike Harris. His major policy platform though isn't taxes but transit, he's anti-transit, anti-bicycle, pro-Escalade; primarily he's the Mayor who promotes traffic jams. I suppose that's fine if you pass the time at the wheel having a few jello shots.

Re: Rob Ford Again
 

I think you will be hard pushed to find a politician that hasn't done something silly whilst on vacation..be it pulling a "diva" or as mentioned DUI.

Any good lawyer will fight the vodka bottles from the car allegations, unless you saw him drink out of the bottle, and then throw them out (facts and evidence not hearsay), then it won't stick.

The Montreal mayor-mafia link has been going on for years, I mean the mafia has all the construction contracts in their back pockets, and you know some envelope exchange had to be going on.

If you think the police department is not corrupt, then perhaps you are being dishonest to yourself. Be it the vice squad or the drug task force.

I mean if Mulroney was dumbed enough to receive money in an envelope on camera to put in words for the German fella arms dealer to get citizenship, what is stopping other politicians.

Oh....and then there is spouses of politicians too using their partner's connection to take bribes....remember Jaffri and his politician wife a few years ago?

Re: Rob Ford Again
 

I'd forgotten about Jaffri. The emptys being chucked like that suggest he's hiding it I suppose, and iirc Montreal's had to clean out their police force several times, has Toronto? Having access to police information must be extremely attractive to criminals.

Re: Rob Ford Again
 

I don't think so. That's just how things are done here.

Re: Rob Ford Again
 

I put all my bottles in a milk crate and recycle them, but if I was Rob Ford I might peddle them out to public trash cans so the Star reporter going through my trash doesn't find them.

Re: Rob Ford Again
 

What about the violence? The 911 calls from his home, his comments re cyclists, HIV infection??

Re: Rob Ford Again
 

Montreal might have done "spring cleaning" of its police department several time, don't for a second think corruption is still not rampant, and that the mafia-contract awarding by the city link has disappeared.

There is a lot of cover in the Toronto police, going back to the time of Julian Fantino, who is now in politics....cops are put on paid leave for over a year or more, only to be reinstated.

Then there is Vancouver...a different can of worm

Re: Rob Ford Again
 

This is no different to some ordinary citizens...I mean we have people on here making comments about "Asian students" attending U of T :confused:

Politicians are just citizens too, that some of us happen to have voted into public office. They are not role models, just like atheletes shouldn't been seen as role models for peoples kids

Re: Rob Ford Again
 

Ford is like an ordinary Canadian citizen. The people who vote for him identify with him because he looks and behaves as they do. He's the hog Mayor of Hogtown.

We should expect better of politicians.