Do you see that Mayor Rob Ford's latest is like Iraq attacking Kuwait?
Asked by
flo (
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)
November 18th, 2013
I don’t understand. Is there any other city where this kind of disaster can continue for this long?
here is the latest.
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32 Answers
That’s… more than a little hyperbolic. But yeah, he continues to be a train wreck.
@glacial Is there a city (in America let’s say) where this can happen? Would he not have been recalled?
@flo There is no legal process by which the mayor of Toronto can be recalled. The city has done as much as they can to disable him for the moment, and I think an election will eventually be called. What does it matter if American cities have the power to recall their mayors, if they even do?
@glacial because countries learn from each other’s mistakes.
I’m not sure how that applies to this situation.
In any case, recall elections are kind of a double-edged sword. Sometimes, they work for the electorate, and sometimes against. Consider what happened in this case.
No I see it like Charlton Hesston , “you can take this job from my cold dead hands.’
@talljasperman Yeah, they just might, though. The guy’s not very stable.
“Earlier, the mayor took off running after brother Doug Ford got into a verbal argument with the crowd,hitting veteran Councillor Pam McConnell, knocking her backwards, before catching her and helping her steady herself. McConnell, a grandmother, would later be seen in council icing her lip”
That must have been interesting to watch…Hizzoner tackling a grandmother and fellow pol.
“City Council is composed of the Mayor and 44 Councillors who make decisions on behalf of their constituents.”
@glacial; Still, tackling and upending a 60 (plus) year-old woman in the Council chamber is not that common a sight.
Is he not stable? Or is he stable enough to just manipulate the system to make himself famous.
I personally think as soon as the stress of mayor got to him he found an outlet. He’s a big sweaty disgusting guy. And unfortunately when guys looking that physically unhealthy sweaty and beat red face taking drugs and drinking alcohol usually die in the night from heart problems due to overdose of drugs. And if he gets help before that he will most likely have heart and health issues.
So he really is digging his own grave. He may not want to step down politely, but one time if he doesn’t quit his shenanigans he may fall down and not get back up. This guy reminds me of Belushi and Farley.
I actually think he is enjoying himself now.
I live about 2 hrs from Toronto. The city closest to me had it’s own issues with the mayor too. It’s by far perfect.
@glacial: Do things ever get that rowdy in Montreal? This looks more like Canadian ice hockey than municipal government.
(its)
The American press will find anything to report as long as they do not have to report on the Obamacare catastrophe. And, incredibly, Americans are taking the bait.
Assuming you are American, what do you care about the mayor of Torona?
If you think the story matters, you are evading the great story of the moment which is the debacle that is Obamacare.
It is a terrific study of sticking ones head into the sand.
@gailcalled I guess you haven’t been following our politics. Municipal politicians here have been in the pockets of the mafia for years. The recent investigation dominates the headlines on pretty much a daily basis.
@josie Flo is a Canadian, as are many Fluther members. If anything, Obamacare is a distraction for us.
Mayor Ford’s a mess all right but south of the 49th Parallel we sure ain’t got much to brag about.
@glacial; I understand but usually don’t they beat up little old ladies in private?
@gailcalled No, rather than pushing little old ladies, there are discreet executions.
Side note: please educate me. Are Canadians not allowed to speak ill about officials? or is that (edited city) thing some sort of inside joke?
Never watch the 6pm news in Canada while eating dinner, you’re bound to lose your supper. I almost did :X
From @glacial‘s link about the Charbonneau Commission.
“Resignation of Laval mayor Gilles Vaillancourt: in October 2012 police searched two of Vaillancourt’s residences, municipal buildings, and safety deposit boxes rented by Vaillancourt. On 24 October Vaillancourt announced that he would be temporarily leaving his function as mayor for health reasons. On 9 November he resigned as mayor, denying all of the corruption allegations against him. On May 9, 2013 he was arrested at his home by the police and charged with gangsterism.
Resignation of Montreal mayor Gérald Tremblay on November 5, 2012 as a direct result of revelations made in the Commission.
Resignation of Montreal interim-mayor Michael Applebaum on June 18, 2013 after his arrest and 14 criminal charges stemming from activities linked to companies central to the Commission’s testimony.
My dear Canadian friends. Careful what you wish for. Rob Ford swept into the Mayor’s office on a wave of revulsion for rampant corruption within the city’s government going back decades. He actually did a good job of cleaning that up. Popular though it may be in the breathless, thoughtless world of media frenzies, the City Council’s move to strip the mayor’s office of virtually all authority will likely mean the city goes right back to the corrupt practices of the past and that next time, it will be much more difficult find anyone who can fix the problem.
@ETpro I’m not familiar with Toronto having a huge history corruption (though it’s not my city, so I don’t follow their politics too closely). However, it’s clear that Ford and his cronies are extremely corrupt (his immediate family have been dealing drugs for decades), and we all expect further revelations as he is ushered out of office. Being a good conservative, he utters loudly at every opportunity that he has “saved the city a billion dollars”, and his followers believe him completely, even though this claim has been roundly debunked.
The reason why Ford occurred has less to do with the people feeling “revulsion for rampant corruption” than it does with the recent merger of Toronto with its sprawling suburban regions (which were once towns in their own right) to create one large city. Now the “popular vote” is no longer the city of Toronto at all – it’s the people who fled the city to live at its outskirts. These are more conservative people, who have no interest in making Toronto a liveable place; they want to see cuts to everything that supports a thriving, living city centre. This is why public transit in Toronto is becoming an outmoded disaster, for example.
So Ford calls himself a “man of the people”, portrays himself as a working man’s hero against the fancy liberals who are spending all the money, then says he’ll save them a ton of it by cutting all the “unnecessary” city services (because his voters don’t actually live in the city), then claims he’s done it – when in fact it’s all just bullshit.
@glacial Just repeating what I heard in the US press. I should know better. Probably a Faux Noise story that the major networks ran with unchecked. The story claimed Ford was a populist liberal, not a conservative. Nothing more than American right-wing media attempting to claim that all right-wing abuses are really the work of liberals. Sorry I didn’t check more deeply before believing the vast right-wing noise machine’s propaganda.
@ETpro No doubt to Americans, all Canadians seem like liberals… but I assure you there are plenty who have their ears pressed against the border for tips from the Republican/Tea Party playbooks.
@glacial You have my sincere sympathies.
Washington D.C.’s Mayor Marian Barry was a disappointment to the city for many years. He also got caught smoking crack. Yet for many years Barry was able to hold several political appointments.
@3easychords That happens to be one of the things that don’t make sense.
Invest in Washington, make Washington your home, visit Washington because we have Marion Barry, a convicted balh blah blah Washington/America is not using that as a selling point.
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