City
Twitter reaction to Doug Ford's dream of ultimate mayoral authority
A day after it was revealed that the mayor's office has something of a plan to build a Sheppard Avenue subway extension via (as yet unsecured) private financing, comments made by Doug Ford to a Globe and Mail reporter regarding the nuisance that city council poses to the mayor have dominated municipal politics discourse today. The statements in question have been widely quoted by now, but just for the record, this one sums up his position quite well. "I believe in a strong mayor system, like they have in the States. The mayor should have veto power ... so he has enough power to stop council."
Insofar as subway funding and the direction that "Transportation City" takes will continue to occupy the media as more specific information comes to light, I tend to doubt that Doug Ford's plan was to direct attention away from yesterday's news. So why say it then? Well, I would assume he made these comments because, here and now (i.e. while his brother is the mayor), he would indeed love to be able to by-pass council.
It's probably not really necessary to explain why this is problematic, particularly when one considers how frustrating such a situation would have been to his brother when he was a lowly councillor during David Miller's mayoralty. So let's see what the #TOpoli people on Twitter had to say about today's developments. Sure, the follwing reaction is bound to bear a left-wing slant, but that's what makes it funny. After all, how could such remarks be taken seriously in the first place.
@blogTO I'm with Doug Ford on this: I wish Councillor Doug Ford had no say in anything. #TOpoli
Karen Simpson
karen_lizzie
@DougFord is on to something we need to adjust. Mayor should have veto power over LEFTWING KOOKERY. #topoli
Sattva Namaste
Sattva01
@blogTO Nice to see Ford has been paying attention to the recent Middle East situation. Give us more of a reason, Doug. #TOpoli
Kris Law
thekrislaw
So the Globe thinks Doug is the real mayor. But who is the puppet master of Doug? Harris? #topoli
Iain Cullen
iainwith_2_eyes
@blogTO
Ford wanted to decrease the size of #TOCouncil, just didn't think he meant down to one.
KEN WOOD
KenWood_ward18
Why would we give a mayor veto power if he didn't even get a majority of the votes of citizens? Maybe we should address that first. #TOpoli
Jake Tobin Garrett
jaketobin
@blogTO If Doug Ford loves American politics so much, he can go live there #TOpoli
Ashlei B.
ashlei_bee
Note to Doug Ford: the current "weak mayor" system is OUR veto power. It protects us from incompetents like you & your brother. #TOpoli
Chris Moorehead
cjmoorehead
For the record: the only thing I ever veto'd as mayor was my choice of sandwich at lunchtime. Council voted for whitefish, I wanted lox.
Nathan Phillips
MayorNPhillips
In a shocking development, the Fords have me all ragey today. #TOpoli #StrongArmFatHead
Jonathan Robson
Robsonian
The Fords would have cried bloody murder if @iamdavidmiller had a veto. What makes it right now? http://bit.ly/hWcf4L #TOpoli #TOcouncil
Robert Cerjanec
robcer
I'm thinking Doug Ford "didn't come back for you", Toronto - apparently, he came back to turn us into Chicago! #TOpoli
Greg Smith
onshi
Doug Ford is an appalling, offensive hardcore ideologue.http://bit.ly/dXy1d7 #topoli
Anthony Schein
anthonyschein
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Before all the right wingers say it! Derek your anti-fordism is showing. now that we got that out of the way. rofl :p
Sounds a lot like like a dictatorship to me. Right up the Fords' alley as per the conversation the actual mayor (Doug) had with reporters today.
BUT. It will never happen, and not in Rob Fords tenure anyways. Ontario makes to much money of are backs, they will never cut us loose.
A strong mayor system gets things done. Ford would have never been elected Mayor if Toronto had one... he wouldn't of even run. Toronto would of been in a scenario where it's Mayor seat would be more lucrative then being Prime minister.
A Strong mayor can mean a lot of things. Possibly more voting power in council, or a system where a public elected committee works with the Mayor to implement policies.
Toronto needs to be in a position where Ontario is working in the best interests of the GTA not just sucking it dry for cash. New York states goes like this
NYC ----- > <--Albany--> <-----NYC
Not
Queen's Park ----->Toronto
Toronto will never be more than a joke until it can yield the power to govern it's self. Central cities all across the globe either control there own destinies or are in direct power-sharing relationships with the top levels of the state.
Toronto needs more control over its financial position. It needs a share of income tax, it needs a share of a National Transit Strategy and a National Affordable Housing Strategy. A mayor having a veto will not make Toronto a better city, to live in OR in terms of its budget deficit.
"he wouldn't of even run" -- It's "he wouldn't HAVE even run."
"Toronto would of been in a scenario where it's Mayor seat would be more lucrative then being Prime minister." -- Again, it's would HAVE. Not "would of." And it's "scenario where ITS Mayor seat... etc."
Also, what are you talking about when you say "lucrative?" Lucrative means, "producing a great deal of profit." Are you implying our Mayor would make more money in a strong mayor system than the PM? What are you even saying? Because all I'm hearing is, you're either sloppy or too dumb to pass high school English.
Also, it's "THAN" the Prime Minister. Not "then."
I could go on about your misuse of its/it's and there/their, but I think you get the idea. English... love it, learn it, use it.
Like the grifter ex mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, I presume? Who changed bylaws, that no building permits were needed anymore, then built an arena. At the same time, she happened to be building a large house for her family on a lake. Trouble is, that the windows and interior second floor balcony had a remarkable similarity to the ones in the new arena.
Needless to say, there are no records of who the suppliers were for either of those buildings, because of the new bylaw change.
There's a bloody good reason why I live in Canada, not the States, nor the State of Ontario, ever.
I don't suffer bullies well and neither should you [all].
Match the windows and glass balcony for yourselves.
Cite:
www.themudflats.net
or
www.theimmoralminority.blogspot.com
He is a one term mayor for sure. All we can do now is stay in contact with local council and try to keep ford in check. Still need 23 voes to pass things
This isn't a 'American' City system versus a 'Canadian' System... plus age has little to do with it either. Most American Cities are the same age as Toronto. Seoul governance structure didn't materialize till after it's occupation. Melbourne doesn't even have a "Mayor". London governance structure is a complicated mess that somehow works quite well.
But one difference links all of these world class cities together and distances them from Toronto. They all have control over there own destines and have the capacity to raise the necessary funds to build infrastructure and maintain civil services.
@ Spellcheck... I meant lucrative in a power sense. you get more votes for Toronto Mayor then you would to become PM.