City
6 Toronto mayors who behaved badly before Ford
Although Rob Ford makes headlines for his questionable behaviour more often than his constituents might like, if you look over Toronto's history since its incorporation back in 1834, you'll find that we've had an array of colourful characters as mayors over the years.
There's been a murderer, a thief, a torturer, a traitor and a mayor who beat up councillors he didn't like. Let's take a quick look at some of Toronto's more colourful municipal leaders.
JOHN POWELL
A month before taking office in 1838 as Toronto's fifth mayor, John Powell shot and killed Captain Anthony Anderson. He'd been involved in suppressing William Lyon MacKenzie's rebellion of 1837. After successfully killing one of the rebels, Powell turned the gun on Toronto's first mayor, Mackenzie, but the piece jammed. Powell was (perhaps surprisingly) admired for this act of violence back then and took office shortly thereafter.
HENRY SHERWOOD
Mackenzie, seemingly always the centre of attention, also had his home broken into by another mayor. Henry Sherwood was the 7th mayor of Toronto and reportedly had 18 children. He carried out a home invasion in 1826, breaking into MacKenzie's home and newspaper offices. Along with his drunken mob, he destroyed the printing press and dumped into Toronto harbor.
SAM MCBRIDE
Imagine if Ford took a swing at Stintz during the transit debate? When Sam McBride was mayor, he was known to beat up councillors he didn't like, swatting them with council agendas.
GEORGE GURNETT
But that's not even the most extreme form of violence attributed to Toronto's political figures. Consider George Gurnett, who tortured an opposition candidate with tar-and-feathering. The victim was stripped, then had boiling tar poured all over his body. To add insult to injury, he was then rolled in chicken feathers and upon attempting to peel off the feathers afterwards, he'd inevitably peel off his own skin.
ALLAN LAMPORT
In other political malfeasances, Allan Lamport was known for his partying ways. He spent $373,000 over two years on liquor, cigars, gourmet dinners and room service in a Royal York Hotel suite, all paid for by city taxpayers. And considering it was the 1950s, that certainly wasn't considered chump change. I guess you could call Lamport the inventor of the gravy train.
GEORGE MONRO
George Monro got the job because of a sex scandal, although it had nothing to do with him (imagine if Adam Giambrone had that kind of twisted luck). The previous mayor, John Powell (the same one who shot and killed the rebel), had put up one of his properties for sublet, to be used as a brothel. Council removed him immediately and Monro got the job by default.
A post in public office goes hand in hand with the criticism of your constituents, and rightly so if you're engaging in corruption, but back then it was a time of lawlessness. And despite all this, no mayor was ever, formally, in jeopardy of losing his title.
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I'm not a Ford supporter but I don't live downtown and I'm not trying to defend anyone here.
However I think one GOOD thing to come out of Ford's election is that maybe its citizens are starting to realize just how big Toronto actually is and how difficult it is now and how hard it will be in the future for everyone to work together to solve all of the issues the city as a WHOLE are dealing with.
I appreciate the fun concept of the post, but let's face it, Ford is by far the most inept, underskilled and underwhelming mayor of modern Toronto.
City Hall as dysfunctional as it is, is running better and more to the will of the people than under the control freak ideologues of the previous regime.
If you need a reminder, think garbage strike, constant fare increases for the TTC and the hiring of kids to knock on doors to see if the resident owns a cat or a dog so she can be forced to get a license for it.
You do know that Toronto's budget and debt both increased 50% under Miller right?
My best example for Ford is the light rail system that will be installed on Eglington. I live on St. Clair and I saw first hand the chaos the renovations did to the street for the street cars there, the businesses it affected/closed. The trees on the street were replaced by street lights, traffic is MUCH worse and it didn't really improve transit much at all. I would have loved to have a subway installed instead, even if it took longer and cost more. Why the hell did city counsellors vote against a subway for Eglington? My best guess, cause Ford supported it. By the time the light rail system is finished, transit volumes will require a subway which then can't be built until its then too late. The city now owns the machine that digs the subway, why not put it to use! Its cheaper then it ever was to build subways!
This is why I hate politics, its all pointless and a waste of tax payer dollars. Ford at least seems like he's trying to make a difference.
It's always nice to cite the source of all your info...which is, of course:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/torontomayoralrace/article/745194--toronto-s-mayors-scoundrels-rogues-and-socialists
Most people don't realize that interesting and colourful Mayors of Toronto include:
A murderer: one who cold bloodedly murdered someone a month before being selected mayor (and it made him even more popular);
Mayor Goerge Gurnett, yes, actually conducted human torture;
There was a suspected tax cheat;
A mayor who took part in a home invasion;
Our friend Allan "Lampy" Lamport who, over a period of two years, spent the equivalent today of $396,000. (in today's 2012 equivalent dollars), on booze, steaks, champagne, wine, cocktails, gourmet dinners, liquor, room service, and lavish parties in a suite at the Royal York, all paid for by the city taxpayers, but with NO prior council approval, authorization, or knowledge (prompting a judicial enquiry);
A mayor who was going insane from syphilis while still in office; also jailed for three months for contempt of court;
Yes, our friend Henry Sherwood, with 18 children, he cried poor, yet died on a luxury vacation to Europe (without the kids, of course);
A mayor arrested, thrown in jail without bail for four months, stood trial for high treason; and had to flee the country and live outside Canada for years a political refugee;
A mayor for just 50 days;
The the first one to propose a subway syatem for Toronto - and yes it only took another 45 years to build;
A mayor who was often written about in the newspaper by Ernest Hemingway (but Hemingway sure didn't like him);
A mayor who was the city editor of a major Toronto daily newspaper when he ran for mayor;
One who took out a gun and tried to murder a prior mayor (but the gun failed);
The Protestant bigot mayor who was the world's highest official, the Imperial (World) President, of the Loyal Orange Lodge;
The mayor who died on the ice -- playing hockey -- against the City Hall Press Gallery, no less;
The mayor who was living in Montreal when he became mayor ... and didn't even make it back to town for another month;
The mayor who brought Sunday sports and recreation to Toronto (the city swing-sets were padlocked every Sunday, up until then and kids on toboggans could be, and often were, arrested);
The mayor who issued a slur against Catholics on his mayoral City letterhead no less. He lost soon after;
The mayor who was the wealthiest man in Toronto when he became mayor;
Yes, Sam McBride who simply beat up councillors he didn't like;
The mayor who was the father of Canadian pharmacare and medicare (also the only doctor to be the city's mayor);
The mayor who lost after being photographed getting into his own (equivalent value today of $52,000) chauffeur-driven luxury limo, and it was noted he'd only paid $201 in income taxes the year before;
The mayor was defeated for buying a major piece of public art (one that's now worth millions);
The mayor who was an anti-vice, anti-racket, anti-liquor, anti-prostitution, bible thumping moral crusader and social reformer (and Board of Trade President) who coined the term "Toronto the Good", but he was booted off council by a judge;
The mayors who came from the outside -- six of in fact -- with NO prior city council experience;
As mentioned, the mayor who got the job because of a sex scandal, but it wasn't even his scandal: the prior mayor (seeking to returned) had out rented out a house he owned to the city's most notorious hooker. Ooops;
The mayors who were (gasp!) socialists -- just 5 of the 64 -- backed by the left, unions, and NDP (or predecessor the CCF).