City
What happens to Rob Ford now?
Rob Ford's first stint as mayor came to a screeching halt today barely halfway through his four-year term of office. Justice Charles Hackland, a Superior Court judge, ruled the mayor breached the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act by voting on an item at council in which he had a pecuniary interest earlier this year. As a result, he ordered Ford removed from office within 14 days.
So what happens now? Rob Ford has already vowed to fight "tooth and nail" against the decision by launching a formal appeal. Initiating that process will likely delay his removal beyond the two-week transition period prescribed by the judge for several months until his appeal can be heard and considered.
It's not clear whether Ford has good grounds for an appeal. Afterall, the judge left little room for ambiguity when he said the mayor's actions were "characterized by ignorance of the law and a lack of diligence in securing professional advice, amounting to wilful ignorance."
Hackland said Ford "failed to show his contraventions of the MCIA were the result of a good faith error in judgement." The rules don't allow for much leeway in terms of punishment.
There are some grey areas in the 24-page ruling, though. No-one is quite sure yet whether Ford would be allowed to participate in a by-election to fill his vacant seat if council decides not to appoint a replacement from within. Since Justice Hackland could find no reason to ban Ford from seeking re-election there's a reasonable chance the Etobicoke councillor's name will be on a ballot again between now and 2014.
In the words of councillor Giorgio Mammoliti, who resigned his position on the mayor's executive committee in the aftermath of today's decision, apparently on the advice of his constituents, it's going to be a "rocky road over next few months."
Council is due back in session at 9:30 tomorrow morning. Rob Ford has already said he won't be there: his Don Bosco Eagles are playing for the Metro Bowl at the Rogers Centre. Business as usual for the man at the top of the pile a little while longer.
Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.
Photo: "ROB FORD EX MAYOR" by AshtonPal in the blogTO Flickr pool.
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Or he could admit his mistakes like people with strength and dignity. This is what happens when weaklings deceive their way to the top. Short term gains, while sacrificing the big picture.
And that's why he won't win another election for mayor. People might forgive someone who is contrite. They won't likely do so for someone who says "yeah sure, I broke the rules and i would do so next time and the time after. It's all a left-wing conspiracy". That might play with his base who would vote for him no matter what, but it's an insult to the thousands of people who voted for him in good faith. It's Rob Ford's way of telling his base that they're stupid. And that is stupid.
Oh my god, I almost choked laughing at this! Talk about a breach of ethics!
Thinks this is a travisty
sorry MR Ford for how you are treated
This is becoming the new way of life for toronto
But then again, if Mr. Ford had a better knack at doing the right thing, he wouldn't be in this predicament today.
The man is not only willfully ignorant, but arrogant, a really bad combination. He did this to himself. Don't blame the downtowners or the lefties or the pinkos or anyone but ROB FORD.
The worst parts about all of this are that: (1) they make it seem like some left wing conspiracy perpetrated with help by an Ontario Superior Court judge and (2) they somehow believe that the courts in our system of governance can't overrule an elected official. The 2nd point is especially disgusting, because it either means that they don't have any respect for our court system or they have no idea what the Judiciary's role is in our democratic society and system of governence.
http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/06/toronto_garbage_strike_smells_like_summer/
look how many people were against the unions. Now all you wankers are happy the only person who did aything about Garbage removal is out of office. Oh and save the city 80million over 7yrs.
Wish he had more time to remove the Land Transfer Tax that Miller implemented
He should NOT be Mayor again because he does not even know or respect his responsibilities as Mayor. This wasn't one mistake. It was a series of mistakes piling up. Do you not understand this?
He might have good intentions, but don't we all? If I don't perform my job duties and admit that I never read the employee manual, I should be fired. My boss won't rehire me because I have good intentions and give them any reason to think I'll make a better effort next time.
Rob Ford doesn't understand what he did wrong. Rob Ford is way over his head, and should go back to his sticker factory and coaching football.
This man is not qualified to be Mayor. High School football coach? Yes, he's qualified. Mayor of the largest city in Canada? No bloody way.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&;v=nySs1cEq5rs
and tell me you still respect him? There are people who help kids every day 365 days a year not just a few football games and you haven't even heard of them.
He was suppose to be the Mayor of one of the biggest cities in Canada. I'm glad he is out.
http://youtu.be/nySs1cEq5rs
Privatizing everything, won't make up that difference. The only solution left is a massive property tax hike, but since Ford was anti-tax, that won't work. Oh, Ford could have gone to Queen's Park, cap in hand, but he ridiculed Miller for doing that.
It's great to say, it's a bad idea, but unless you have a good solution you are just pissing in the wind.
If you can provide a plan i'll agree that we can eliminate the transfer tax, oh, the plan needs to be sustainable over the long term.
Seriously, are people f'ing blind, deaf, and dumb?
There's nothing wrong with a conservative politician being elected, but seriously people - you can do A LOT better.
As others have pointed out Rob Ford could have stopped it many times but did not as he felt he was above the rules. Rob Ford is his own worst enemy.
Meanwhile mayor Hazel McCallion was found not guilty of the same conflict of interest laws. From what I've read, she didn't vote on anything, but simply pushed for a deal that her son would benefit. The judge's ruling asked for the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act to be expanded in include what McCallion was doing. However, under the current law, she could not be found guilty.
The same can be said of his brother.
Also, why couldn't the school that the football game was held at make sure that the players had a place to change and get clean in, rather than rick pneumonia AND urinary track infections by going home on a bus in wet clothes?
At any rate, I'm glad that Ford might be on his way out.
Nobody is saying that the work he does with kids isn't good or important, but if that's where his heart truly lies, then he should commit himself to it 100%, and leave the job of running the nation's largest city to someone who will actually make it their #1 priority.
Furthermore, this is not about whether the money was "for the kids" or not. Yesterday during a particularly self-serving interview, I heard big brother Doug repeat that over and over, without once acknowledging that Rob broke the law. Even when pressed by Arlene Bynon, who is VERY sympathetic to the Fords, he just kept dodging the issue. REGARDLESS of what the money was for, the manner in which it was raised, and his subsequent actions placed him in a conflict-of-interest. That, and only that, is what this case, and the verdict, are about.
Ironically, David Miller who is always painted as a "latte sipping, downtown socialist" was primarily raised by a single mother and earned his way into the best schools through hard work and ability. Yet the Fords, quite falsely, continue to cultivate their "man-of-the-people" persona. Rob Ford doesn't understand the poor, because he's never been one of them. But I wouldn't expect anything as inconvenient as facts to hold any sway over the members of "Ford Nation". "Well, he says he's one of us, so it must be true." It's not.
Youtube: Song: "Please come home for Christmas" by Charles Brown. Enjoy.
"I am also in agreement that the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act should be updated or ammended so that a person will not have to loose their job due to a simple confict of interest"
Oh, so amend the act so one can vote on something pertaining to themselves? Really? Get real! You Ford supporters are so bat shit crazy it isn't even funny. It's ethics, and it's learned at a very young age. One shouldn't even have to read the MCIA to figure out that it's wrong and unethical to participate in a vote that is about you.... smh
This was nothing to do with lefties or anything else but something that Rob did himself by admitting he didn't understand what a conflict of interest was and even when warned repeatedly , continued on course to his own destruction.
What is more surprizing is that so many people believe as he does and blame others for what obviously Ford did to himself.
Right wing media however also choose to ignor facts and back him 100%, with the exception of Joe Wormington a conservative who does understand what has happened here and places blame were it belongs, on Rob Ford.
I don't know what a byelection will produce, I guess it depends who is running but I can be reasonably sure that many former Ford supporters will not vote for him next time.
There is no other explanation.
Anyway , Rod is booted from office and has only himself to blame !
To continue to support this jerk shows you are IGNORANT !
Scary too !
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