Who is Ford family political candidate Michael Ford?
First there was Rob, and then there was Doug, and now there's Michael Ford, the latest in Etobicoke's most famous family to express a desire to hold political office. Late last week, after several months of speculation, the youngest of the Ford clan to dabble in municipal politics filed the necessary papers to run in Ward 2, the area currently represented by his uncle, Doug.
What do we know about Michael Ford? Honestly, very little.
20-year-old Michael Ford is the child of Ennio Stirpe and Kathy Ford, the older sister of mayor Rob and councillor Doug. Ford graduated Richview CI in 2010 and is currently splitting his time between Humber College and Deco Labels and Tags, the Ford family business, where he's listed as an account executive.
Michael is also a counsellor at Camp Kandalore in the Algonquin Highlands and, according to Doug Ford, the holder of a pilot's license for light aircraft. On Facebook, a photo of Michael posing beside a floatplane was swapped for a more formal portrait shot once his candidacy was announced.
"He went out and got his pilot's license by the time he was 18," Doug told CP24. "He got the additional training to land on a lake. Speaking of that, I wouldn't even hop on the back of a bicycle with 99 percent of the councillors, not to mention in a plane. So he's a bright individual, he understands politics, and he has a pedigree of learning politics for 20 years of his life."
Michael has a 26-year-old step-sister, whose father, Michael Kiklas, Ennio Stirpe killed with a sawed-off shotgun in 1998. Michael's biological father served two thirds of a 13-year manslaughter sentence as a result of the shooting and, according to a 2012 Toronto Life feature, was convicted in Dec. 2011 of stabbing a girlfriend "so savagely she was blinded in one eye."
From what can be gleaned from his online presence (Michael didn't return our voicemail,) Ford shares his family's conservative political views. In answering a question about Dalton McGuinty's performance as Ontario premier on social media, he said "I hope he leaves Ontario and never comes back."
Michael Ford hasn't offered a political platform or taken part in any interviews. Doug Ford said his nephew wouldn't be speaking to reporters because the media was too biased.
As a Ward 2 candidate, he'll be running against 11 others (at time of publication,) including Andray Domise, a writer, financial planner, community organizer, and vocal critic of the incumbent Doug Ford.
Domise recently spoke out against a handgun ban proposed by Olivia Chow, calling it "dog-whistle" politics. He has also called out Rob Ford for his racist remarks.
Are you surprised to see Michael Ford enter politics?
Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.
Image: Facebook
