TORONTO, Nov 16: The Toronto City Council moved a step closer to making Rob Ford a mayor in name only following months of publicity surrounding his excessive drinking and drug use, and will look to complete those efforts next week when council resumes.
Ford vowed to take City Council to court after it voted overwhelmingly yesterday to strip him of some of his powers over his admitted use of crack cocaine, public drinking and increasingly erratic behavior.
The motion, approved in a 39-3 vote, suspends Ford’s authority to appoint and dismiss the deputy mayor and his executive committee. The council, which lacks the authority to force the mayor from office unless he is convicted of a crime and jailed, also voted to give the deputy mayor authority to handle any civic emergency.
The effort will continue Monday when the council moves to strip the mayor of most of his remaining powers, including his office budget. It would also appoint the deputy mayor to lead of his executive committee. That motion has already been signed by 28 of the council’s 44 members.
The votes capped another frenzied week of twists and turns in a scandal that has been the talk of Canada’s largest city and financial capital for months.
Recently released court documents show the mayor became the subject of a police investigation after news reports surfaced in May that he had been caught on video smoking crack cocaine. In interviews with police, former staffers accused the mayor of frequently drinking, driving while intoxicated and making sexual advances toward a female staffer.
Ford stirred up further controversy and even offended Toronto’s football team when he wore a team jersey while making a profanity-laced statement about the allegations Thursday.
It has been a stunning decline for mayor who was elected three years ago with overwhelming support from Toronto’s conservative-leaning suburbs, where many voters felt angry about what they considered wasteful spending and elitist politics at City Hall.
His mood swings were on full display yesterday as he defiantly vowed to fight the motion in court, then conceded he understood why the council took the measures.
Then, in a flash of remorse, the 44-year-old Ford declared: “If I would have had a mayor conducting themselves the way I have, I would have done exactly the same thing. I’m not mad at anybody. I take full responsibility.”
The mayor, a conservative who touts his efforts to curb public spending and keep taxes low, later made it clear he intends to seek re-election next year. (AGENCIES)
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel