adma
Superstar
If he's charged and convicted, it *could* make a difference--think of anyone from Mario Gentile to Cliff Gyles...
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- Thread starter MetroMan
- Start date
Earlscourt_Lad
Active Member
Well played Rob Ford
From the National Post:
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/toronto/archive/2008/03/26/rob-ford-charged-with-assault-threatening-death.aspx
UPDATE:
The Post's Kelly Grant files this updated report:
Toronto city councillor Rob Ford, a maverick best known for his campaigns against spending at City Hall, has been charged with assaulting and uttering death threats against his wife after police were called to his Etobicoke home yesterday morning.
Mr. Ford was arrested and taken to 22 Division headquarters in Etobicoke and released without bail after promising to appear in court on April 28.
Mr. Ford’s lawyer, Dennis Morris, confirmed the alleged victim is Renata Ford, Mr. Ford’s wife and mother of the couple’s three-year-old daughter and baby son.
He said the councillor is innocent. “Our position is that the charges are spurious; they are unfounded,†Mr. Morris said in an interview. “Our position is that the complaint is a fabrication.â€
Toronto police Constable Wendy Drummond said officers were called to the home at about 8:30 a.m. yesterday. “He was arrested at the scene,†she said.
She would give few details about the arrest, citing the force’s “obligation to protect the victim.â€
Mr. Morris said the Children’s Aid Society granted Mr. Ford temporary care and custody of the couple’s children following the arrest — a move he called “very unusual†after an alleged domestic dispute in which a father is charged with assault. “You can read between the lines,†he said.
For now, the charges will not affect Mr. Ford’s ability to sit on council.
Brad Ross, the city spokesman, said no laws or council rules on the books compel a councillor charged with a crime to give up his seat, even if convicted. Mr. Ford would only have to resign if sentenced to jail time, Mr. Ross said.
“Yes, he has been charged, but he hasn’t been convicted of anything,†he said. “We need to remember that everybody is innocent until proven guilty.â€
Mr. Ross said he was not aware of any councillors being arrested and charged since the creation of the new city of Toronto in 1998.
“In my eight years at the city, no, there’s never been anything like this,†he added.
First elected in 2000, Mr. Ford has earned a reputation for making off-colour remarks — and making trouble — inside and outside City Hall.
During a council debate this month Mr. Ford said “Orientals†worked “like dogs†and are “slowly taking over,†comments Mayor David Miller called “bigoted and racist.â€
The councillor for Ward 2 Etobicoke North later said he intended the remarks as a compliment to the strong work ethic in Asian communities, and said he might challenge Mr. Miller for Mayor in the next election.
In 2002, he called Giorgio Mammoliti, a councillor of Italian descent, a “Gino Boy,†on the council floor. In 2006, he lied about getting drunk and hurling insults in the stands at a Toronto Maple Leafs game.
However, the son of a former MPP also has plenty of devoted fans who appreciate his candid manner and attention to City Hall spending. He posts his colleagues’ expense bills to his personal Web site. He is consistently the lowest-spending member of council, something that prompted his political foes to launch an investigation into his underspending last year.
The city’s integrity commissioner concluded the councillor broke the rules by spending his own money on office supplies without filing receipts, but he did not recommend Mr. Ford be punished.
Mr. Miller’s office declined to comment on Mr. Ford’s arrest. Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone called Mr. Ford’s arrest “a very sad situation.†He said it was too early for anyone to suggest Mr. Ford consider resigning.
“It’s not for us to say if he should be in council,†Mr. Pantalone. Etobicoke Councillor Doug Holyday, an ally of Mr. Ford and the other target of council’s underspending probe, also urged council and the public to wait for more information before passing judgment.
“To ask for his resignion at this point would be jumping to conclusions,†Mr. Holyday said. “Any prudent individual would be advised to wait.â€
With files from Chris Wattie
From the National Post:
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/toronto/archive/2008/03/26/rob-ford-charged-with-assault-threatening-death.aspx
UPDATE:
The Post's Kelly Grant files this updated report:
Toronto city councillor Rob Ford, a maverick best known for his campaigns against spending at City Hall, has been charged with assaulting and uttering death threats against his wife after police were called to his Etobicoke home yesterday morning.
Mr. Ford was arrested and taken to 22 Division headquarters in Etobicoke and released without bail after promising to appear in court on April 28.
Mr. Ford’s lawyer, Dennis Morris, confirmed the alleged victim is Renata Ford, Mr. Ford’s wife and mother of the couple’s three-year-old daughter and baby son.
He said the councillor is innocent. “Our position is that the charges are spurious; they are unfounded,†Mr. Morris said in an interview. “Our position is that the complaint is a fabrication.â€
Toronto police Constable Wendy Drummond said officers were called to the home at about 8:30 a.m. yesterday. “He was arrested at the scene,†she said.
She would give few details about the arrest, citing the force’s “obligation to protect the victim.â€
Mr. Morris said the Children’s Aid Society granted Mr. Ford temporary care and custody of the couple’s children following the arrest — a move he called “very unusual†after an alleged domestic dispute in which a father is charged with assault. “You can read between the lines,†he said.
For now, the charges will not affect Mr. Ford’s ability to sit on council.
Brad Ross, the city spokesman, said no laws or council rules on the books compel a councillor charged with a crime to give up his seat, even if convicted. Mr. Ford would only have to resign if sentenced to jail time, Mr. Ross said.
“Yes, he has been charged, but he hasn’t been convicted of anything,†he said. “We need to remember that everybody is innocent until proven guilty.â€
Mr. Ross said he was not aware of any councillors being arrested and charged since the creation of the new city of Toronto in 1998.
“In my eight years at the city, no, there’s never been anything like this,†he added.
First elected in 2000, Mr. Ford has earned a reputation for making off-colour remarks — and making trouble — inside and outside City Hall.
During a council debate this month Mr. Ford said “Orientals†worked “like dogs†and are “slowly taking over,†comments Mayor David Miller called “bigoted and racist.â€
The councillor for Ward 2 Etobicoke North later said he intended the remarks as a compliment to the strong work ethic in Asian communities, and said he might challenge Mr. Miller for Mayor in the next election.
In 2002, he called Giorgio Mammoliti, a councillor of Italian descent, a “Gino Boy,†on the council floor. In 2006, he lied about getting drunk and hurling insults in the stands at a Toronto Maple Leafs game.
However, the son of a former MPP also has plenty of devoted fans who appreciate his candid manner and attention to City Hall spending. He posts his colleagues’ expense bills to his personal Web site. He is consistently the lowest-spending member of council, something that prompted his political foes to launch an investigation into his underspending last year.
The city’s integrity commissioner concluded the councillor broke the rules by spending his own money on office supplies without filing receipts, but he did not recommend Mr. Ford be punished.
Mr. Miller’s office declined to comment on Mr. Ford’s arrest. Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone called Mr. Ford’s arrest “a very sad situation.†He said it was too early for anyone to suggest Mr. Ford consider resigning.
“It’s not for us to say if he should be in council,†Mr. Pantalone. Etobicoke Councillor Doug Holyday, an ally of Mr. Ford and the other target of council’s underspending probe, also urged council and the public to wait for more information before passing judgment.
“To ask for his resignion at this point would be jumping to conclusions,†Mr. Holyday said. “Any prudent individual would be advised to wait.â€
With files from Chris Wattie
spider
Senior Member
Rush to judgement
Wow!
I seem to recall something about "innocent until proven guilty".
Rob Ford (like him or not) may be a buffoon etc but he is charged, not guilty.
Information is surfacing this AM that may indicate that this situation is a little more complicated than first thought. Lets put the noose away and maintain an open mind lest we be characterised as buffoons as well.
Wow!
I seem to recall something about "innocent until proven guilty".
Rob Ford (like him or not) may be a buffoon etc but he is charged, not guilty.
Information is surfacing this AM that may indicate that this situation is a little more complicated than first thought. Lets put the noose away and maintain an open mind lest we be characterised as buffoons as well.
Conrad Black
Senior Member
What would Ford be saying if Miller was the one charged?
Steve_D
New Member
Ask an american?
unimaginative2
Senior Member
The people in his ward aren't hicks. It's one of the most multicultural wards in the city.
BobBob
Senior Member
Apparently, hicks come in all shapes and sizes, from all kinds of places!
PukeGreen
Active Member
Ford's appeal is universal and crosses various demographics. It is the same tactic that made Dubya so successful: the loud proclaiming of easy answers to complicated problems. The identification of a shared enemy ("left wingers in city hall wasting all your tax money" or "terrorists who hate our way of life") on which to blame every problem. Then the solution to everything is simple: eliminate that enemy.
After all, politics is easy when you strip out all nuance and rip everything down to a black-and-white us-against-them mentality. The problem is, of course, that in the end this approach will never really work because the world isn't black and white: it's also grey, and purple, and polka dotted. Eventually reality and nuance rears its head and real solutions and compromises to the issues at hand must be found.
Ford reminds me of the bullies that used to pick on kids back in elementary school. I disagree with his political views, but I have no problem with that on its own. However, what offends me is his loud, obnoxious, name-calling schoolyard bully tactics--and the way his behaviour also tends to draw out the worst in those who have to deal with him.
Let's hope this latest stupidity is the final nail in his political coffin.
After all, politics is easy when you strip out all nuance and rip everything down to a black-and-white us-against-them mentality. The problem is, of course, that in the end this approach will never really work because the world isn't black and white: it's also grey, and purple, and polka dotted. Eventually reality and nuance rears its head and real solutions and compromises to the issues at hand must be found.
Ford reminds me of the bullies that used to pick on kids back in elementary school. I disagree with his political views, but I have no problem with that on its own. However, what offends me is his loud, obnoxious, name-calling schoolyard bully tactics--and the way his behaviour also tends to draw out the worst in those who have to deal with him.
Let's hope this latest stupidity is the final nail in his political coffin.
And Puke Green
Only he seems to be picking on his wife. Nice.
urbanfan89
Active Member
Yet another wife-beating threat-uttering name-calling right-winger bites the dust.
scarberiankhatru
Senior Member
Count me in among those who think this will have little to no effect on his re-electibility
Can incarcerated persons run for council? I assume he'd legally be entitled to keep the job if jailed, but the next election might throw some hurdles in his way.
Can incarcerated persons run for council? I assume he'd legally be entitled to keep the job if jailed, but the next election might throw some hurdles in his way.
Jayomatic
Active Member
Did anyone catch CTV news tonight? They had a whole piece on this and were going around asking people about him and everyone they went to said they loved him. Some lady went on about how Rob Ford bought her glasses. Most of them were sticking up for his non-existent office expenses.
I really hope somebody finds the true story of where this guy gets his money from.
I really hope somebody finds the true story of where this guy gets his money from.
unimaginative2
Senior Member
It's no secret. He owns his own family business, and he basically runs his office out of there.
cruzin4u
Senior Member
Yep. Rob buys people glasses, that's how he gets re-elected!
And he can't start his day without his morning vanilla latte, only $2 something. Now that's a man that believes in saving and not spending.
As unimaginative2 pointed out, his family runs a successful printing business. That's where the money comes from.
MetroMan
Senior Member
^ So he doesn't use taxpayer money for his City Hall office expenses yet he uses resources from his own company which no doubt writes those expenses off meaning he doesn't pay tax on that money. Way to get taxpayers from behind. Smart Rob... smart...