Mayor Rob Ford refuses to hire a driver after he was seen reading on Gardiner Express
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/art...er-he-was-seen-reading-on-gardiner-expressway
Mayor Rob Ford is flatly rejecting pleas from his councillor brother and the Toronto police service to hire a driver, saying it would be “a waste of taxpayers’ money.â€
Ford made the comments after a news conference Tuesday where he urged Torontonians to go online and vote for a local under-12 boys’ soccer team to win BMO “Team of the Week†honours.
Asked if he’ll get a driver Ford, surrounded by young soccer players, noted staff members occasionally drive him to events but said a full-time driver would be too costly.
“A million people a day go to work in this city and they drive themselves, I don’t see why I’m any different so right now I’m not planning to go out and spend 50, 60 thousand dollars to hire someone to drive me around.
“They offered me a car when I first got elected, and a driver, and that was well over 100 thousand combined. I think that’s a waste of taxpayer’s money.â€
Ford’s refusal to be driven made headlines last week when he was photographed reading papers, preparing for a news conference, while driving his Cadillac Escalade SUV on the Gardiner Expressway.
Asked later if it was him reading behind the wheel, the mayor shrugged: “Yeah, probably. I’m busy.â€
That alarmed the Toronto police service which discourages driver distractions, saying they put lives at risk.
“On behalf of all the citizens of Toronto that value road safety, Mr. Mayor, please get a driver. . . . ,†Sgt. Tim Burrows, a social media officer, wrote on the police Facebook wall. “It is obvious that you are busy enough to require one and no amount of money you are saving by not having one is worth the life of one of your citizens.â€
Councillor Doug Ford vowed to convince his brother that the mayor of Canada’s largest city needs a driver so he could give his full attention to preparing for meetings and events instead of keeping one eye on the road.
The councillor said he has bugged his little brother to get a driver since his election in late 2010, and called the conduct that led to the photo uproar “beyond the point of ridiculous.â€
On Tuesday, after the mayor soundly rejected his advice, Councillor Ford said: “I can’t win. I tried my hardest.â€
Mayor Ford, who does not release his itinerary to the media and holds relatively few public events, urged all Torontonians to go online and vote for Mooredale Lightning Gold 2000 U12 boys’ team’s to become a BMO Team of the Week.
One of the coaches said he got the mayor involved through a friend of a friend in Ford’s office.