[jje1000]

Was really hoping for Holyday to take over as mayor. Now the conservatives will need to wear Ford as the face for the next two years.

 

[nfitz]

What is sad about this whole scheme is that people want Ford out because they don't like him, not because he made the mistake.

Ah, that's not fair. I don't like Steven Harper, but I've never suggested that he's an incompetent dullard who has falsified his academic credentials, lied about the criminal acts he's committed, and suggested that he's not fit for office.

There's a difference between not liking someone and recognizing that they are simply incapable of functioning in the job that they hold.

That being said - turfing Ford mid-term would certainly be enjoyable, is likely not the best outcome for those who dislike his politics. Last thing I want is a competent ultra-right wing conservative like Holyday running the place!

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

"I told [Ford], ...you’ve got to start acting like a mayor, the sideshows have to finish," said Mammoliti, the councilor who would like to be let back on Ford's executive committee and who also claims to be currently investigating a conspiracy against him by a shadowy group of people who may or may not include other members of council and who may or may not have tapped his phone and made threatening calls to him. Bring on the sideshows!!

Ah, how refreshing it is to see that bizarro Toronto politics is back in full force within hours. Everything should be back to normal next week with Ford & Co. delivering Torontonians, and the world, plenty of laughs.

 

[Hank]

I agree with a lot of this but I take issue with the notion that Rob Ford was wrong to vote in the first place. That he made a mistake. The fact is Rob Ford was completely vindicated today. The 3-judge panel concluded that Ford did not break the law - that he could not break the law because the original motion by council was without legal force. This fact seems to be lost on a lot of commentators from both the left and right.

Once the 3-judge panel concluded that council acted ultra vires every other issue fell apart. It no longer mattered whether Ford was "willfully ignorant" or not because as it turned out Rob Ford was RIGHT on the issue of law and most everyone else was wrong!

In the wake of this decision commentators from the left and right are asking what lessons Ford will take away from this near-death experience as if he did something wrong. The better question would be what lesson did the left-wing cabal that has waged a witch-hunt against Ford learned? Paul Magder - for one - has learned a very costly lesson today!

Peepers, you really have to stop saying that Ford was completely vindicated. He wasn't. Speaking and voting on the motion, which clearly would have been a conflict of interest in almost any other situation, was only found not to be so in this case because council didn't have the power to order the vote in the first place. It's the very textbook definition of a technicality and in no way "vindicates" Ford.

If I murder someone and I get off because the police mishandled the murder weapon, causing it to be excluded at trial, it doesn't mean that I was "vindicated". I'm still a murderer, I just wasn't convicted. At the time of the vote no one knew that it was technically outside of council's mandate, so in Ford's mind he was still in a conflict of interest (if he was intelligent enough to comprehend that fact at the time). Ford was not right to vote as he did. He was wrong. Change one small thing about the vote (that council ordered Ford to give up $3,000 of his salary - something that was within council's powers - instead of repaying the money) and keep everything else the same, and Ford doesn't have a job today.

Ford screwed up, but he won his appeal on a technicality. He was not vindicated. He was not. Please stop saying he was.

 

[balenciaga]

Ah, that's not fair. I don't like Steven Harper, but I've never suggested that he's an incompetent dullard who has falsified his academic credentials, lied about the criminal acts he's committed, and suggested that he's not fit for office.

There's a difference between not liking someone and recognizing that they are simply incapable of functioning in the job that they hold.

That being said - turfing Ford mid-term would certainly be enjoyable, is likely not the best outcome for those who dislike his politics. Last thing I want is a competent ultra-right wing conservative like Holyday running the place!

I agree with you.
But it is not the issue here. The issue here is that people are looking for such small and unintentional mistake and use it as an opportunity to get rid of Ford (not that I am a fan of him), yet they don't use the same microscope on politicians they do like. You can't selectively punish politicians depending on your preference.

As to Steven Harper, I know it is irrelevant, but history will prove he is one of the greatest PM of Canada, despite some wrong things he has done.

 

[hawc]

What is sad about this whole scheme is that people want Ford out because they don't like him, not because he made the mistake. They just jumped at this $3000 mistake to oust him, not for justice. If a mayor they like make the same mistake, will they be equally harsh to him? Let's ask ourselves this question. No matter how bad we think Ford is, be fair to him.

And now Ruby wants to take it to the Supreme Court of Canada? Gimme a break. It's ridiculous.

BTW, just got my City of Toronto 2013 Property Tax bill tonight. If people think Ford is doing a bad job, there's a provision on there where you can donate up to $50,000 more to the City than your actual bill. I suggest several members on here take advantage of that.

 

[PinkLucy]

I wouldn't trust him to spend it responsibly, so no thanks.

 

[hawc]

I wouldn't trust him to spend it responsibly, so no thanks.

So in other words you don't trust city council?

 

[W. K. Lis]

I think I'll just have to watch a funny movie over the weekend to get over sadness.

[video=youtube_share;GUwhnO-nTLo]http://youtu.be/GUwhnO-nTLo[/video]

 

[PinkLucy]

Not overly, no.

 

[jje1000]

Hey sore losers get ready for the final irony. Ford demands his legal costs in full and donates it all his football foundation.

Good in appealing to his base, less so in appealing to others. The best thing Ford can do to shut up the left wing is the gracious "forgive" the legal fees inflicted upon him. People like a victory, but they love humility.

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

And now Ruby wants to take it to the Supreme Court of Canada? Gimme a break. It's ridiculous.

I think it's ridiculous too, it's over, move on. There are two upcoming opportunities for Ford to get nailed for his foolishness which, as I understand it, would not only remove him but prevent him from running again.
Pro-Ford folks, it's your day so enjoy it. Ford opponents would be squirming with delight had he have been turfed this morning so all's fair. Although I called this one wrong, I'll sleep well tonight knowing that karma is at hand, moving Toronto forward is just going to take a little longer than I expected.
To my mind the saddest thing about all of this of this is how bitterly divided Torontonians have become since this man came into office. It's really unfortunate that it's come to this.

 

[Electrify]

What are the two? I know there is his election finances, what is the other?

 

[Belfrutto]

I hope now with Rob Ford in office, we will see changes however, I doubt that's going to happen

 

[jje1000]

Wrong.....David Miller was the master of that, ...the only way to run Toronto, was the David Miller way
Many councillors and Pinkos dont like it this way.....Gee shame, get over it

How so? Transit City and the Tower Renewal projects were geared exclusively towards the suburbs.

Ford has been belligerent towards the downtown core his entire term (e.g. streetcars, Fort York, Jarvis)

A few things Rob Ford should do with his second chance
MARCUS GEE
The Globe and Mail
Published Friday, Jan. 25 2013, 9:27 PM EST


Friday’s court decision has given Rob Ford that rarest of things, a second chance. Here is a heaven-sent opportunity to turn his stumbling mayoralty around – to put the distracting antics and errors behind him, regain control of a divided city council and show true leadership. Here is a chance, in short, to become what he has never been: a serious mayor for a city with serious challenges.

Will he seize it? The first signals were not promising. Most people who have gone through a near-death experience try to figure out how they might avoid nearing death again. Some even consider changing the way they live their lives. Not Mr. Ford.

At a news conference after the conflict-of-interest ruling, reporters asked what he had learned from the experience. “What I’ve learned is that there is so much support from the people out there,†he said, straight-faced. Apparently even critics have come around. “A lot of them said, ‘You know what? I didn’t support you last time, but you’ve proved me wrong.’â€

Asked how he would deal with the challenges ahead, he replied: “Just like I have. We are running the city better than any administration ever has.†It turns out that when he said he was “humbled†by the experience, he didn’t mean he was chastened or forced to rethink his conduct. What he meant was that he was humbled to discover how extraordinarily popular he is.

None of this should come as much of a surprise. Mr. Ford has never been one for rumination or doubts. Hopes that he would evolve in office beyond the angry, slogan-spouting suburban councillor that he once was have proved illusory. He is what he is.

Still, without changing his nature, there are things he can do to make himself a more successful mayor. One is to pay attention to the rules. Mr. Ford got in trouble with the law in the first place because he flouted city council rules by using his status as a councillor to raise money for his football charity. The appeal court’s ruling does not change that. It simply says that city council overstepped itself by ordering him to pay the donors back.

It is a good thing that, in the end, the mayor wasn’t removed from office over what was a relatively minor infraction. But none of it would have happened if he had paid even the slightest attention to the simple regulations designed to keep city politics above board. To avoid further entanglements, Mr. Ford must learn that the rules apply to him as much as anyone else.

Another thing he can learn is simply to show up. No one begrudges him his love of football or his devotion to his youthful team, but Mr. Ford has been a distracted, half-there mayor who often seems bored by the ordinary demands of the job.

Yet another is to work with others. He could stop demonizing his opponents and reach across the council floor to build coalitions and get things done.

There are other, smaller things, too. He could hire a driver instead of reading behind the wheel or quarreling with streetcar drivers. He could be a little more open with the media, instead of shutting off access to some and shrouding his movements in secrecy.

If he manages to shut down the reality-TV sideshow and take a real interest in the job of governing, he still has a chance to rescue his mayoralty from the shambles it has become. He has made good progress on righting the city’s finances, winning concessions from the city’s old-time unions and contracting out services such as garbage collection. He told reporters on Friday that there is more to come, including a new economic strategy for the city, a new emphasis on customer service and even a broad transportation strategy.

As fellow conservative Denzil Minnan-Wong put it, the legal and other distractions have “hurt his agenda, the agenda of running an efficient city.… I think he has an opportunity here to reflect on what took place and move forward and try to refocus his efforts.â€

Reflection is probably too much to ask of this mayor. But refocusing should be well within his abilities. He has two years left till the end of his term. If he can learn just a few things from his recent dance with doom, he could still make a success of it.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...uld-do-with-his-second-chance/article7893207/