Councillor Rob Ford and his wife attended a hockey game at the air Canada last month after the councillor had consumed a "few" beers. The drunken Ford became involved in a verbal altercation with some other fans, security came and Ford ended up leaving the building.
The glad-handing politico was at least sober enough to hand out a business card to someone in the stands and after Dan and Rebecca Hope of Durham found out that he was a member of Toronto City Council, they wrote a lengthy letter of complaint to city hall. The matter has now been referred to David Mullan, the city's integrity commissioner, for a possible investigation.
When Ford was first contacted by the media over the Hopes' complaint he replied that he was being slandered and even denied that he was at the april 15 game between the Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs. after discussing the matter with his family, the outspoken councillor came clean and admitted everything; at least everything that he managed to remember. Ford added that he was experiencing personal problems while adding that that was no excuse for his behaviour on the night in question.
There is no doubt that Ford's drunken outburst was one of the most exciting things to take place at a Leafs' game since the team last won the Stanley Cup when flower power had not yet reached full bloom and the local Toronto media reported it as such. The media being the media couldn't help make a big deal out of the incident in light of the fact that of all the high crimes and misdemeanors that a politician can commit, none is more serious than lying to the media.
Instead of merely reporting the incident, the Toronto Star went way over the top. But it appears that Ford's biggest crime was not being drunk at a hockey game, but was the fact that he is a conservative. On the same day that the story was reported, Royson James wrote a column entitled, "Ford can forget his mayoral dreams'. Besides being described as "bumptious" and a "borderline bully" (has this guy never heard of Howard Moscoe or Olivia Chow) James proceeds on a tirade about what Ford thinks about Toronto City Council's spending habits. For James and his pals at the Toronto Star, the taxpayers can never spend enough on issues that are championed by the left. The columnist then goes on to criticize Ford for his views on "car free days" and the fact that he opposes the city's ban on pesticides. James even throws in Ford's father, Doug, who at one time was the lowest of the low (an Ontario Conservative MPP). Towards the end of the column, James writes "Councillor Ford needs serious counselling". Unfortunately it is not quite clear whether Royson thinks that he needs counselling for his drunken behaviour or for the fact that he thinks Toronto City Council is squandering too much of the taxpayers' money. We'll probably never know.
If that wasn't enough, this morning the Star came out with an editorial entitled "Time to park the Ford". Besides opposing Ford's possible bid for the mayoralty, the editorial urges Ford not to seek re-election or if he does, for his constituents to see that he is defeated. The newspaper doesn't even try to hide the fact that what has them angered is not Ford's behaviour at the aCC, but the fact that his view of the world doesn't coincide with theirs or that of the left leaning council.
Rob Ford's actions on the night in question certainly shouldn't be condoned. But by the same token we need some diversity of opinion in our local government. Toronto needs a few city councillors who think like Rob Ford thinks. Okay, so he's a little over the top but if disqualified him from being a councillor, the chamber would be practically empty. The councillors on the left and their buddies at the Star can never stop preaching about diversity; yet diverse opinions at city hall are simply not tolerated.
During the american Civil War some officials approached President abraham Lincoln to tell him about the fact that General Ulysses Grant was a drunk. Lincoln purportedly responded that they should find out what he drinks and send a case to all the other generals.
Perhaps it's time to find out what Rob Ford drinks.
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