Ford lacks the cash, and skill
This is a story of how a mayor can bully the premier, ignore city council, co-opt city staff, show contempt for democracy and boldly tell citizens he is serving their interests.
It’s a true story. And it is playing out right before your eyes.
What may surprise you is, this is exactly how the system is designed to work. And some argue it is working quite well, thank you.
The subject, of course, is Toronto City Council’s stunning rejection of Mayor Rob Ford’s transit approach. A council majority called an emergency meeting above the mayor’s protest, reversed the mayor’s unilateral reversal of city council transit policy, and set in motion a transit direction directly opposite the mayor’s.
Then, in a jaw-dropping denouement to an extraordinary day of politics, Mayor Ford declared that, technically, Wednesday’s council vote was irrelevant. He serves the public. Polls show the public want transit underground. So, there!
And to back up his boast, the mayor rode the trains till closing time to rally transit users to his cause.
Does Mayor Ford have the mandate to pursue subways? Against council’s will?
He was elected on a platform that promised subways instead of the Transit City light rail plan. What follows, though, is hardly clear-cut. Fulfilling that mandate requires approval from many bodies.
It takes skillful negotiation, diplomacy and the ability to forge consensus among competing interests. Even if Ford had the money to build the promised subways, he would need the above skills to deliver on the promise. The fact that he has a fraction of the cost — and has been unable to advance a credible plan on how to get such funds — exacerbates his task. Toronto’s mayor is allowed to appoint an executive, a budget chief and the chairs of various city committees. These appointees deliver votes to position his allies in key posts, such as TTC chair. The civic administration is supposed to be independent, but if the mayor does not want the city manager, council almost always complies. As such, the mayor controls about 20 of council’s 45 votes. And he greatly influences the bureaucracy as no other at city hall. Therefore, bagging three of the remaining 25 votes should be a cinch. After getting his mandate at the polls, Ford takes it to Premier Dalton Mcguinty and Metrolinx and the TTC and they all melt in his presence and tell him to find a way to pay for the Sheppard subway, take the issue to city council, and everyone will change course.
They keep quiet for almost a year as Ford stumbles along. Should they? Probably not. But everyone shrinks in the face of the mandate — until it shrivels on the vine. During the uncomfortable year, Ford unwisely maintains he doesn’t have to take the issue to city council — though the written memorandum of understanding with the premier clearly says he has to. But everyone cuts him some slack, because he has a mandate.
Ford falls on his sword. He disparages the TTC. He threatens the very province that would pay for his transit plan. He ignores his council, then disrespects their vote.
Ever the lone wolf, he now bays at the moon, seeking a people’s revolution to deliver what any reasonably skilled mayor would have already secured.
Ford says he’ll rally the people. It’s his right — and last resort. Should the people conclude city council and transit experts are wrong, they’ll side with the mayor. It gives Ford a wedge issue on which to seek re-election in 2014. He gives commuters nothing, but another promise. Email: rjames@thestar.ca