The decision heard around the world
The Issue: With the words, “I declare the seat of the respondent, Rob Ford, on Toronto city council, vacant,” Justice Charles Hackland kicked Toronto’s controversy-loving mayor out of office — and lobbed a figurative grenade into city hall politics. The conflict of interest decision reverberated not only around the country, but around the world, too.
Editorial, Vice magazine: “Toronto just fired the greatest mayor of all time . . . Inevitably, Rob’s downfall came from his one tragic flaw: a love of high school football. Yes, Rob coached a high school football team in Etobicoke called the Don Bosco Eagles, and those little f-----s took Rob down.”
Ivor Tossell, Maclean’s: “For everyone who’s ever bemoaned the fact that our democracy doesn’t offer a way to recall politicians, witness Rob Ford: the man who couldn’t stay mayor. . . This was no technicality that went unnoticed by all but vigilant Ford enemies who were waiting to pounce. It was a smallbeans issue Ford willingly escalated into a giant hill of beans, which he proceeded to die on.” Rob Ford, after the decision: “The left wing wants me out of here and they’ll do anything in their power. I’m going to fight tooth and nail to hold on to my job.” Clayton Ruby, who argued the case against Ford in court: “While we’re pleased to have won this case, we’re also saddened by it.” Margaret Wente, The Globe and Mail: “If Mr. Ford had shown some contrition before the judge — some minimal respect for due process and the law — he might well have gotten off. But he did not. The judge, by all accounts a man of probity, was scathing and blunt. He condemned the mayor’s ‘stubborn sense of entitlement,’ and he was exact- ly right. Mr. Ford’s serial abuses of power were trivial, but they were also relentless and profoundly stupid.” Sue-Ann Levy, Toronto Sun: “(T)he punishment hardly fits the crime. Justice Charles Hackland’s ruling that Ford vacate his office within 14 days is like using a sledgehammer to squash a flea.” Micheline Maynard, Forbes: “Ford was supposed to repay $3,150 to lobbyists and their clients. But he ignored multiple reminders to do so, and in February convinced the city council to cancel the repayment order. The issue blew up again in March, and has remained in the news ever since, culminating in Ford’s trial on the conflict of interest charges. The whole thing might seem a little crazy, given that so little money is involved, but it’s right in line with Ford’s larger-than-life persona.” Henry Grabar, The Atlantic cities blog: “In the end it wasn’t the money itself, solicited with city letterhead, that sunk Ford, an outsized character known for saying things like ‘cyclists are a pain in the ass.’ Instead, his participation in a city council debate on whether his foundation ought to give back the money was what did him in.” Edward Keenan, The Grid: “Among Rob Ford’s greatest accomplishments in office is that he’s engaged more people in municipal politics than anyone can remember. On Twitter, in person, and in every coffee shop you walk into, people are arguing passionately about Toronto’s government. They care . . . The citizens of the city have woken up, and on the questions of the waterfront, the budget and transit, among others, the citizens of Toronto have spoken up and gotten involved in governing the city.”