A mayor’s legacy, as only Ford can tell it
Who better to explain former mayor Rob Ford’s legacy than the man himself? So here — in his own words — is a look back at Toronto’s dismal, dysfunctional, divisive and sometimes downright hilarious Rob Ford era:
“There’s nothing left. Everybody knows everything out there. My closet’s empty. What you see is what you get.”
More than six months before being elected mayor, in an April 2010 interview with the Toronto Sun, Ford maintains that all his scandals are behind him. Subsequent events would make this quote a contender for the most ironic statement he ever uttered. “Stop the gravy train.” Ford’s winning election slogan had the advantage of simplicity, encapsulating — in just four words — his promise to slash Toronto’s operating budget by more than $1 billion. Reality proved more complex and budgets, under Ford, rose to their highest level in history.
“It’s an outright lie; it’s the Toronto Star going after me again and again and again . . . it’s just lies after lies after lies.”
That was Ford’s outraged response to a front-page Star story in March, 2013, revealing that he was asked to leave Toronto’s Garrison Ball. Organizers of the gala grew concerned because Ford had appeared intoxicated. It eventually became clear who was lying. “F---ing minorities.” Ford’s description of the high school football players he coached came in a video in which he also smoked crack cocaine and referred to federal Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau as a “fag.”
“I do not use crack cocaine, nor am I an addict of crack cocaine. As for a video, I cannot comment on a video that I have never seen or does not exist.”
Well, Ford couldn’t be clearer than that. Toronto’s mayor was an innocent victim of vile fabrications. He’d obviously done nothing wrong.
“Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine . . . Probably in one of my drunken stupors.” Oops. “I’ll rip his f---ing throat out. I’ll poke his eyes out . . . I’ll make sure that motherf---er’s dead.”
More shocking video: Ford staggers around in a supporter’s dining room ranting and making violent gestures, as if pummelling some unknown opponent. Not exactly mayoral behaviour — but Ford later explained that he had been “very, very inebriated.” “I’m happily married. I’ve got more than enough to eat at home.” No, he wasn’t talking about freshly cooked meals. Here’s another ill-judged comment that triggered a hasty Ford apology — and laughter around the world. Given quotes like this, it’s no wonder that late-night laugh-meisters, from Jon Stewart to Jimmy Kimmel, considered Ford comedy gold. “I’ve had a come-to-Jesus moment, if you want to call it that.” Ford admits he has a problem and vows to fix it by never drinking alcohol again. He assures the CBC’s Peter Mansbridge that he has already given up illegal drugs.
“I have little kids. When a guy is taking pictures of little kids, I don’t want to say the word, but you start thinking, what’s this guy all about?”
In one of the most reprehensible actions of his entire term, Ford uses a December 2013 television interview with a fawning Conrad Black to falsely insinuate that Star reporter Daniel Dale is a pedophile. Ford refused to back down — until Dale announced he would sue for defamation.
“I apologize to Mr. Dale for the inaccurate manner in which I described the incident of May 2012 . . . There was absolutely no basis for the statement I made about Mr. Dale taking pictures of children, or for any insinuations I made. I should not have said what I did and I wholly retract my statements.” The lesson in this: stand up to bullies. “C---sucker . . . f---ing Chief Blair.” Anew low in relations with police Chief Bill Blair came in January with an outlandish Ford appearance at an Etobicoke steak joint in which the mayor — bizarrely — also spoke at length in Jamaican patois. Steak Queen, in Rexdale, subsequently became a tourist attraction. And Ford admitted he was back on the bottle.
“No n----r gets fired in my town. When I get re-elected that n----r is going to be back in charge.”
That’s how Ford summarized his intention of restoring Gene Jones, who is black, as head of Toronto Community Housing. It was described by a witness who was present when the mayor was caught on video for a second time smoking crack cocaine. Ford finally entered rehab after news of that footage was revealed in April.
“I’ve never quit anything in my life. I’m not quitting this and we’re going to win.”
Back from a two-month stint at a cottage country rehabilitation centre, Ford declared that he had beaten his demons and he pledged to remain in the mayoral race — and triumph — despite faltering poll numbers.
“My heart is heavy when I tell you that I’m unable to continue my campaign for re-election as your mayor . . . I’ve asked Doug to finish what we started together so that all we have accomplished isn’t washed away.”
Stricken by a rare cancer, Rob Ford quit the mayoral race on Sept. 12 and passed the hopes of Ford Nation to his brother Doug, who lost six weeks later. Toronto’s Rob Ford era was over.
“It will definitely be remembered, put it that way. No one’s going to forget it.”
Ford finally issues an assessment of his record that has the ring of truth. It will, indeed, be a long time before Toronto forgets this most outrageous of all mayors.