Possibly the most favorable news article written about Rob Ford yet. Maybe the media isn't as biased as I thought:
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Talkin’ bout a revolution: Could Rob Ford take Toronto City Hall?
Tasha Kheiriddin June 14, 2010 – 10:45 am
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com...lution-could-rob-ford-take-toronto-city-hall/
Is common sense coming to Canada’s largest city? Two new polls show Toronto councillor Rob Ford running neck and neck with former provincial health minister George Smitherman in the race for the mayor’s chair in Toronto. In a CTV-Globe and Mail survey, Mr. Ford bests his closest rival, 17.8 per cent to 15.9 per cent, while all but one of the other contenders fall into single digits. In a Toronto Star poll, Mr. Smitherman rates 29 per cent to Mr. Ford’s 26 per cent, with their nearest challenger, publisher Sarah Thompson, sitting back at 17 per cent.
Both surveys reveal a high undecided vote, 38.9 and 44 per cent, respectively. They also show Mr. Smitherman’s numbers slipping precipitously in the last six months: in January, a Star poll had him at 44 per cent, while in April, a another Star survey showed “Furious George” falling to 34 per cent.
It appears that Toronto voters are looking for an alternative to the tax-and-spend ways of both City Council and the provincial Liberal government in which Mr. Smitherman prominently served – and Mr. Ford is their man. No surprise there – the penny-pinching councillor represents one of the few taxpayer-friendly voices in Toronto. His website lists the voting record of council on a host of issues, and it’s not pretty.
Outgoing Mayor David Miller and his band of merry spenders routinely threw taxpayers’ money at pet projects large and small: $347,000 for “graffiti murals”, $175,000 so Councillor Sandra Bussin could sue a local newspaper for defamation, and $7,000 to send then-councillor Kyle Rae to an AIDS conference in Austria. Meanwhile Council refused to declare garbage collection an essential service, reduce the mayor’s office budget from $2,4 million to $2,2 million, or publish the list of mayoral campaign contributions above $25.00.
Indeed, during the past eight years on Miller Time, many Torontonians felt their city had veered to the left of Lenin. Throughout that period, one of the few sensible voices on Council was Mr. Ford, whom I had the pleasure to meet several times when I worked for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. An affable and no-bs kind of guy, ten years in office have not changed him: Mr. Ford is still known for his penny-pinching, straight-shooting ways.
And also, for shooting his mouth off, which is the candidate’s Achilles Heel and the one thing which might prevent him from winning this election. Over the years, Mr. Ford has made some off-colour remarks about gays, cyclists, and minorities, as well as had a rowdy outburst at a Maple Leafs game. His family life has also has its share of turbulence.
But so far in this campaign, Mr. Ford has not missed a beat. If he manages to definitively overcome his foot-in-mouth disease, then he has a shot at Toronto’s top job. And beleaguered taxpayers have a chance to keep more money in their wallets, instead of sending it to City Hall. It’s a long way to the election in October, but there’s finally a race worth watching.
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Ford is an interesting candidate and has a very good chance of winning. He may be a bit crazy when it comes to some social issues but as a mayor it wouldn't really matter much. He seems like a down to earth guy, with something that has been lacking in every level of government in Ontario-- common sense and integrity!
If/When Rob Ford is Mayor, watch the corrupt ones slink back under their rocks! No more buffet behind the wall, free dinners, passes and vehicles for the corrupt ~~ oh my ~~ what will they do when they have to buy their own dinners? hahahaha
