Rob Ford's Toronto

[voxpopulicosmicum]

I find Enzo reaches with these articles a lot of the time. This entire thing is complete guesswork. I mean, maybe 22 Division is working to cover Ford's ass, but then why rough up one of his cronies?

As for the slow release by the courts, is he intimating that the court system is in the hands of the Fords? That's more batshit insane than the idea that this is all a "smear campaign."

And is it possible that the either the OPP or the RCMP may already be involved in some way that hasn't reached the light of day?

I, too, thought the column was generally weakly argued, although I enjoyed reading it and hoping that its suppositions might one day get run to ground. More than anything, it looked like a distillation of some of the more plausible theories and assertions that have been previously posted in this thread.

 

[christiesplits]

Enzo has definitely reached a bit with his past few articles. However his threatening phone call stories were certainly thrilling. And correct me but wasn't he the first journo to bring Lisi into the picture?

 

[JStrachan]

Long time lurker; excellent thread.

Just wanted to make a small observation that a Star column from yesterday -- a fairly benign piece on Rob & Doug's vote yesterday in Council re: the Trudeau memorial -- appeared in the Crime section. Thought that was kind of funny.

 

[soimelk]

I, too, thought the column was generally weakly argued, although I enjoyed reading it and hoping that its suppositions might one day get run to ground. More than anything, it looked like a distillation of some of the more plausible theories and assertions that have been previously posted in this thread.

I'd agree that Enzo's arguments don't entirely convince that the department is equally torn between going after Ford, or protecting him. With low level stuff involving Ford, I'm sure the TPS has bent over backwards to support him. But with the kinds of allegations and associations that have emerged since the crack scandal broke, I'm not sure how easy it would be for the force to cover for him so blatantly. Yes, he might be Mayor again, so senior commanders might try to torpedo a criminal investigation, but that would come with many risks to their own careers. They'd also be thinking that the crack scandals might easily lead to Ford's defeat in 2014, and any Police Commander who is even perceived to have tried to cover-up or derail an investigation for the Mayor's benefit would be finished in the TPS (one would hope)

That there is a special squad of veteran investigators looking at Ford et-al indicates that something serious is being looked at. That they have used special investigative techniques like aerial surveillance indicates that the investigators on this case aren't necessarily going through the motions in order to wrap up their mandate without touching anyone of consequence. That the leaks are probably coming from downtown, and not from Etobicoke divisions lead me to infer that the TPS officers close to Ford are being kept in the dark regarding what is being investigated regarding the Mayor.

Having said all this, I waver back and forth on the TPS's role in all of this. If in the end, Ford walks out unscathed, the TPS's reputation might be the one that takes the biggest hit.

 

[dforthandbview]

Rob Ford lands backing of top Bay Street political fundraiser

Ralph Lean, one of Toronto’s best-known political fundraisers who worked against Rob Ford in the last mayoral campaign, has changed his tune and says he will back the mayor in 2014.

Mr. Lean, a fundraising co-chair of George Smitherman’s failed campaign in 2010, says he believes Mr. Ford has gotten the “big things” right.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...y-street-political-fundraiser/article4418334/
edit: just realized the article is from last year. My mistake!

 

[christiesplits]

Rob Ford lands backing of top Bay Street political fundraiser

Ralph Lean, one of Toronto’s best-known political fundraisers who worked against Rob Ford in the last mayoral campaign, has changed his tune and says he will back the mayor in 2014.

Mr. Lean, a fundraising co-chair of George Smitherman’s failed campaign in 2010, says he believes Mr. Ford has gotten the “big things” right.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...y-street-political-fundraiser/article4418334/
edit: just realized the article is from last year. My mistake!

Well hopefully he has the same success as his Smitherman campaign.

 

[Peepers]

They didn't take Lisi to Ford Friendly territory @ 23 division, even though the dry cleaners bust was in their territory. TPS quoted "logistics" as the reason. Maybe TPS realizes they have a problem at 23 division when it comes to the Ford family.

Or, should I say, they now "care" about the problem.

The "logistics" explanation does make sense. 22 Division is at Kipling and Bloor. A lot closer than 23 Division which is a Kipling and Finch.

 

[voxpopulicosmicum]

The "logistics" explanation does make sense. 22 Division is at Kipling and Bloor. A lot closer than 23 Division which is a Kipling and Finch.

It only makes sense if:

1. the officers who arrested Lisi work out of 22 div. (but that would raise the question of why non-23 div officers are conducting investigations centred on activities in 23 div.); or

2. the TPS routinely processes people who are arrested at/around that plaza (and similar parts of 23 div.'s jurisidiction) at 22 div.

Otherwise, IMO the "logistics" explanation needs further explanation. At the very least, the answers to the above questions should be sought by media. The TPS's self-serving explanations strain (break?) the organization's credibility.

 

[CowboyLogic]

Uh, yes - it is. I'm pretty sure most parents don't want their kids being coached by someone who has assaulted peace officers and is tied to drug peddlers. It's not like Ford had no clue what the guy does for Lisi.

But jesus, you will really defend anything and everything the guy does, won't you?

First off: no, it isn't. The article is about how manipulation was used to circumvent the background checks. The school board is allowed to make an informed decision about who they hire, and are responsible for any backlash they face for said decisions (say, if they hired someone with a criminal record). The issue here is that they weren't given the opportunity to make that decision. Personally, I don't see what the problem is with this fellow coaching kids, considering we have high school kids getting their volunteer hours alongside criminals doing their community service.

Second of all, it seems like the latest smear coming from some of the posters here is that myself (and other Ford supporters) will defend anything the mayor does. Anybody who has read my posts on here should know by now that this is just not true. The truth is that you (among some others) will chastise "anything and everything the guy does", of which this latest non-controversy is a prime example of.

How many times in the past have I admitted that something Ford has done is wrong or in poor judgement or a serious controversy? How many times in the past have you admitted that Ford has done something good or in good judgement or that one issue effecting him is overblown? I think that if anyone looked at our past posting histories, they'd see that you are by far the more blindly partisan and ideological of the two of us.

 

[Dilla]

Ford knew this guy lied on his application so that he could coach the kids. This is against the rules, and they obviously knew it (why else would they lie). Ford went along with this. He broke the rules to get what he wanted, as he so often does. Scandal might be a strong word for it, but it shows woeful moral decision making from a mayor.

And it doesn't matter a damn if you don't see a problem with this guy coaching the kids. They're not your kids, are they? The parents of those children and the school board have every right to decide that themselves, and if it wasn't for being lied to by this guy and our mayor, they would have decided differently, for sure. Their right to make that decision was taken away by the mayor and his thug crony.

Oh, and your taxes are going up.

 

[Johnny Au]

I wonder how many counts of perjury Rob Ford were to receive.

 

[euler]

Once again, I feel like I have to chime in as the voice of reason. It is entirely possible that Aboodowleh being misinterpreted as Aboodowieh was a mistake. I assume this form was handwritten. It's even possible it was a typo, if not. Ford using a pseudonym for the guy could also be explained by the fact that people with names like 'Aboodowleh' often go by a different name that is easier to pronounce and spell, and Ford didn't consider that whatever document he was authoring would be used in this manner.

I'm not excusing Ford and Mr. A for falsifying documents in bad faith if that is indeed what occurred. At the same time, I am ever skeptical of jumping to conclusions. We have enough dirt on Ford, and this particular incident can legitimately be chalked up to honest mistakes made in good faith.

Clearly I don't like the guy, but the more tenuous the conclusion the less credibility we have. But that's just my opinion.

 

[DD13]

Cowboy Logic: Some questions for you:

1) Do you think Rob Ford runs a transparent government like he said he would?
2) Do you think he has responsible hiring practices?
3) Do you think he is a good face for the city, locally and internationally?
4) Do you think his choice of friends calls his character into question?
5) Do you think he is forthright and honest?
6) Do you think he owes the public an explanation for any of the countless questions they have?
7) Do you think he speaks primarily in catchphrases or does he have a sophisticated understanding of the problems that face the city?
8) Do you think the arrests, the police investigation, the photograph, the respected journalists citing a video they have seen, the trip to the prison, etc., are all a coincidence?
9) Do you think Ford has kept all of his promises?
10) Do you think his recent trip was effective?
11) Do you think it's okay for a mayor to be involved with hard drugs, as long as he hates streetcars, bicycles, the arts and taxes?

 

[soimelk]

The school board is allowed to make an informed decision about who they hire, and are responsible for any backlash they face for said decisions (say, if they hired someone with a criminal record). The issue here is that they weren't given the opportunity to make that decision. Personally, I don't see what the problem is with this fellow coaching kids, considering we have high school kids getting their volunteer hours alongside criminals doing their community service.

The entire purpose of the background check system is to prevent people with violent criminal histories working with vulnerable young people They should not be anywhere near kids in school. Giving felons a "2nd chance" shouldn't never mean exposing students to undue risks in being mentored by dudes like Payman.

Which leads me to your first point, where I think you are implying that the school board is the only body that should be help responsible for letting a felon work with kids. Perhaps as the rules are written, the buck stops with them, however, it beggars belief that Ford would not have known about Payman's sketchy life when he endorsed him. His actions in pushing for Payman's hiring on repeated occasions do not stand up to good standards of ethics (no surprise here), and he should bear responsibility for knowingly endangering youth.

 

[toto]

^ I'd be inclined to agree with you if Mr. A didn't have a criminal record. But he does and for that reason I don't think there was any mistakes or typos. Hre and Ford knew exactly what they were doing when proving a false name.