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News Roundup for August 30, 2024
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Will Rob Ford Finish His Term? If Not, What Then?

Ford was elected due to a reactionary response by the public, and a real lack of a choice IMHO.

Ford has only been successful of really doing two things, nixing the car transfer tax and loosing weight. "Lame Duck Mayor" comes to my mind when thinking of Ford, so the question (I think) is does it matter if he is recalled or serves the rest of his term.

JM2CW
 
If council had the guts to overturn Ford's 2 major policies (service cuts and anti-Transit City), then I can see nothing Ford can do to control policy direction other than to fall in line and pretend that he's being Mayor.
 
I think his term has already ended. He wants to bring the LTT forward, but he doesn't have the votes to repeal it. He also wants to bring the plastic bag fee forward, but again, he doesn't have the votes. He'd be a very effective mayor if he knew how to gather consensus, work together, and compromise at times, but his own stubbornness will be his downfall.
 
^ I agree. There's nothing in his platform that he can have passed. I wonder how many losses will be too many before he loses his cool. Because one thing I'll give Rob Ford, he was able to get his temper problem under control. If Ford comes out of this with a better temper and less weight, good for him... and for us if he leaves office and stays out of the public eye -- forever.
 
Rob Ford's hubris got the best of him. He and his apologists should know that, instead of bashing "Millerites" and "lefties," when Ford Nation actually created many imaginary wars of that they do not seem to have a chance of winning. He will have to be lucky just to finish his term as mayor.
 
Johnny Au said:
Ford Nation actually created many imaginary wars of that they do not seem to have a chance of winning.
Click to expand...

This is what amazes me about Ford -- however good at campaigning he may be, he is terrible at actually being an in-office politician. He knows how to play the populism card with the electorate, but seems to have no idea how to horse trade with his peers, or even understand that such compromises are necessary.
 
Tulse said:
This is what amazes me about Ford -- however good at campaigning he may be, he is terrible at actually being an in-office politician. He knows how to play the populism card with the electorate, but seems to have no idea how to horse trade with his peers, or even understand that such compromises are necessary.
Click to expand...
That is very true. Good mayors know how to compromise. Rob Ford is closer to that of a schoolyard bully who knows how to manipulate people than an actual mayor.
 
I think Ford should just call it quits. There is nothing left for him now but humiliation.

The only hope for the funding of subway expansion is road tolls, and Ford is staunchly against such a measure, presumably because it smacks of "progressive" thinking, and he would probably call it a war on the car. Ford has been given enough time to come up with alternate funding formulae and he has shown no leadership in such a pursuit, and he has been given ample time to show some of that, but it just eludes him. Cap-in-hand to the province, that's frankly all that we've seen from Ford. Didn't he rebuke others for that sort of approach, prior to his election to the mayor's office?

Ford could save face by just quitting. And we could move on.

The "panel of experts" being called to order will endorse road tolls to finance subway expansion in Toronto. Ford will hate that.
 
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Well, he painted himself into a corner by his branding - by making definitive claims his "hallmark", he practically left himself with no out since any change will by default tarnish his brand. The ultimate seppuku by soundbite politics.

AoD
 
Rob Ford hasn't really done much yet to ruin his chances of being reelected, let alone being forced out of office. Yes, it obviously depends on who's running for mayor next time. Everyone knew what they were getting with Rob Ford, and they voted for him, anyway. The idea that he'll engage in some sort of self-immolation on confidence/mandate grounds is just wishful thinking arising from severe bitterness that he was elected in the first place. Even his weight loss is helping to prevent a 'Mama Cass-meets-ham sandwich' sort of end to his term.
 
TonyV said:
The "panel of experts" being called to order will endorse road tolls to finance subway expansion in Toronto. Ford will hate that.
Click to expand...

how is this panel being chosen? it was my fear that the panel would be composed of Ford cronies who would be "experts" in name only and that they would really just be there to lend weight to Ford's position. If indeed they do give an honest assessment of the situation then Ford will surely have no other options left.
 
RS:

Nope, the expert panel has already been named:

David Crombie
University of Toronto professor Eric Miller
Gordon Chong
Senior representatives from Metrolinx, the TTC, the Toronto Board of Trade and the CivicAction Alliance

Quite reasonable, I'd say.

AoD
 
basically lrt supporters then. gordon chong knew the financing was never going to work but he didnt have the balls to go againdt ford. im pretty sure the people who were intimdated by ford before yesterday grew a backbone over night.
 
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