When bad mayors happen to good cities......

[marmar]

from NOW Toronto:


3-minute mayor
Members of the press have taken to timing his public appearances as the micro-managed Ford stars in his own propaganda flick

By Enzo Di Matteo


Perhaps we shouldn’t read too much into the fact that the glass doors leading to the reception area in the mayor’s office are now equipped with locks.

Or that the mayor, who reportedly returned calls from his hospital bed last week, hasn’t made himself available to the men and women of the City Hall press gallery since the election, letting big brother Doug, the councillor from Ward 2, handle the tough questions.

Not sure who died and made Dougie mayor, but even Rob Ford’s enemies on council are willing to cut him slack on that last one. Every mayor has his or her own way of communicating with the public. In Ford’s case, it’s usually a brief statement and off to the next whatever.

It’s hard to know to what extent he’s actually engaged in the day-to-day business at City Hall. Members of council aren’t sure either, since Ford sightings are scarce – about as rare as, say, an endangered wolverine in the wild. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.nowtoronto.com/news/story.cfm?content=179351

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

1. There is some major context to Rob Ford's election

The election of Rob Ford was the good people of Toronto "refudiating" the urban hipster bullshit of Mayor David Miller, there was an urban bullshit status quo candidate and Rob Ford. The rest is history. A city of two and a half million people can't be governed by the whims of a handful of assholes living on the waterfront without major alienation setting in.

[marmar]

2. Umm, okay.

nt