I'm not one to kick a man while he's down and this is by no means me doing so but talking about Rob Ford now would certainly appear as I'm committing a side road beating on the Toronto mayor. Rob Ford is an eccentric character, brash bold and possesses a "my way and don't care" attitude that ironically won him his position in 2010 and somehow kept him there. The past couple of weeks brought with it allegations that a video has surfaced which identifies Ford smoking what appears to be crack cocaine. Tsk, tsk tsk, it never ends when it comes on to Ford, there always seems to be something that's attempts to tarnish his reputation, please don't laugh.
I do believe we need proof that it is actually Rob Ford getting high but his past and his behavior hasn't done him justice. Many would say, "If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck then- it's a duck." But no matter the situation he deserves the benefit of the doubt, even if you think he's not entitled to it, but it's the right thing to do.
But on the other hand I can see the gripe many people have with the "big guy", apart from the time when he was removed from office due to the conflict of interest case in November 2012, Ford has never really gotten disciplined for his acts. Proof of this was when the courts over turned the ruling in the case last year and he was reinstated as Mayor within weeks. The list however goes on; recently there were reports that the mayor was apparently intoxicated while at the Garrison Ball something which apparently was not a first. There were reports that in 2006 at a Toronto Maple Leafs game when he was a councillor he got intoxicated and proceeded to insult a couple seated behind him.Then there was the case of former mayoralty candidateSarah Thomsonwho accused Ford of touching her inappropriately and making inappropriate comments while posing for a picture and suggested in a radio interview that Ford was oncocaine.
But what I find interesting is that during the recent city council meeting in Toronto the mayor made no mention of the drug allegations something which I believe speaks volumes. Ford has never been one to shy away from addressing topical issues during meetings and public gathering even when he is directly involved.So my question is; will this be his last indiscretion if the allegations turn out to be true or will it end up being just a slap on the hand. If you ask me, if it does turn out to be true, he needs to call it a day.
It's bad enough that his behavior is not becoming but having a mayor smoking crack is just ridiculous. I am one who believes in making room for someone's flaws but Ford has had an entire building retrofitted with underground storage dedicated to his flaws. Sorry "Rob" I can't have it, examples need to be set and this is not me accusing you of being guilty before a fair trial or even trying to commit slander. But his record speaks for itself and what has always puzzled me is that he always gets away with it. Time and time again Ford is in the news for something far from positive and after some days it fades away and rolls into his favour.What does this say of Toronto and the rules that govern transparency and officials breaking codes of ethics? However if the allegations prove to be false and the tape is just of some guy who just happens to look like Ford then one thing is for certain, Rob Ford has great comeback ability. He'll bounce back that's for sure but my only hope is that he will make this a turning point in his leadership and not let Torontonians be embarrassed to mention his name when talking about our mayor.
