The questions the mayor left unanswered — and why they’ll come back to haunt him
Ford after his radio show on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013. (Mark Blinch/CP)
To gauge by the emotion in his voice, Rob Ford’s apology was heartfelt. He quavered, paused and, rhetorically speaking, staggered to the end into the arms of his brother Doug. “I’m the first one to admit I am not perfect,” the Toronto mayor told listeners of the weekend show the Fords’ host on Newstalk 1010. “I have made mistakes.”
All I can do right now is apologize for the mistakes. I sincerely, sincerely apologize to my family, to the citizens, the taxpayers of this great city, and to my colleagues on Toronto city council. Unfortunately, I cannot change the past. I can just move forward and learn from the past, which I assure you I am doing.
Hmm. Can you expand, Mr. Mayor, on that learning part?
I also know that to move forward, I have to make changes in my life, which I can assure you I will do. I love the work I do and I’m going to keep doing it. I want to keep working for the people of this city.
Ford, in case you’ve been in a deep-ocean submersible, was responding to news that police have recovered the infamous crack video that made worldwide headlines last spring. The clip, which was viewed by journalists from Gawker.com and the Toronto Star, shows the mayor smoking what appears to be crack cocaine while uttering racist and homophobic remarks. Ford had initially brushed aside the reports, saying he couldn’t comment on a video that “doesn’t exist or I haven’t seen.”
Well, now it appears to exist. And in an unexpected show of bravado, Ford himself called today on Police Chief Bill Blair to release the footage for all to see.
But there’s also the matter of police surveillance information released the same day news of the video came out. It paints a picture of the mayor as living the life of a delinquent teenager over the past few months—drinking in the woods, gulping vodka in school parking lots and generally consorting with folks of ill-repute.
So at this point of the mayor’s hotly anticipated statement, even true-believing Ford supporters might have hoped to hear exactly what about himself the mayor plans to change, and how he expects to do it. Is he checking into rehab? Attending a remote fishing camp, where he’ll be out of the reach of the likes of Sandro Lisi? Hiring Nanny McPhee?
They and the Ford-haters would wait in vain. What had been billed in the city’s media all morning as an “announcement” trailed off into the usual platitudes about loving the city of Toronto and wanting to “fight for the little guy.” Doug, who also sits on council, offered some peppy words to his brother, and then—to borrow the Ford boys’ idiom—we all moved forward. Rob Ford is not resigning. He isn’t even saying he’ll taking a leave.
There was one more item of note. While thanking well-wishers for their messages of encouragement, the mayor did get around to admitting: “There’s no one to blame but myself and I take full responsibility for it.” This suggests the press will get at least brief respite from his claims of a vast media conspiracy fueled by “made-up stories.” That’ll be nice, though I wouldn’t bet on the truce lasting long.
As for this vague statement easing the pressure on Ford: forget it. It leaves too much open to question, and here’s my list for the full and exhaustive press conference the mayor should have held after today’s show: