I’m finally going to address the elephant in the newsroom: the man commonly referred to as the “crack smoking Mayor of Toronto,” Rob Ford.
I’ll be the first to admit, the media fiasco that is Ford’s life is a train wreck that’s nearly impossible to look away from, and even harder not to make fun of, but that doesn’t stop the fact that it’s a serious issue, and someone needs to take a serious stance.
I’ve heard people try to argue that Ford does his job well, and as such he should be left to his own devices in his personal time. Let me say this: Ford’s job as mayor is to represent the City of Toronto – the single largest city in our entire nation – and I can see no argument that would frame him as doing a good job of representing Toronto.
What Ford needs is help, help that he refuses to admit that he needs, as he is in a state of denial (one that he also denies). This sensationalized comedic approach, while hilarious and hard to shy away from, isn’t helping Ford, or Toronto, in any way.
Every member of Toronto’s voting public should let Ford know, every time they see him, that he is a monumental disappointment, a failure of democracy, and that he should step down. And they should do this in the most abrasive way possible.
This guy has his own cheering section, his approval ratings even went up after he admitted to using crack cocaine. I don’t know if the population of Toronto sees this as a game, but it isn’t. It’s not cool, it’s not even okay.
I’m not about to say that city councilors should be drug tested, or even that Ford should be allowed to be voted out of office, as bringing in a rule like that could lead to some issues in the future that may protect the bank accounts of city councilors while negatively affecting the rest of the city.
This is simply a case of Ford needing to recognize his place, and step down before he causes any further damage, which if you haven’t been keeping track, he’s doing on a daily basis.
The list is truly appalling, from swearing in front of kids, to lewd sexual comments, to uttering death threats on video, to running into a female councilwoman, to smoking crack (and that’s just scratching the surface). It’s like Ford is trying to pull off something new every day to keep himself in the international headlines, and I’m starting to believe that’s actually the case.
This is not just damaging to his own image, it is damaging to the entire city of Toronto, which as I said is the biggest and most recognizable city in Canada, and therefore has a negative impact on our entire country.
Sure, Ford is a joke, but every day I’m laughing less. I guess that’s what happens when you vote someone into public office because he’s wearing a Maple Leafs jersey.
