If you think Toronto’s mayor is bad, you should see the other councillors

No, Virginia, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford won’t be marching in this year’s Santa Claus Parade. The Santa Claus Parade co-chair (not a real chair, Virginia, just a politically correct ID) has sent a letter to the mayor’s staff, asking to avoid the distraction of having Rob Ford march “and put the focus back on Santa and Mrs. Claus”.

But not to worry most of Toronto’s 44, $102,608-a-year-salary-plus-perks councillors will be there--as angels. “Our request is simple, we know the Mayor loves the Parade, but for this year let’s avoid this distraction and put the focus back on Santa and Mrs. Claus,” Ron Barbaro wrote in the letter to the mayor’s chief of staff, Earl Provost.” (Toronto Star, Nov. 13, 2013) With the way things have been going in T.O. these days, God only knows how they’ll manage that. Barbaro told the Star the parade board is “concerned about the safety” of the children and other spectators in light of the “chaotic” attention the mayor has received--from media and protesters--since he admitted last week to smoking crack cocaine while in office.

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In last year’s parade, Ford only tossed candy canes into the crowd, but some seem worried that this year he may blow crack cocaine smoke up the wazoo of children and spectators. In a city whose downtown parking nightmare is legendary, Ford is also now being blamed for dwindling tourism. Barbaro claims “we were more afraid on the part of the children. “He (Ford) has to go through a scrum to get to his car. He can’t even go out of his office.” And by gum, what a scrum! The Mayor of Toronto has owned up to smoking crack just like Gawker.com contends with a video the public has never seen, and he’s a small-c conservative to boot! No televised soap opera, including the Sopranos, got anything on the one playing out in Toronto City Council chambers. City council and left-leaning friends showcase hatred. Councillors have been on the Get-Rid-of-Ford bandwagon ever since 383,501 Torontonians voted him in as the first small-c conservative mayor in living memory in 2010. Ford was elected with 47.1 percent of the popular vote, over opponent George Smitherman--who also owned up to doing dope, ever so much more quietly. Mr. Smitherman, 42, revealed on May 13, 2006, that for five years in the early 1990s, he fought an addiction to illegal drugs that were part of the “Toronto party scene”. Wonder if the last sentence is one good reason why we never hear it mentioned by present-day councillors. Before running for the mayoral, incidentally, Smitherman was Ontario Health Minister. Smitherman’s male husband Christopher Peloso (that’s Peloso not Pelosi) also had drug issues. But neither Smitherman nor his Mrs. ever got to toss candy canes at children, only the EVIL Rob Ford did. Yesterday councillors, including those who are rumoured to be in the run for the 2014 mayoralty were knocking themselves out trying to shame Ford into resigning, even though lawyer Clayton Ruby, a partner at Toronto-based law firm Ruby Shiller Chan Hasan Barristers--once their biggest hope--is on the record with this: “A mayor can only be thrown out of office under the municipal act if he’s tried, convicted and sentenced for a crime.” In the Ford foofaraw are three outstanding factoids never mentioned by council or the dominated-by-the-left media: Gawker never did release its world-touted Ford crack pipe smoking video, ditto for Police Chief Bill Blair (evidence), and Rob Ford has yet to be charged with any crime. The other dirty little secret still nestling in the darkest of corners is that council hates Rob Ford and have hated him ever since his days as council’s most penny-pinching councillor, along with Coun. Doug Holyday. Toronto councillors hate Rob Ford because he does his job, and in doing his job, shows clearly that they are not doing theirs. Meanwhile, Rob Ford crack pipe smoker has gone internationally viral. But If you think Rob Ford’s bad, you should see the other councillors.