Mayor Rob Ford’s press secretary, assistant resign

TORONTO – The exodus of staffers from the mayor’s staff continued Monday.

The mayor’s press secretary George Christopoulos and his special assistant in communications, Isaac Ransom, both left their positions in the mayor’s office Monday.

Watch: John Tory discusses the turmoil at city hall

Mayor Rob Ford arrived at city hall shortly after noon and could be seen touring his office with security and the city manager.

“I want to thank them for working hard in this office,” the mayor said outside his office at 3 p.m. ET on Monday. “They decided to go down a different avenue.”

He also said once again that it was “business as usual” at city hall.

The mayor’s office issued a short statement Monday afternoon confirming that Christopoulos and Ransom “are no longer employed in the Office of the Mayor.”

Watch the video below: Rob Ford comments on press staff departures

Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday said he is “concerned” with the recent resignations from the mayor’s office but remains convinced that it won’t affect regular city business.

Holyday said the mayor walked into his office Monday to find the resignations of both Christopoulos and Ransom on his desk.

According to Holyday, at the time the mayor did not know why they resigned.

Watch the video below: Members of the mayor’s staff resign as the scandal grows. Jackson Proskow reports.

The two resignations come days after Ford’s chief of staff, Mark Towhey, was fired by the mayor.

Towhey tweeted just before 2 p.m.ET that Christopolous and Ransom are two “outstanding honest & honourable professionals for whom I have enormous respect.”

Related: Gawker’s ‘Crackstarter’ campaign reaches goal

On his radio show Sunday, Ford refused to comment on why Towhey was let go because he advised the mayor to seek help for his addiction, according to multiple media reports citing unnamed sources close to the administration.

Towhey however has not said why he was fired from the mayor’s office.

The resignations come amid allegations from the Toronto Star and Gawker that a video exists showing someone who could be the mayor smoking what might be crack cocaine.

The mayor however said no such video exists and called the allegations “ridiculous.”

Councillor Doug Ford said the mayor told him the allegations were “untrue.”

“I do not use crack cocaine, nor am I addicted to crack cocaine,” the mayor said at a press conference Friday.

Global News has not seen the alleged video and cannot verify its authenticity.