UPDATE: Get the latest on Mayor Rob Ford here.
TORONTO – Mayor Rob Ford is expected to get an earful at Toronto City Hall today as councillors discuss a motion for him to step aside.
The move comes a week after Ford admitted to having smoked crack cocaine in a “drunken stupor” and following the release of court documents related to the arrest of his friend and occasional driver, Alexander “Sandro” Lisi, revealing the mayor exchanging packages and under surveillance by police for months.
In addition to drug offences, Lisi is also facing an extortion charge related to an alleged video of Ford smoking what appears to be crack cocaine.
The mayor has fervently denied the video’s existence since Gawker and the Toronto Star first reported the story back in May.
Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair confirmed last month the tape has been recovered by investigators.
The notice of motion to be heard at city council reads: “Recent evidence, documents, pictures and statements have been presented to residents of the City of Toronto which raise significant concerns and have serious consequences for the Mayor, City Council and the City of Toronto.”
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“The mayor consorts with known criminals and/or individuals involved in the sale and distribution of drugs. The Mayor misled the residents of the City of Toronto with regard to the existence of a video in which he was involved and/or participated in the use of crack cocaine.”
The motion is made up of five parts and recommends that:
1. City Council request Mayor Rob Ford to apologize for misleading the City of Toronto as to the existence of a video in which he appears to be involved in the use of drugs.
2. City Council urge Mayor Rob Ford to co-operate fully with the Toronto Police in their investigation of these matters by meeting with them in order to respond to questions arising from their investigation.
3. City Council request Mayor Rob Ford to apologize for writing a letter of reference for Alexander “Sandro” Lisi, an alleged drug dealer, on City of Toronto Mayor letterhead.
4. City Council request Mayor Ford to answer to Members of Council on the aforementioned subjects directly and not through the media.
5. City Council urge Mayor Rob Ford to take a temporary leave of absence to address his personal issues, then return to lead the City in the capacity for which he was elected.
Although the motion is not legally binding and the mayor cannot be removed from office unless his is convicted and incarcerated, Ford’s former chief of staff, Mark Towhey, said in a blog post the “leave of absence” portion “is the only part of the motion that has any real value.”
“Love him or hate him, Rob Ford is a man in trouble. In his own words, he has a “problem” and it’s apparent to everyone, except possibly him, that he needs help to resolve it,” wrote Towhey.
“There is still a path to personal and political victory for Ford, but it is a narrower and steeper path now than it’s ever been — and he’s nowhere even close to it. Getting help is his only option and a council resolution to urge him to do so is in Ford’s own best interest, as well as the city’s.”
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