In Toronto, Mutiny Brews Vs. Crack-Smoking Mayor

City Council aims to 'shun' Rob Ford, 'curtail his power'
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 13, 2013 6:39 AM CST
Updated Nov 13, 2013 7:52 AM CST
In Toronto, Mutiny Brews Vs. Defiant Mayor
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford holds a Rob Ford bobblehead doll at Toronto city hall on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013.   (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

Toronto's crack-smoking mayor has made it clear he's not going anywhere despite his many scandals, but City Council has other ideas. Councilors will today consider a motion that would call on Rob Ford to apologize, take a leave of absence, and cooperate with a police investigation into his activities, CBC reports. Just one problem: Even if it passes (Ford, who made the motion the key item at today's council meeting, has promised a "rumble in the jungle" debate), Ford won't actually have to heed the request. If he refuses, the City Council can ask Ontario to pass legislation removing him, but the council itself can't remove him from office since he hasn't been convicted of a crime—and councilors are hesitant to ask Ontario to step in.

With "no clear legal path to force him out," the AP reports, the council is looking for a way to isolate Ford and run the city without him, which could actually be possible, since the powers of the Toronto mayor are more limited than the powers of many mayors in big US cities. "We really just have to build a box around the mayor so we can get work done," says one councilor. A second option to be debated next month: a motion that would further limit Ford's powers, basically keeping him from being able to fire executive committee members who want him out. "We will shun him, curtail his power as best we can," says another councilor. "He clearly has gone off the deep end, shot himself in outer space." Much of the public, though, still loves Ford: Hundreds lined up to buy "Robbie Bobbie" bobblehead dolls yesterday; they're being sold for charity. (More Rob Ford stories.)

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