As I type this, Mayor Rob Ford is huddled in the far corner of Committee Room 1, consulting with his chief of staff, Mark Towhey. They’ve been there for a while now. It’s an icy tableau.
Half an hour ago, the duo launched into the latest of their series of last stands.
“Guaranteed: Hell will freeze over before I support these new taxes,” the mayor said, shortly before torpedoing the revenue tool report by deferring it for a month (which puts it past the deadline by which Metrolinx requires the City’s input).
Of course, no one actually expects, wants, or needs Rob Ford to support new taxes or fees for public transit. Nor does anyone much care if he does. But the obstructionism is obnoxious and creates a hell of a lot of work for others.
He’s been an obstacle to progress since before he got elected, and has refused to lead on any number of important files. That’s not new. What feels different this time is that he’s aware of his own impotence but is charging on, anyway. It’s a scorched-earth campaign.
No longer able to gather of majority of Council to support his agenda, he has stopped trying and is instead simply trying to cause as much damage as possible. “It’s like a chess game,” tweeted @dd_toronto, “where one player is an angry five-year-old who throws pieces on the floor and defies you to keep playing.”
