Wednesday, May 4, 2011 6:16 PM EDT
Ford's schedule reveals little activity
Patrick White
Mayor Rob Ford is legendary for endless constituency meetings and tireless returning of phone calls, but a new release of his schedule suggests he has trimmed back his daily activity.
A copy of Mr. Ford’s schedule from January through February, obtained through a Freedom of Information request, shows three entirely blank pages in his weekly calendar, a marked departure from the human dynamo rendered in previous daybook releases.
Aside from those three slow weeks, most days show no more than four appointments, mainly ribbon-cuttings and unspecified constituent meetings.
A more likely explanation for the empty schedule is a quiet shift in the way Mr. Ford’s appointments are recorded.
In March, a release of the mayor’s schedule tracking his activity from Nov. 1 to Jan. 31 laid out an exhausting list of up to 14 appointments a day. That version of the calendar caused alarm in the mayor’s office after media outlets began investigating some of the people the mayor met, including developer Mario Cortellucci and businessman Jonathan Vrozos.
The mayor’s office has deliberately withheld names from subsequent calendar entries.
“There was some information provided in previous [Freedom of Information releases] that should not have been released,” said Adrienne Batra, the mayor’s press secretary, who added that staff have moved to a different system of keeping appointments. “Names of constituents with whom the mayor met should have been held back.”
Neither version of the calendar document the time Mr. Ford spends returning constituent phone calls or attending to complaints beyond the confines of city hall, two priorities that, by his own admission, take up considerable chunks of the mayor’s time.
“These calendars don’t record everything the mayor is up to,” said Ms. Batra. “He’s actually at city hall in meetings on a lot of those days when the calendar looks blank.”
One of the mayor’s most vocal critics, Councillor Adam Vaughan, said the mayor’s vanishing schedule raises accountability issues.
“He clearly doesn’t think the city’s business is a public issue,” said Mr. Vaughan. “If he leaves a paper trail someone is going to ask a question. He wants to hide it.”
Under David Miller, the mayor’s office would openly release an advance schedule of daily appointments, something Mr. Ford has resisted.
“He’s following the same game plan as Stephen Harper, he doesn’t tell you much and doesn’t talk to you much,” said Mr. Vaughan. “It’s not normal for a mayor to be like that. He would rather do the public’s business in private.”
Link to this post
Wednesday, April 20, 2011 10:27 PM EDT
Ford’s committee criticized for vote to cancel citizen panels
PATRICK WHITE
Mayor Rob Ford’s executive committee has voted to dismantle 21 citizen groups that advise city hall on everything from crosswalks to powwows.
Opponents portray the move as an attempt to blockade one of the few avenues unelected Torontonians have to influence municipal policy while the mayor’s allies see it as making good on election promises to streamline government.
“It’s a simple way of reducing bureaucracy,” said deputy mayor Doug Holyday
Executive members based their decision on a city staff report that suggested 11 of the advisory panels – including the Toronto Cycling Advisory Committee, Task Force to Bring Back the Don and Aboriginal Affairs Committee – are superfluous, easily replaced with town halls, social-media strategies and other civic-engagement programs.
The report was lean on details of how much money the city would save. Committee members receive no money, but paid city staff do provide support services to the citizen panels.
Ten other committees were deemed redundant or dormant in the report, though many who spoke before the vote disputed that. More than 40 people signed up to oppose the motion, including several members of committees facing the chopping block.
“There is a genuine sadness and disappointment that perhaps we have to once again fight to be heard, to have the right to sit at the table, to be treated as an equal,” said Frances Sanderson, a member of the Aboriginal Affairs Committee, who, like most speakers, waited all morning and afternoon before the public was invited to speak at 5 p.m. The executive committee finally voted on the matter at 9:20 p.m.
City manager Joe Pennachetti
Tuesday, April 19, 2011 2:25 PM EDT
NOW magazine files complaint against Ford to integrity officer
Tamara Baluja
NOW Magazine has filed a complaint with the city’s Integrity Commissioner against Mayor Rob Ford’s office following an alleged order to remove the weekly’s copies from all City of Toronto locations.
Last month, NOW claimed its magazines, featuring several photo-shopped photos of a scantily clad Rob Ford, were yanked from City Hall by order of the mayor’s office. NOW said they have “solid evidence” in the form of an e-mail request to Lorraine Pickett, supervisor of custodial services, with directions to “remove all NOW newspapers from all City of Toronto locations/facilities asap. Please remove and dispose.”
“This is a disturbing infringement on the right to free expression and speaks to a careless disregard for democracy in the highest office of city government,” said CEO Alice Klein. “We have a right to know who ordered this infringement of our democratic rights and to see that there are consequences for those who are responsible for this outrageous act.”
Responding to the complaint, Mr. Ford’s press secretary Adrienne Batra said “there's not much information I can provide you because this is an ongoing matter.”
Ms. Batra denied any such order went out from the mayor’s office and stands by her comments made in March that ‘it was all a misunderstanding.” She suggested there might have been some miscommunication when the mayor’s staff looked into policies of newspaper and magazine distribution at city facilities.
If Integrity Commissioner Janet Leiper decides she has jurisdiction in this case, she will complete a report within 90 days and submit to city council with recommendations. If the report finds that Mr. Ford has violated the Code of Conduct, he could face a reprimand from council or the suspension of his salary for up to 90 days. The commissioner could also instruct the mayor to issue a formal apology to NOW magazine.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011 10:15 PM EDT
Rob Ford’s war on graffiti results in something less than eradication
Patrick White
Wielding a high-powered pressure washer and a gleeful smile, Mayor Rob Ford got his hands seriously dirty and seriously wet in launching the city's graffiti eradication initiative in an alley behind St. Clair Avenue West last Thursday. But the final results of the mayor's efforts suggest his city-wide spray-paint purge leaves something to be desired.
Four days after the mayor's appearance, the remnants of colourful graffiti were still clearly visible in the alley. The pressure washer had stripped away several layers of graffiti but left behind flakes of paint and the clear outlines of gang tags. Neighbours said the eradication crew remained for two hours after the mayor left, but couldn't get the wall clean.
“Yes, it's ugly, but it's better than what it was,” said Jeff Gillan, who lives next door and is chair of the local business improvement association. “There used to be dirty slogans all over that wall that you can't read anymore.”
A spokeswoman for the mayor's office said the wall will eventually be covered with a mural.
Follow Patrick White as he covers city council on Twitter, @nut_graf
Wednesday, March 16, 2011 7:58 PM EDT
Ford to make his grown-up theatre debut
Kelly Grant
Cue the gravy-train and above-ground rail jokes.
Mayor Rob Ford is making his adult theatre debut in Thomas and Friends Live! Thomas Saves the Day at the Sony Centre Friday. (It's not the mayor's first time on stage: He told a summer arts debate he had lead roles in high-school productions of The Princess and the Pea and Grease.)
The mayor will likely don a top hat for his 30-second appearance, said Carrie Sager, a publicist for the Sony Centre.
“I think that in his new position as mayor he’s visiting all the [theatres] in the city and I believe he was quite enamoured of the Sony Centre and the new renovations,” Ms. Sager said.
The mayor, who will be bringing his daughter to the show, will appear alongside Sir Topham Hatt on the Island of Sodor as they prepare for a "Magic Lantern Festival,” according to a news release announcing the cameo.
It’s a speaking part, but Mr. Ford won’t say much -- sort of like his rare and famously abrupt press conferences. Words written for him by others are, apparently, as closely guarded in the actual theatre as they are in the political one.
Ms. Sager said in an e-mail that she “got the veto on sending out the script.”
Tuesday, March 15, 2011 5:23 PM EDT
Egads! Mayor Ford filed expenses in 2010
Kelly Grant
The 2010 councillor expenses are out. The full list is available here, and if you like reading about the price of toner cartridge and office rent, you won't be disappointed. Herewith, a few tidbits I didn't see elsewhere this morning.
OMG: Ford filed expenses
Rob Ford continued his zero-expense streak as a councillor in 2010, but he broke down and filed expenses in his first month as mayor -- $918.99 worth, to be exact. The bills, for a rental printer, postage and staff blackberries, could have been a lot higher. Scrawled on one Telus invoice dated Dec. 31/2010 are the words: "No! What's this," with an arrow pointing to a total of $3,574.57. Next to that is another hand-written note: "Just $1440.81. Feb. 4/11." Despite the Dec. 31 date, half the bill seems to be for January, and the total filed for telecom services on the mayor's file is $749.08. The mayor's press secretary did not immediately return a call seeking clarification.
Update: The mayor's office has now responded and says much of the invoice is actually for David Miller's staff blackberries in November 2010. Adrienne Batra, the mayor's press secretary, confirmed Mr. Ford's office only approved $749.08 of the bill for their own staff for the month of December. Ms. Batra also presented invoices indicating Mr. Miller's staff's devices haven't been cancelled, though most haven't been used for outgoing calls. "I think it's the responsibility of council services," to cancel or transfer ownership of the city-owned devices, she added. Ms. Batra said the handwriting on the invoice isn't Mr. Ford's.
The gravy train of donations kept running
Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday is a leading a review of the councillor expense policy and one category that's sure to come up is the taxpayer-funded donations councillors can make in their names. The clerk tried to halt this practice a few years ago on the grounds it burnished councillors' personal profiles at taxpayer expense. Council overruled her.
Plenty of councillors continued using their office budgets to merrily donate away in 2010, an election year. Residents groups, churches, minor sports teams and charities were among the recipients.
Glenn De Baeremaker, for example, donated $200 to ACORN Toronto for a tree-planting event at Cedarbrook Park; $200 to the Scarborough Senior Games; and $150 to his local Scarborough Blizzard soccer team. Paul Ainslie donated two bikes and helmets worth $254.20 to a bike rodeo at a Canadian Tire and $500 to the Cedar Ridge Community and Business Association.
Giorgio Mammoliti donated $500 each to the Knights of Columbus, Westbridge Council, Jamaican Canadian Association, St. Jude Catholic School, North Islington Seniors, and the Benrubin Community Assocation.
To see more, just click on the "other expenses" line in your own councillors' file to see if he or she sponsored a sports team or cut cheques to your neighbours.
Constituency offices under threat?
Lost in all the back-patting about council voting to cut the expense budgets to $30,000 in 2011 (down from just over $50,000) is how the lower limit might hurt some councillors’ ability to serve their constituents. Politicians representing far-flung wards use their office budgets to pay for rent, telephone and computer services at constituency offices, some of which are a really long trek from city hall.
Take Ron Moeser of Ward 44 Scarborough East. Council’s biggest spender in 2010, Mr. Moeser represents the ward that borders Pickering. He spent $20,449.70 on his constituency office rent and expenses alone last year.
Most suburban councillors manage to keep their constituency office expenses at a minimum by renting cheap space at one of the civic centres, including Mr. Ainslie ($5,139.31); Chin Lee ($2,004); Raymond Cho ($1,440); Mike Del Grande ($2,004); Denzil Minnan-Wong ($4,800) and Shelley Carroll ($4,800), among others.
But the civic centres aren't in convenient spots for all residents. That leaves some councillors renting at private-market rates, including Mr. Moeser, Joe Mihevc ($9,144.48); former councillor Bill Saundercook ($15,035.31) and Giorgio Mammoliti ($13,496.74.)
What will happen to those constituency offices in 2011 is anyone's guess.
Monday, March 14, 2011 11:13 AM EDT
Independent minds at Toronto city hall
Kelly Grant
Question: Is there anyone left with a mind of his or her own at Toronto city council?
Much has been made over the last couple of days of the Ford clan’s iron grip on Toronto city council, including their use of "recommended" voting strategy sheets and hand signals on the floor. Over at OpenFile, Jonathan Goldsbie obtained a copy of the hand-written memo the Fords distributed during last week's special council meeting at which they swept out the last four board members of the Toronto Community Housing Corp.
The most fascinating thing about the special meeting cheat sheet isn’t what it recommended. (Spoiler alert: The mayor, his brother and their staff instructed their followers to vote “no to all” the motions penned by their arch-enemies Shelley Carroll, Gord Perks, Adam Vaughan, Joe Mihevc, Janet Davis and Paula Fletcher.) It’s what the cheat sheet, coupled with the voting record, revealed about who broke ranks and on what issues. There are some independent minds left on city council, and both left and right are busy courting them.
Most of the rebels were rookies. A few were veteran mushy-middle dwellers. Some were bona-fide Ford allies. Why, Denzil Minnan-Wong even kissed off the Fords to vote with Adam Vaughan at one point! As far as I know, Mr. Minnan-Wong hasn’t been ushered off a plank into the sarlaac pit with the TCHC board and Derek Ballantyne. Maybe the Fords haven’t re-read the minutes yet?
Anyway, let’s look at the most interesting successful amendment of the night.
Thursday, March 10, 2011 6:14 PM EST
Arvanitis third Ford staffer to leave since new year
Kelly Grant
Another senior staff member is leaving Mayor Rob Ford’s office, two city hall sources have told The Globe and Mail.
Tina Arvanitis, the mayor’s director of operations, has told Mr. Ford and some city staff she is planning to depart in the next month or two, possibly to work for the Respect for Taxpayers Action Group, the right-wing citizens’ organization Mr. Ford’s ex-chief of staff is trying to get off the ground.
If Ms. Arvanitis resigns as she’s indicated, she’ll be the third senior member of the mayor’s team to leave since the new year.
In late January, Nick Kouvalis, the architect of Mr. Ford’s election victory, left the top job in the mayor’s office after quarrelling with another staffer, Andrew Pask. Mr. Pask is no longer with the mayor’s office.
At the time, Mr. Kouvalis said he had already told Mr. Ford he wouldn’t remain chief-of-staff past mid-March.
Mr. Kouvalis is now trying to launch Respect for Taxpayers, a fledgling right-leaning organization he hopes can be a counterweight to the left-leaning groups that tend to dominate civic conversation in Toronto.
“Lots of folks have been showing interest in the Respect for Taxpayers Group that will be formed at some later date,” Mr. Kouvalis said Thursday. “Tina is just one of many people who’ve shown interest.”
He added that, as a consultant for Respect for Taxpayers, he won’t be doing the hiring for a organization that is little more than a concept right now.
Adrienne Batra, the mayor’s press secretary, declined to comment on Ms. Arvanitis’s pending departure. “The mayor’s office does not comment on personnel matters,” she said.
Ms. Arvanitis did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Monday, March 7, 2011 9:55 PM EST
Ford transit plan would serve less than half as many commuters as old plan: report
Marcus Gee
A Toronto environmental group says that a new mass transit plan being negotiated between the city and the provincial government would serve less than half as many commuters and provide less than half the track as an old plan discarded by Mayor Rob Ford.
The Toronto Environmental Alliance released maps showing that the Transit City planned favoured by former Mayor David Miller would have built 52 kilometres of light-rail transit at a cost of $8.7-billion. For the same money, TEA says, commuters would get 25 kilometres of light-rail under the plan being discussed between the Ford administration and the regional transit agency, Metrolinx.
TEA said Transit City would have served 460,000 Torontonians — those who live within 500 metres of the four light-rail lines planned under the project. The new plan would serve 217,000 people.
The group did not figure in Mr. Ford’s plan to build an extension to the Sheppard subway line because money for that would not come from the provincial government. Mr. Ford has said he would go to the private sector to build the Sheppard line.
TEA transit expert Jamie Kirkpatrick said that the new plan would short change residents of Toronto’s suburbs who would have been served by Transit City lines on Sheppard and Finch avenues, which seem destined to be cancelled.
He said that Mr. Ford’s insistence on putting all mass transit underground would cost the city dearly. Putting all of the Eglinton light-rail line underground, instead of about half of it as planned under Transit City, would add billions in costs.
“To do this costs transit in Finch, it costs transit in Sheppard and it really doesn’t make a lot of sense to us,” Mr. Kirkpatrick said.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011 2:54 PM EST
Another senior city official quits under Ford
Kelly Grant
For the second time in as many days, Toronto city hall is losing one of its top civil servants, The Globe has learned.
Deputy city manager Richard Butts is leaving the city's public service to become the chief administrative officer of Halifax Regional Municipality, effective March 25, according to a letter sent Tuesday to the mayor, councillors and senior staff.
“Richard’s achievements are most significantly demonstrated through the accomplishments related to capital infrastructure renewal, waterfront redevelopment and our city’s leading environmental issues,” City manager Joe Pennachetti wrote in the memo.
As one of three deputy city managers, Mr. Butts was one of the most senior mandarins at city hall. Only Mr. Pennachetti is more senior.
Mr. Pennachetti announced Monday that Sue Corke, another deputy city manager, is leaving March 11. He said there was a “mutual” agreement that Ms. Corke would leave, but the memo about her departure did not say whether or not she left voluntarily or what she would do next.
More to come
Inside City Hall Contributors
Patrick White
I joined the Globe in 2007 after spending two years working for the New York Post and Newsweek. After a time in the paper's Life section, I shipped off to Winnipeg for two years to cover news from the Prairies, Nunavut and, for a two-month stint, Afghanistan. I started at City Hall in March 2011. On Twitter, I am @nut_graf
Marcus Gee
I’m one of those rare birds: a native Torontonian. I grew up in Moore Park in North Toronto, lived away for 10 years in Vancouver and Asia, then came back and have been here ever since. Through most of my career at The Globe, which I joined in 1991, I have been writing about foreign affairs, as an editorial writer, columnist and, most recently, Asia business reporter. Now I’m exploring my hometown as a columnist.
Kelly Grant
I started my career chasing crime and writing editorials at the Windsor Star before moving to Toronto in 2005 to write for the National Post, where I worked as the paper's City Hall reporter.
I moved to The Globe as deputy editor of Globe T.O. in April 2008, became Toronto editor in February of 2009 and returned to City Hall as the Globe's bureau chief in January 2010.
