KING JESUS IS COMING FOR US ANY TIME NOW. THE RAPTURE. BE PREPARED TO GO.
FORD WAS FACING QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS COMPETENCE AS MAYORFOR LAST 2 DAYS
http://www.rogerstv.com/page.aspx?lid=237&rid=16&sid=1030&lve=39539
http://www.rogerstv.com/page.aspx?lid=237&rid=16&sid=1030&lve=39538
THE BILL WAS CARRIED BY A VOTE OF 39-3 FOR.JOHN FILION THEN INTRODUCED THE BILL.IT PASSED 40-2.AND A VOTE TO PUT THIS BILL INTO BYLAW PASSED 40-2. SO IF I GOT IT CORRECT.CC42.1 COMES INTO EFFECT NOW.IT PASSED.SO FORD CAN NOT FIRE THE PEOPLE IN THE BILL.
FORD WAS FACING QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS COMPETENCE AS MAYORFOR LAST 2 DAYS
http://www.rogerstv.com/page.aspx?lid=237&rid=16&sid=1030&lve=39539
http://www.rogerstv.com/page.aspx?lid=237&rid=16&sid=1030&lve=39538
THE BILL WAS CARRIED BY A VOTE OF 39-3 FOR.JOHN FILION THEN INTRODUCED THE BILL.IT PASSED 40-2.AND A VOTE TO PUT THIS BILL INTO BYLAW PASSED 40-2. SO IF I GOT IT CORRECT.CC42.1 COMES INTO EFFECT NOW.IT PASSED.SO FORD CAN NOT FIRE THE PEOPLE IN THE BILL.
| CC42.1 |
ACTION
|
Ward:All
|
| Motion to Improve the Decision Making Environment at City Hall |
| Notice
of the proposed suspension and substitution of special rules was given
at the November 13 and 14, 2013 City Council meeting. A vote of two-thirds of the Members present is required to suspend the rules in Council's procedures. |
| Recommendations |
Councillor John Filion, seconded by Councillor Paul Ainslie, recommends that:
In
accordance with section 27-7 of the Council Procedures, City Council
suspend the necessary rules and substitute special rules for the balance
of the current term of office, that give effect to the following:
1. City Council suspend
the power of the Mayor to appoint and dismiss the Deputy Mayor and
Standing Committee Chairs under Section 27.40 of the Council Procedures.
2. City Council confirm the appointment of the incumbents in the offices of Deputy Mayor and Standing Committee Chairs for the balance of this term.
3. City Council confirm that the incumbent Deputy Mayor and the Standing Committee Chairs remain cross appointed to the Executive Committee.
4.
If vacancies occur, that the Deputy Mayor be appointed by City Council
and the Standing Committee Chairs be elected by the respective
committees.
5.
If a Standing Committee Chair resigns as a Chair and member of the
Executive Committee, he or she would remain as a member of the committee
on which they have served as Chair.
|
| Summary |
As
a result of police documents made available on October 31, 2013,
together with the disclosure by Toronto Police of additional material in
their possession and investigations still underway, it appears that a
majority of members of Council and a significant number of members of
the Executive Committee have expressed serious concerns about the
Mayor's ability to lead the City government at this time.
An
unstable decision making environment currently exists at City Hall. In a
radio interview on November 4, Mayor Ford stated as follows: "I'll be
running the ship, even if it's by myself." He
also invited members of the Executive Committee and the Deputy Mayor to
resign if they disagreed with his course of action. With concern
expressed from many quarters about the Mayor's decision not to address
the most serious allegations publically, and with the prospect of
additional revelations, there exists a real possibility of a situation
in which members of Council holding key political positions could be
"fired" by the Mayor, or that there would be an insufficient number of
Councillors willing to serve on the Mayor's Executive Committee on his
terms.
Beginning
on December 1, 2006, Toronto's Mayor was given additional powers by
Council, under Section 27.40 of the Procedural Bylaw, to appoint and
fire the Chairs of Committees and the Deputy Mayor. These members in
turn form the majority of the Executive Committee, which has enormous
influence on political decision-making in the City.
Under
normal circumstances this creates an environment in which a Mayor who
enjoys the support of Council can more easily move forward on an agenda.
At the time this "stronger Mayor" system was created, it was not
contemplated that there could be a situation under which a Mayor would
lose the support of Council and perhaps even that of his hand-picked
Executive Committee. Such a situation could make it extremely difficult
to carry on the essential work of the City.
In
order to ensure some stability under the present circumstances, Council
could, with a two thirds vote, choose to suspend, for the balance of
this term only, the powers it extended to the office of Mayor in 2006.
Specifically, the Chairs of committees, the Deputy Mayor, and members of
the Executive need to be able speak their minds about what is best for
the City without fear of being "fired" by the Mayor. In addition,
Council should ensure that there are enough members to serve on the
Executive under any circumstances; at present, Council can only appoint
four members out of 13, with all the rest chosen by the Mayor. There are
no provisions for what happens if a majority of members resign or are
fired and the Mayor is unable to find others willing to replace them.
In
order to preserve stability, this motion proposes a situation under
which the Deputy Mayor and all standing Committee Chairs remain in place
unless they are fired or resign. This is desirable to create stability
and to preserve the Mayor's intention to appoint a fiscally conservative
leadership, in keeping with the mandate given to him by voters in 2010.
If the Mayor is able to continue to work with the Chairs of committees,
and with the Deputy Mayor - all selected by him - and should he
continue to have their confidence, nothing would change as a result of
this motion.
However,
should vacancies occur, it is proposed that the respective committees
choose a Chair from among their members, including the member who
resigned as chair or was removed as chair.
It
is proposed that these measures remain in place for the balance of this
term only, and that whoever wins the 2014 contest for Mayor be given
the same powers conferred by Council in 2006.
|
| Background Information |
| Petition
under s. 27-30 of the City of Toronto Council Procedures bearing the
names and signatures of 24 Members of City Council
(http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2013/cc/bgrd/backgroundfile-63759.pdf) Motion to suspend and substitute special rules under Chapter 27, Council Procedures (http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2013/cc/bgrd/backgroundfile-63760.pdf) |
| Communications |
(November 13, 2013) E-mail from Neil McDermott (CC.New.CC42.1.1)Rob Ford loses a number of executive powers in city council vote, promises costly court challenge
Natalie Alcoba and Josh Visser | 15/11/13 | Last Updated: 15/11/13 10:44 AM ET
The special motion suspends the power of the mayor to “appoint and dismiss the Deputy Mayor and Standing Committee Chairs.” It passed 39-3, only Mayor Ford, Councillor Doug Ford and Councillor David Shiner voted against it.A second motion would take away his powers to deal with emergencies. “I can’t support this, but I completely understand where they are coming from,” Ford said in city council. “This will cost taxpayers thousand of dollars.”The special meeting comes as Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne opened the door to provincial action being taken, provided Toronto City Council asked for more powers to deal with the situation.Ford asked a number of technical questions on the motion, including if he had a conflict of interest in voting on the motion. He said his lawyer asked him to ask City Solicitor Anna Kinastowski.Kinastowski responded that it was not her role to offer personal legal advice.Councillor Doug Ford stood up and wondered how much a legal challenge to the motion would cost the city, suggesting the Fords are ready to fight the motion in the courts if it is passed.“Look forward to challenging [it],” Doug Ford said to Kinastowski.On top of Friday’s motion there is an additional special meeting for Monday to debate a motion that would delegate “all powers and duties which are not by statute” currently assigned to the mayor to his deputy, Norm Kelly.The motion seeks to oust him as chair of his own executive committee and appoint the deputy mayor instead, and to strip the mayor of his ability to sit and vote on any standing committee. It would also slash his office budget to the size of that allotted to a city councillor and reallocate the balance to the city clerk’s office, under the oversight of the deputy mayor.Mayor Ford appeared relaxed after the motion was published, joking with his driver and feigning a football throw. He was a lonely voice of opposition in a handful of debates, railing against a study of bike lanes on Bloor Street and affordable housing units on the waterfront. Whenever he spoke in the council chamber, many councillors turned their backs on him in a show of defiance.He refused to talk to reporters about the new push against his leadership. Deputy Mayor Kelly also declined to comment.“We have an extraordinary situation here that nobody ever foresaw,” said Councillor John Filion, who drafted the motions. “I certainly move it with some unease and sadness, where we’ve come to that point where a vast majority of councillors would like somebody else to function as the mayor of the city because the mayor won’t step aside.” The changes would be in effect for the remainder of his term of office, which ends in November 2014. The crisis surrounding the Ford mayoralty reached new levels this week with the release of a new batch of police documents containing a string of allegations from former mayoral staffers, including apparent drug use and drinking and driving. |
Rob Ford faces city council motion limiting his powers
Councillor says some members of Toronto mayor's executive 'nervous' about being associated with Ford
CBC News
Posted: Nov 15, 2013 5:00 AM ET
Last Updated: Nov 15, 2013 8:15 AM ET
Councillors will consider passing a motion Friday that could
strip Mayor Rob Ford of the ability to hire and fire the chairs of
standing committees, as well as his deputy. (Chris Young/Canadian Press)
The council colleagues of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford will consider a
motion Friday that could limit his power to control the leadership of
key committees within the city government.The ground continues to shake at Toronto City Hall, where councillors have already formally urged Ford to take a leave of absence amid a drug scandal, though some council members are now calling for the mayor’s outright resignation. For two weeks straight, Ford has made news almost on a daily basis
with a rolling series of admissions, apologies and responses to new
developments.
"He would still have the title of mayor," but little else, Filion said. "That goes as far as we can possibly go."
Council does not have the authority to remove Ford from office. Ahead of Friday’s council meeting, Coun. Karen Stintz appeared confident that the motion would be approved, while Coun. Peter Milczyn said that council may need to call upon the province to intervene if the motion fails.Premier Kathleen Wynne said Thursday that should council indicate it is unable to function, she would consult with opposition parties on how to respond to a request for help.
He also admitted to being "extremely, extremely inebriated" on a bizarre video that the Toronto Star purchased and published on its website, which showed Ford swearing and ranting. It entered the public realm just two days after Ford said he had "nothing left to hide."On Thursday, Ford further shocked reporters by using crude, sexually explicit language to deny some specific allegations that police heard during a lengthy investigation.The mayor soon apologized for his "graphic remarks," which were roundly criticized by council members, though he went on to tell reporters that the pressure on him has nearly pushed him to a breaking point."For the past six months I have been under, tremendous, tremendous stress," Ford said.
"The stress is largely of my own making. I have apologized and I have tried to move forward. This has proven to be almost impossible."The six months Ford referred to is the time period since reports first emerged about a video allegedly showing the mayor smoking crack cocaine.In May, both the Toronto Star and the U.S. gossip website Gawker reported that someone had been trying to sell the video.
Ford long denied the video’s existence and also denied using crack cocaine.
But the questions dogged him for months, no matter how many times he
tried to change the channel or shut down reporters by asking them if
there was "anything else" they wanted to know about.On the last day of October, Toronto police Chief Bill Blair publicly revealed that police had obtained a digital video file
that was consistent with what the media had reported. The mayor soon
called for the video’s release and within days made the bombshell
admission that he had indeed smoked crack cocaine — a fact that is now
known world-wide.Police probed the claims that had been made about the video, as part of an investigation that led to an extortion charge against the mayor’s friend and occasional driver.
The public has learned about some parts of that police investigation
via documents that a court has released in part. Ford has threatened
legal action in response to some of the allegations that police were
told about.
The mayor has said he intends to seek re-election next year, and has predicted the campaign will be "a bloodbath."So far, the only current member of council to declare their intention to run is Stintz, who said Thursday that her decision to contest the mayor is a sign that she has no confidence in him.
- Rob Ford unlikely to succeed in suing ex-staffers
- Cocaine, escorts and poutine: 10 allegations from the Rob Ford documents
"He would still have the title of mayor," but little else, Filion said. "That goes as far as we can possibly go."
Council does not have the authority to remove Ford from office. Ahead of Friday’s council meeting, Coun. Karen Stintz appeared confident that the motion would be approved, while Coun. Peter Milczyn said that council may need to call upon the province to intervene if the motion fails.Premier Kathleen Wynne said Thursday that should council indicate it is unable to function, she would consult with opposition parties on how to respond to a request for help.
Daily surprises
Since the start of November, Ford has admitted to having smoked crack cocaine while serving as mayor, apologized for that and other "mistakes," some of which were alcohol-related, acknowledged buying illegal drugs in the past two years and even said Thursday that he has potentially got behind the wheel after drinking.He also admitted to being "extremely, extremely inebriated" on a bizarre video that the Toronto Star purchased and published on its website, which showed Ford swearing and ranting. It entered the public realm just two days after Ford said he had "nothing left to hide."On Thursday, Ford further shocked reporters by using crude, sexually explicit language to deny some specific allegations that police heard during a lengthy investigation.The mayor soon apologized for his "graphic remarks," which were roundly criticized by council members, though he went on to tell reporters that the pressure on him has nearly pushed him to a breaking point."For the past six months I have been under, tremendous, tremendous stress," Ford said.
"The stress is largely of my own making. I have apologized and I have tried to move forward. This has proven to be almost impossible."The six months Ford referred to is the time period since reports first emerged about a video allegedly showing the mayor smoking crack cocaine.In May, both the Toronto Star and the U.S. gossip website Gawker reported that someone had been trying to sell the video.
Toronto
police Chief Bill Blair revealed on Oct. 31 that his investigators had
obtained a digital video file of the mayor that was consistent with what
news outlets had reported. (Mark Blinch/Reuters)
Ford in the headlines
But well ahead of the recent drug-related controversy, Ford was a magnet for controversy while serving as mayor.He survived a conflict-of-interest challenge that nearly ousted him from office and also saw a defamation lawsuit dismissed.He faced criticism over his commitment to coaching a high-school football team, which he no longer coaches after the school board decided to find a new coach in the wake of comments Ford made to a television station.Even his personal driving habits have made headlines, though Ford has recently been seen with a driver — something he has said are part of changes he is making in his life.The 44-year-old mayor came to power three years ago promising to "stop the gravy train," the rallying cry he has often invoked to describe his intent to cut waste and spending at city hall. But since taking on the job of mayor, Ford has often struggled to lead a divided council on key issues.Ford previously served as a councillor for a ward in Etobicoke, the Toronto suburb where he lives with his wife and two children.The mayor has said he intends to seek re-election next year, and has predicted the campaign will be "a bloodbath."So far, the only current member of council to declare their intention to run is Stintz, who said Thursday that her decision to contest the mayor is a sign that she has no confidence in him.
