Scandals are old news, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford says on campaign trail
Embattled Toronto Mayor tries to put drug scandal behind him in first televised debate during his re-election campaign
Mayor Rob Ford said during the first televised debate of Toronto’s election campaign that people are no longer interested in the drug scandal surrounding him after the front-runners seeking to replace him said he has embarrassed the city and ruined its reputation.
But mayoral candidates Olivia Chow and John Tory made no mention on Wednesday of the incidents of drug use, drunken public appearances and erratic behaviour that have given Ford international notoriety. Both avoided talking about it directly.
“It’s time to take down the circus tent at City Hall. Rob Ford has made Toronto an international embarrassment. It’s time for change,” said Hong Kong-born Chow, a left-leaning candidate popular in downtown Toronto. Tory, a right of centre candidate, told Ford he’s disrespected the office of mayor.
Ford acknowledged last year after months of denials that he smoked crack in a “drunken stupor” after police said they obtained a video that appears to show him smoking the illegal drug. The video has never been released to the public. News reports of the crack video’s existence first surfaced last May, igniting a media firestorm around Ford. He careened from one scandal to another, becoming a national embarrassment for many Canadians.
Ford has rebuffed pressure to resign and is seeking to be re-elected on October 27. The mayor of Canada’s largest city said people are not interested in scandal talk.
“People have heard this story. It’s rewind, rewind, rewind,” Ford said.
Ford said the scandals and police investigation are “personal” and he repeated that he’s “not perfect”.