Absentee Mayor? Really, then what would you call Miller? Maybe Miller was a crack addict. I remember he did lose a fair amount of weight.
Football and all, Mayor Rob Ford’s attendance better than late-term David Miller’s
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2012/11/07/football_and_all_mayor_rob_fords_attendance_better_than_lateterm_david_millers.html
Now I have time to respond to this. That Star article came out in Nov 2012. After that, the Globe issued this in April this year:
Mayor Ford logging fewer hours at City Hall
The records, obtained by The Globe and Mail through a freedom of information request,
show the number of hours the mayor’s vehicle was at City Hall dropped sharply from early 2012 to the summer, a trend that has continued into 2013. In January, 2012, the mayor’s vehicle typically arrived before 10 a.m., and he often left the parking lot around 7 p.m.; this January, on days when there were no council or executive meetings, his trademark SUV did not pull in until noon or 1 p.m. and it often drove out mid-afternoon.
Now, Ford has, er
had a staff of around 15 people, and has no problem with
hiring friends and making up job titles. (eg David Price). Let's recount three incidents:
1. Ford was caught on camera reading a newspaper while driving on the Gardiner
2. A woman saw someone driving while using cellphone. She said something to him, and he gave her the finger. That man was Ford.
3. Ford drove past the open doors of a streetcar and had a shouting match with the driver.
And yet even though he was urged to, Ford refuses to hire a driver. A "director of personnel and logistics", yes. He just hired 3 people and doesn't even have job titles for them. But he will not hire a driver!
Now the Gawker article from mid-May states
Gawker said:
n one move, the owner stops the video and draws the device back into his pocket.
"You took this?" I ask.
"Yes."
"When?"
"Within the last six months."
Which is coincidentally within the time frame when Ford was arriving late and leaving early.
The Globe and Mail said:
His departure times have changed dramatically. In January, 2012, he almost always left around 7 p.m. Since then, he has left the parking lot earlier and earlier. By September and October, 2012, his vehicle drove out by 3 p.m. and rarely returned. In January, 2013, the records indicate the mayor’s SUV was not at City Hall for more than five hours in a single day unless he had an executive or council meeting. Though he was at City Hall nearly every work day, on at least 11 of those days he was parked for five hours or fewer; on six of those days, it was for three hours or fewer. For at least seven days in February of this year, he was parked at city hall for five hours or fewer.
No football, no court cases then, no one can say for certain where he was going. There's nothing in his office calendar related to being the mayor of a city of 3 million people and an operating budget over $9 billion. "I'm off for the day, see ya tomorrow"
Back to the article:
The Globe and Mail said:
When the parking logs are compared with Mr. Ford’s schedule – also obtained through a freedom of information request – they show the mayor is not one to linger behind his desk. On many days, he checked into the parking lot just minutes before he was scheduled for meetings or events. He often left the lot shortly after meetings were scheduled to be over. On days when council met or he chaired the executive committee, he often arrived with minutes to spare.
Maybe some people are naive. And maybe I'm reading too much into this based on personal experience. But coming in late and leaving early, showing up for mandatory meetings and buggering off immediately afterwards with no mention of where he's going, seems to me classic behaviour of someone with a substance abuse or addiction problem.
