By any measure he’s a terrible candidate for mayor. But his obsession with cost-cutting and his contempt for City Hall have pushed him to the front of the pack. The unlikely allure of Rob Ford
Follow the leader: Ford has downplayed his family’s wealth and crafted an Everyman persona
Fifty-five barbecues.
Over the summer, Rob Ford, aspirant to the office of mayor of Toronto, ample, happy and flushed, ate his way through 55 orgies of hot dogs and hamburgers and handshakes and photo ops. Five he hosted personally; two were fundraisers in his mother’s backyard, attended by loyal supporters and political heavyweights, such as the finance minister Jim Flaherty. The rest were held by community groups and political organizations like the Ontario PC Youth Association. As the weeks passed, the barbecues grew in size, and the cheers for Ford’s speeches longer and louder.
Ask anyone in Ford Country why they plan to vote for him and you get variations on the same litany: he answers my phone calls; he helped me when I needed help; he doesn’t waste taxpayers’ money. At one event I attended, held in a plaza on Dixon Road, Wilma, an intimidating woman in a faux leopard hat, told me she supports Ford because “we need a damn housecleaning at city hall.” Twenty-five-year-old Richard values Ford’s campaign to strip city councillors of perks, like free TTC passes and free parking, and supports Ford’s opposition to the land transfer tax because his wheelchair-bound father needs a new home, but he can’t afford it because of the tax.
The object of all this public affection is a big man but somehow not an imposing one. Ford is a serial smiler who looks up slightly when he speaks. When he shows his teeth, his eyes vanish into a haze of blond, almost albino lashes, and you’re left with the disconcerting feeling that he’s not actually looking at you. There’s something preeningly feline about him, too—he has a tendency to sweep one hand back over his hair (a rather lovely winter wheat in colour), or stroke his cheeks from side to side, perhaps because they are often sweaty.
By the end of the summer, polls showed that Ford had pulled ahead of George Smitherman, his only serious competition. Later this month, we could all wake up newly minted inhabitants of Ford Country. There are many who find that a very scary prospect. To them, Ford is a foul-mouthed buffoon with a long history of embarrassing gaffes and no grander vision of Toronto than a city that could be run more cheaply. His fans, on the other hand, can’t wait to see city hall wrenched from the grasp of big spenders and put into the hands of an ordinary guy who understands the problems facing ordinary people. That man, their man, is Rob Ford.
Mass appeal: “It’s not Bay Street or the Albany Club that’s behind me,” Ford says. “It’s Main Street”
He is a lifelong resident of Etobicoke, the area west of the Humber River that constitutes a kind of buffer state between Toronto and Mississauga. There’s money there—central and southeast Etobicoke in particular—and the meandering side streets off Royal York Road constitute a world of spacious homes, treed avenues, and expansive parkland and golf courses. The feeling changes dramatically as you head north. The neighbourhood of Rexdale is immigrant territory, a down-at-the-heels, dense tract of apartment blocks, strip plazas and industrial parks; parts of it lie directly in the flight path of planes heading for Pearson.
Ford grew up in a secluded enclave off Royal York Road near Chapman Valley Park, the youngest of four kids. His widowed mother, Diane, still lives in the same house. The property isn’t grand, though it has a three-car garage, the front yard is attractively landscaped, and it has the benefit of a large backyard butting up against the park, with a pool and children’s playhouse. For decor, Diane Ford favours Asian urns and statuary; there are large metal urns flanking the garage, several Chinese-style lion statues in the backyard and an American-style eagle posed menacingly behind some bushes in the front yard. Rob Ford’s own home is a modest bungalow in the nearby Edenbridge neighbourhood.
Coles Notes version: Rob Ford is the Don Cherry of municipal politics. Brash, bold, and no holds barred. He’s the politician who refuses to play politics as usual. He puts his foot in his mouth a lot, but he makes a lot of sense too. With so many so upset with the status quo these days I can understand why thye’ve gravitated to his camp in droves. He’s been railing against “The Establishment” for years. With Ford I truely believe that he believes in what he’s saying. In the words of George Costanza: “It’s not a lie if you believe it.” Smitherman, on the other hand, is a smooth talker and much more polished. But he comes off as just another politician to me. I don’t really know if he believes his own message or if he’s just saying it to get elected. And if you need to rely on others to drop out to succeed what’s that say about you and your candidacy?
September 29, 2010 at 10:04 am | by RockfordThis guy’s a joke.
September 29, 2010 at 10:32 am | by megan sulberryAnd completely unprofessional. If he’s cutting costs right, left and center, where does he expect to get the money from to run the city? This is what I don’t understand. This city needs to be run like a business, and no one is taking into account that if he cuts all of these taxes/expenses now, we will end up paying long term-and the key to running any long business is long term planning.
September 29, 2010 at 10:37 am | by megan sulberry*long=success business, i meant.
September 29, 2010 at 10:37 am | by megan sulberryrob ford lives on edenbridge – a house on this street costs between 3-5million dolllars. tool!
September 29, 2010 at 10:55 am | by whaatRob’s use of You Tube has been groundbreaking in the election. This article is right when it calls Rob’s “Revealing Perks” video as a “masterpiece of populist outrage”.
September 29, 2010 at 11:07 am | by DirkRob has gone straight to the people with his RobFordToronto You Tube channel. Traditional media sits on the sidelines as Rob goes to the voters – from perks, to his transportation policy and now to his fical plan.
No one can accuse Rob of being behind the times.
Also His frugal use of social media goes right to the heart of his brand – more with less!
I’ll vote for this guy if it helps keep Smitherman out. I’m not a Ford fan, but my anti-Smitherman feelings are a lot stronger.
September 29, 2010 at 11:51 am | by JackSmitherman is just a typical smooth-talking politician. Rob Ford may be extremely rough around the edges, but at least he listens to the people and their concerns and walks the walk. Why does it matter what street he lives on or how much his house costs? He had no control over his father’s success. He will fight for the people and hold other sleezy politicians accountable…he speaks his mind and is not afraid to stand up for something he believes in. Only problem is that he is the sore thumb in the group. Trying to get anything approved with little to no support from other councilors will be a daunting task, but he is the only one that will attempt to challenge them head on. My vote is for Ford!!
September 29, 2010 at 11:55 am | by The_Flashit says that his mother is widowed, yet it also mentions that his father can’t afford to move because of the land transfer tax…huh?
September 29, 2010 at 12:02 pm | by henrynevermind realized that was the young guy talking
September 29, 2010 at 12:03 pm | by henryI’m not so sure about Rob Ford, but basically what it comes down to is that he is the only one that seems any different than the typical politicians who have been running this city into the ground.
That is why people like Rob Ford. Smitherman is a former Liberal MPP, the liberals are getting killed in polls too. Joey Pants is David Millers right hand man, and no one knows anything about Rocco Rossi, but I would bet everyone considers him a Liberal as well.
September 29, 2010 at 1:31 pm | by Jim RebelloRob Ford is Sarah Palin wearing a jock strap way too tight, cutting off the circulation to his brain. He comes across as completely unprepared in debates and on council meetings except where he can grand stand and trumpet the same phony crap each time. His folksy charm wears thin and there is absolutely no substance to his platform. Cut taxes, build subways, fight for the little guy. If this man wins Mayor it will be the rise of the idiot class as ruler. Can’t we get Katie Couric to eviscerate him in an interview ala Sarah Palin?
September 29, 2010 at 2:21 pm | by Joe dWho knows, maybe Rob Ford can also see Russia from his place.
Wake up Toronto and vote with your brain and not your anger.
Joe: Do you think that comments like yours (“…rise of the idiot class…”) might actually encourage some people to vote for Ford out of anger?
September 29, 2010 at 3:07 pm | by RockfordI’ve been following the race quite closely and that sort of comment is common. A lot people say that you’d pretty much have to be a moron to support Ford. Problem is, like it or not, he has a lot of support and when you say stuff like that you insult a lot of people.
Saying stuff like that actually plays into Ford’s hand as it comes off (to me, at least) as if you’re looking down your nose at them. You combine that with a perception that the elitists have been running the show for far too long already and is it any wonder Ford’s leading? It surprises me that people accusing Ford supporters of being fools can’t see that.
I’ve been following this election pretty closely. Ford is evidently a terrific councilor, and more power to him for that. However I really don’t think he has what it takes to be a successful mayor of Toronto. He’s spent years alienating almost all the other councilors, whose support he needs to get anything done if elected. His entire platform is based on subtraction and contains no credible ideas for adding anything of value to the city. Can we do better at controlling costs? Yep. Do we need Rob Ford to make sure that happens? No. Are there other issues at stake in this election? Absolutely.
One more thing – to have Jim Flaherty, one of the principle architects of Toronto’s ongoing fiscal crisis when he was downloading costs as part of Mike Harris’ Tories, support Ford so he can clean up the mess? The irony is too much. Flaherty has no credibility in this town, or any other for that matter.
September 29, 2010 at 5:39 pm | by Jeff MThis is a masterful profile, Gerald. I believe you’ve captured the essence of Rob Ford.
September 29, 2010 at 7:39 pm | by Anna Camara