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Shelley Carroll and Giorgio Mammoliti fight over who at city hall should just suck it up

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(Images: Christopher Drost)

Nothing (except maybe this) is more off-putting than remarks about sucking from city councillors. After Shelley Carroll made slow-news-day headlines for criticizing Rob Ford’s governing style, Giorgio Mammoliti came to Ford’s defense, saying Carroll should “suck it up.” Carroll, who will likely run against Ford in the next mayoral election, shot back with this gem:

I actually do suck it up every day, work goes on here at City Hall and it goes on in our wards whether the mayor is involved or not. Councillors do suck it up in a way that kind of leaves the mayor on the outs of the action at council. I can’t imagine that (Ford) wants to suck that up.

We’re hoping less-than-eloquent verbal sparring like this doesn’t take over the 2014 campaign, because that would really…suck. [Toronto Sun]

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May 14, 2012 | 4:27 pm

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QUOTED: Giorgio Mammoliti explains how to have sex with 150 men at once

(Image: Christopher Drost)

—Outspoken and often idiotic councillor Giorgio Mammoliti, airing his grievances with the Toronto Police Service’s recent decision to put a hold on john sweeps. The cop shop is putting a temporary stop to the long-standing sting operations in light of the court ruling in March that declared Canada’s prostitution laws unconstitutional. Police spokesperson Mark Pugash says the force is against using resources to arrest johns when there’s so much uncertainty surrounding prostitution laws. Mammoliti, on the other hand, says the laws should be enforced as long as they still exist—if only to save people from sloppy seconds. [Toronto Sun]

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April 30, 2012 | 1:43 pm

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Bob Barker and Giorgio Mammoliti face off in the Toronto Zoo elephant saga

(Image: John Vetterli)

The Price Is Right icon Bob Barker is riled up (but not this riled up, thank goodness) that Toronto Zoo management is delaying sending its remaining three elephants to his sanctuary of choice. The animal lover is threatening to withdraw his offer to pay for the elephants’ $800,000 flight to California (via private aircraft, no less) unless there’s an “ironclad guarantee” that they’ll make it to the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) sanctuary, near Sacramento. Problem is, talks between Toronto Zoo chief executive John Tracogna and PAWS director Ed Stewart have gone so badly that they now only speak to each other via lawyers, and zoo staff have waged a campaign against PAWS, claiming elephants there have tuberculosis. Then there’s Giorgio Mammoliti, the former chair of Toronto Zoo’s board, who has tried to stop the deal since the zoo allegedly lost its accreditation over the plan to send the elephants to PAWS, which doesn’t have the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ stamp of approval. Trying to salvage the deal, Councillor Michelle Berardinetti, who orchestrated the vote last October when council decided to move the elephants, has challenged Mammoliti and Tracogna to go to PAWS with her next week to check it out—but we doubt Barker would cover the airfare for that trip. [Toronto Star]

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April 25, 2012 | 10:09 am

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Giorgio Mammoliti and Mark Ferguson trade insults—over a community environment day

(Image: Christopher Drost)

Giorgio Mammoliti has canceled his ward’s environment day tomorrow, and he says it’s CUPE Local 416’s fault. The councillor and commie sniffer says the union planned to hit up residents at the event with a pro-labour petition, and he won’t stand for union organizing on city property. For his part, Local 416 president (for now) Mark Ferguson said petitions are a fundamental freedom in a healthy democracy and Mammoliti was being “a bully boy.” In the spirit of playground spats, Ferguson then said the Toronto Civic Employees Union would host their own environment day for the residents of Ward 7 (so there!). Unbelievably, things went even worse at last year’s event, when Mammoliti called the cops to force union members to leave, and he and Ferguson got into a yelling match. We never knew handing out compost was such a lightning rod for labour tension. [Toronto Sun]

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April 18, 2012 | 1:35 pm

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Giorgio Mammoliti has some more ideas on brothels (like how to make money off them)

The dream is over (Image: Like_the_Grand_Canyon)

Giorgio Mammoliti (who seems to be everywhere this week) has a few more thoughts about Toronto-area brothels—specifically, how the city could profit from them. In a letter to Cesar Palacio, who heads the licensing and standards committee, and Peter Milczyn, who oversees planning and growth management, Mammoliti argued the city should levy fees from now-legal bawdy houses like the Bunny Ranch brothel (coming soon to a neighbourhood near you!). He thinks a $15,000 annual licensing fee for each bordello worker would do the trick. Those fees, Mammo told the Toronto Sun, could help keep criminals, pimps and sex traffickers out. Also, Toronto needs to act fast to take control of the brave new world of legalized brothels, since currently there aren’t many zoning or licensing regulations in place (or, as he told the paper, “Toronto has got caught with its pants down”). The councillor also took the opportunity to make it clear that he no longer wants to turn the Toronto Islands into a red-light district. Funnily enough, he realized that wasn’t one of his better ideas. [Toronto Sun]

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April 17, 2012 | 11:15 am

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Giorgio Mammoliti wants to cut down on, well, cuts

(Image: Christopher Drost)

Giorgio Mammoliti may be one of Rob Ford’s most avid supporters (some even say he’s Ford’s fall guy), but it looks like he’s no longer on board with the mayor’s “cuts-cuts-cuts” mantra. That’s surprising, coming from the man who thought it was a fine idea to do away with half of city council, a fact that even Mammoliti recognizes: “Nobody was harder on cutting,” he said, “and it’s me that’s saying perhaps we need to back off a little, continue to save what we can, but find new money somewhere else, because that’s the key now.” (More specifically, the “somewhere else” where Mammo hopes to find money is a Toronto-area casino.) Mammoliti is the second Ford supporter to offer a countering viewpoint this week—former press secretary Adrienne Batra skewered him in the Toronto Sun over the weekend. Given that loyalty is extremely important to the mayor, that’s gotta hurt. [The National Post]

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April 16, 2012 | 1:55 pm

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QUOTED: Giorgio Mammoliti thinks unemployed single moms should become dealers

(Image: Christopher Drost)

—Giorgio Mammoliti, explaining how single moms could win big by becoming card dealers if Toronto had a casino. Appearing on Rob and Doug Ford’s radio show this weekend, Mammo argued a swanky gambling complex could create “10,000 jobs” for residents and—even better—bring Celine Dion to Toronto’s shores. But that blissful scenario could belong to Mississauga or Markham, he warned, if Torontonians don’t support the idea (next month, Ford’s executive committee will consider whether to hold a referendum on the question). Single mothers may want to brush up on their chip counting and card shuffling anyway. [Toronto Sun]

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April 9, 2012 | 12:53 pm

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The Wall Street Journal introduces Rob Ford to America (Nutcracker cameo and all)

(Image: Blind Nomad)

With all of Rob Ford’s supposed middle finger flipping, parade skipping and tantrum throwing, not even the often staid Wall Street Journal can resist writing about his antics. The paper recently published a story on the “300-pound former city councillor and labelling-company heir” that focuses on Ford’s flamboyant style and is accompanied by a truly wonderful photo. Although the paper made more than a few errors (not least by making Giorgio Mammoliti sound like a voice of reason), the article does contain a memorable quote from councillor Josh Matlow. The mood among many Toronto voters, he says, is a “combination of buyer’s regret and the shame one feels when waking up with a hangover and seeing they have a tattoo on their forehead.” And now that tattoo is splashed all over the Wall Street Journal. Read the entire story [Wall Street Journal] »

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March 29, 2012 | 4:36 pm

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The trick to getting your way at city hall: always bring strippers

(Image: litonali)

What a week of debauchery at city hall. First, Giorgio Mammoliti revived his idea for a red-light district on Toronto Island, and then, this afternoon, a stripper wearing black patent vinyl shorts did a little pole dancing for Toronto’s licensing and standards committee. Apparently, the city’s strip club owners want the committee to review its adult entertainment regulations to clearly define what constitutes “prohibited sexual contact,” and they brought along the lovely Viviana to help make their case. Though Doug Holyday thought it unseemly and Mike Layton called it “a new low,” the floorshow appears to have worked: the committee unanimously voted in favour of the review. Sadly, Mammo missed out on all the fun. Read the entire story [CBC] »

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March 27, 2012 | 11:40 am

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Now that brothels are legal, Giorgio Mammoliti (once again) wants to put some on Toronto Island

(Image: Like_the_Grand_Canyon)

The province’s Court of Appeal legalized brothels in Ontario yesterday, sparking celebration, awkward headlines and some political opportunism from one Giorgio Mammoliti. Surprised? Neither are we. The landmark ruling is gives the go-ahead for brothels, though communicating for the purposes of prostitution will remain illegal.

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March 23, 2012 | 3:49 pm

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Q&A: Mark Ferguson, the trash-talking Buddhist at the head of CUPE Local 416

When he wins, the public hates him. When he loses, his members hate him.
By Malcolm Johnston | Photography by Mark Peckmezian

Mark Ferguson As CUPE 416 president, you spent 16 weeks locked in heated negotiations with Team Ford over the new outdoor workers contract. How hostile did it get?
The city’s bargaining team told me they were going to impose their terms of employment if we didn’t reach an agreement. I ended up breaking down in tears, which has happened twice in my career: before the garbage strike in 2009, and now.

You’re a Buddhist. Did that help?
Absolutely. My bargaining committee would be arguing away, and I would lie down in a quiet room and meditate for five or 10 minutes to clear my thoughts.

In an email exchange with an angry union member after the ratification, you called Team Ford “motherfuckers.” That doesn’t sound very Buddhistic.
It was in the heat of the moment, and I apologized. But I don’t apologize for trying to get members worked up about what this administration is doing to the city.

How much time does the job of union president leave for family?
Over the past year, I was home for dinner maybe one night a week. My wife and I broke up about two months ago.

I’m sorry.
Thanks, but it’s for the best. I’ll be spending more time with my two girls.

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March 6, 2012 | 5:26 pm

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QUOTED: Giorgio Mammoliti on Karen Stintz’s (politically!) salacious behaviour

“By basically stepping in with the orange side of the equation and sleeping with the left on this issue, the same people that she is sleeping with and created a coup with are going to end up chewing her and spitting her out at their will.”

(Image: Christopher Drost)

—The one and only councillor Giorgio Mammoliti, speaking after yesterday’s transit vote, about TTC chair Karen Stintz, the woman who basically pushed to have herself fired and then got her job right back in the same day. Mammoliti’s allusion to the “orange side” is a nice retreat from his usual full on red baiting, but it’s still pretty silly (almost as silly as the Sun claiming Mammoliti “had nothing negative to say about Stintz”). The newly constituted TTC board, along with the councillors who bucked Rob Ford yesterday, is hardly a left-wing splinter group. As for getting chewed up and spit out, we suspect Stintz isn’t worried. These days, she seems to be doing most of the chewing up and spitting out. [Toronto Sun]

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Politics

February 29, 2012 | 4:00 pm

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The 2009 and 2012 versions of Giorgio Mammoliti offer drastically different visions of transit

(Image: Christopher Drost)

Given the recent uproar over Toronto transit, with council’s right arguing vehemently against any proposal that didn’t involve privileging subways above all else, imagine our surprise upon reading a June 2009 letter from Giorgio Mammoliti that championed light rail for Finch Avenue (according to Mammoliti, LRT would “provide several improvements for Emery Village”). Of course, Mammoliti has changed his tune since then—he’s now arguing the exact opposite. Council’s most entertaining mouthpiece is many things, but consistent clearly isn’t one of them. (h/t Reddit)

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February 27, 2012 | 3:45 pm

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Rob Ford bores everybody with his campaign ad disguised as a radio show

Rob and Doug Ford’s radio program is painfully dull (Image: Christopher Drost)

At the outset of Rob Ford and brother Doug’s maiden voyage as hosts of CFRB 1010’s The City, Councillor Doug issued a warning to listeners: “Fasten your seatbelt, because we’re going for a ride.” We figured that ride would be loud, brash and, at the very least, entertaining, given we were dealing with the Brothers Ford—Rob even warned listeners that he wasn’t responsible for the crazy things Doug might do on air. Disappointingly, though, the show didn’t end up being any of those things. It felt more like a thinly veiled, two-hour-long ad campaign—and a boring one at that.

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Politics

February 8, 2012 | 11:25 am

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Karen Stintz calls for transit sanity; Giorgio Mammoliti calls for the opposite (i.e. a Finch subway)

Early reports from city hall suggest Rob Ford and the rest of council are in for a transit-themed slugfest at today’s special council meeting. Karen Stintz, who started the whole brouhaha when she said what everyone already knew about Ford’s grand vision to bury the Eglinton Crosstown, has already made her recommendations. In short, she wants council to reaffirm its support for LRT lines on Finch and Eglinton, convert the Scarborough RT to an LRT line with an extension to the Malvern Town Centre (as funds become available) and establish an expert advisory panel regarding transit on Sheppard Avenue. Meanwhile, Giorgio Mammoliti—and only Giorgio Mammoliti—wants a subway on Finch. Watch the proceedings live here »

(Images: Karen Stintz, Mike Beltzner; Giorgio Mammoliti, Christopher Drost)

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