Toronto strips Mayor Rob Ford of most remaining powers

Toronto’s City Council has voted to strip scandal-plagued Mayor Rob Ford of many of his powers after a heated debate in which Ford allegedly knocked over a woman councilor.

The council voted overwhelmingly in a series of votes Monday to cut Ford’s office budget by 60 percent and allow mayoral staff to join the deputy mayor. Ford now effectively has no legislative power as he would no longer chair the executive committee, but he retains his title and ability to represent Toronto at official functions.

Toronto has been abuzz with the Ford melodrama since May, when news outlets reported that he had been caught on video smoking crack cocaine.

Earlier, Ford called the effort a “coup d’etat,” and challenged the council to call snap elections.

"What's happening here today is not a democratic process, it's a dictatorship process," the 44-year-old mayor said.

The council does not have the power to remove Ford from office, barring a criminal conviction. But it is pursuing the strongest recourse available after recent revelations that have also included tales of substance abuse and accusations of sexual harassment among repeated outbursts of erratic behavior.

Far from being chastened, however, Ford has vowed to take the council to court and insists he will seek re-election next year.

“It’s a coup d’etat – that’s all this is,” Ford said as he arrived at City Hall on Monday morning.

He earlier claimed on a radio station that councilors were against his agenda to save taxpayers’ money.

Councilor Denzil Minnan-Wong, a former Ford ally, said the situation is all about his conduct.

“This about embarrassing the city, his involvement with gangs, his involvement with crack cocaine. This is about his admission that he gets behind the wheel while drinking,” Minnan-Wong said.

“He’s the worst spokesman for the city of Toronto right now.”

The debate on the motion became heated after Ford paced around the council chamber and traded barbs with members of the public. The speaker asked security to clear the chamber and a recess was called. Members of the public chanted “Shame! Shame!” at the mayor.

Ford charged at the gallery at one point and knocked over Councilor Pam McConnell before picking her back up.

Another councilor asked Ford to apologize. Ford said he was rushing to the defense of his brother, city Councilor Doug Ford.

“I picked her up,” Rob Ford said. “I ran around because I thought my brother was getting into an altercation.”

Visibly shaken after the incident, McConnell, a petite woman in her 60s, said she had never expected the chaos that broke out.

Recently released court documents show the mayor became the subject of a police investigation after reports of misconduct surfaced. Ford, who denied there was any incriminating video, now acknowledges the reports were accurate.

In interviews with police, former Ford staffers have made further accusations, saying the mayor drank heavily, sometimes drove while intoxicated and pressured a female staffer to engage in oral sex.

On Thursday, Ford spouted an obscenity on live television while denying the sex allegation, saying he was “happily married” and using crude language to assert that he enjoys enough oral sex at home.

Last week, after admitting to excessive drinking and buying illegal drugs, Ford disclosed that he is seeking medical help. But he and his family insist he is not an addict and does not need rehabilitation.

The mayor addressed some of those issues in his interview with Fox News.

“I’ve admitted to drinking too much. OK. So I’m dealing with it, I’m training every day, I’m in the gym two hours every day,” Ford said. “I’m seeking professional help, I’m not an alcoholic, I’m not a drug addict. Have I had my outbursts in the past? Absolutely. But you know what? I’m only human. I’ve made mistakes. I’ve apologized.”

The Associated Press