Part-Time Mayor Stupid

Mayor Stupid ducked out on an executive committee meeting to coach highschool football, prompting Adam Vaughan to roll out the 'part-time mayor' meme again.

“The executive committee is the mayor’s committee and he has responsibilities to it,” he said Tuesday. “He’s not being paid to coach football, he’s not being paid to do anything other than being mayor by taxpayers.”

. . .

“People who come to address committee expect to have an audience with the mayor,” Mr. Vaughan pointed out.

Mr. Ford dismissed accusations that he is not doing his job. “I work harder than any mayor ever has,” he said. He added that citizens who missed him at Monday’s meeting can always give him a call.

“I return all my phone calls,” he said. “Everyone has my number. Anyone who wants to call me I’d be more than happy to talk to them.”

Two years before the next election, Mr. Vaughan speculated that Mr. Ford is using his role as a football coach to raise his profile.

“I guess he sees that coaching football gives him a big publicity boost,” he said. “Being a folk hero is not his job. Being the mayor is and if he is not showing up for work he is not respecting taxpayers.”

Seriously. He thinks his job is to return phone calls.

On the other hand, as evidenced by his testimony at the conflict of interest thingy -- the best account of which is Edward Keenan's -- who knows what he thinks his job is?

Ford Nation responds to all criticism with: He won a majority, so STFU.

All Torontonians will remember the 2010 municipal election as having, IMO, the worst roster of mayoral candidates evah.

That said, Mayor Stupid did win. But strictly speaking, he did not win a majority.

Here are the numbers.

Ford: 47.1%
Smitherman: 35.6%
Pantelone: 11.7%

There were about 814,000 votes cast, or 53% of eligible voters.

I just did the math. Mayor Stupid actually had the support of about 25% of eligible voters.

That makes me feel better.

I am going to make it my personal Mission from Gawd to help get the other 47% of Torontonians off their butts next time.

But please Gawd, give us at least one credible -- ah hell, I'll settle for half-decent -- candidate.


Image source.