Piece by piece, Rob Ford’s power is stripped away: DiManno

Bump, grind and strip.

From sleaze on Thursday to take-it-all-off on Friday: The peeling of power away from Mayor Rob Ford .

Still standing, but wearing only a G-string of statutory authority and the mayor’s chain of office around his neck.

It wasn’t, actually, the first time in history that a pole dance has been performed at city hall. Early last year, an adult entertainer in shiny leather shorts twirled around her prop as part of a protest against restrictive bylaw changes proposed by Toronto’s licensing committee.

This was even more voyeuristically entertaining — city council’s attempt to pole vault Ford out of the mayor’s chair in all but name, divesting him of the ability to appoint and fire committee chairs and his deputy mayor.

They can’t make him go away. They can make him stay as little more than a lumpen obstacle of derision.

A commotion of motions both ended an extraordinary week at city hall and will resume on Monday, with a further move to denude Ford of political sway and reallocate some of his staff.

“It’s done reluctantly, it’s done sadly, but with the belief that we’ve reached the point where it is both warranted and necessary,” said Councillor John Filion, rising to introduce his motion at the special pre-meeting meeting.

“I think this is the only course of action left to us.”

Even before the motion was voted on — passed 39-3 — Ford said he would challenge the coup tactic in court. “I have no other option but to challenge this in court.”

Cleaving to his bumper-sticker mantra of saving the taxpayers money, Ford argued that litigation would cost big bucks, and taxpayers presumably would be stuck with it. “Think about the taxpayers in this situation.”

Many of those taxpayers — 116,000 — had already been heard from, in fact, via signatures affixed to a petition the previous day and tabled by Councillor Michael Thompson. “We demand that he resign from the position of mayor of Toronto immediately.”

Brother Doug Ford, warned against a repetition of his bullying outbursts — Councillor Karen Stintz had complained — could offer only a limp challenge to the motion’s potential consequences. His unwise hypothetical, given the mayor’s acknowledgment that he’s taken the wheel after boozing: What if a councillor is caught drinking and driving ? Not a hypothetical, further, because colleague Ana Bailao was charged on a DUI two years ago, with Rob Ford appearing at her side during a teary news conference to offer moral support.

As per usual, Doug Ford always makes everything worse. “If one day we are disgusted with someone’s political views . . . then basically we can do the same thing, right?”

The chipping away at The Great Vulgarian continued with Fillion’s second motion that Ford be denuded of his power to govern unilaterally in the case of an emergency, with Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly assuming that responsibility instead.

Referring to some examples of crises in the past, Fillion noted: “We’ve been fortunate that none of the emergencies landed on the same date in which we now know the mayor’s judgment may have been impaired.

“Let’s not push our luck on that point.”

Councillor Anthony Perruzza spoke against the motion, echoing Doug Ford’s Cassandra warning. “I don’t believe that’s where we should be headed. I don’t believe that’s where we should be going. I don’t want to use the words coup d’état. . . ”

Back up popped Doug, waving a fistful of letters from the public, allegedly.

“As a group, folks here don’t have the moral authority . . . and the legal authority to be doing what they’re doing today. When it comes to the moral authority — I love the deputy mayor but 383,000 people didn’t vote for the deputy mayor. They didn’t vote for you councillors to take the powers off someone who was democratically elected.

“I won’t use ‘coup d’état’ but, you know something, maybe a lot of people out there (would).”

Mid-oratory, Doug was heckled by Councillor Paula Fletcher, and he took issue with that. “Do the rules apply,” he asked the chair, “or do I get catcalled all the time here?”

The anti-Ford device applied Friday, Doug continued, was a dangerous precedent to set. “There’s two courts that are going to be looking at this. One, the legal courts, and second, the court of public opinion.”

Doug Ford repeated what he’s vowed before — that he won’t run for re-election to the hall next time round, one and done.

“I won’t be here next term. I bet a dozen of you folks won’t be here either. Maybe the mayor might not be here. But, again, that’s not our decision, that’s the people’s decision.

“In October of next year, the people will speak. But they’re also going to speak loud and clear with each and every one of you sitting here. You may have a rude awakening on Election Day, folks.”

An atypically conciliatory mayor and measured in his comments then got his last word in, and it was a stunner.

“I completely understand the situation that my fellow colleagues are in. It if wouldn’t cost the taxpayers an arm and a leg, I’d have done the same thing if someone else was mayor.

“You know what? I respect what council’s done but the taxpayer is going to have to pay a fortune for this.

“I think we could have dealt with it in a different manner. But I’m not mad at anybody.”

Just maddening.

That motion passed 41-2.

Mayor Rob Ford has been bumped, ground and stripped.

Rosie DiManno usually appears Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.