Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Rob Ford's 'Reckless' Behaviour Called Out By Integrity Commissioner

Toronto's integrity commissioner says then-mayor Rob Ford was "unnecessarily reckless" when he accidentally knocked over a city councillor during a televised high-stakes meeting two years ago.

In a report to be presented at next week's council meeting, Valerie Jepson says the collision on Nov. 18 2013 caused Coun. Pam McConnell "physical and emotional harm."

The incident occurred during a special meeting that saw Ford stripped of most of his powers and budget following his admission that he had smoked crack cocaine during his term in office.

Ford's brother, then a councillor, was involved in a dispute with members of the public and the mayor rushed to his brother's side, knocking McConnell off her feet.

Video of the incident "became notorious on the international scale," and Jepson says McConnell "has become unwillingly connected to the incident and its notoriety."

The integrity commissioner says Ford, now a councillor, accepts her findings and has agreed to pay $1,000 to an unnamed organization in his colleague's riding. He will not receive a tax receipt.

Though she is asking council to rule Ford breached its code of conduct, Jepson said she is not seeking any further penalties.

Ford told Jepson he acted "out of an overwhelming sense of family and personal obligation," she said. He has apologized to McConnell and to council.

"It was an accident that (former mayor) Ford ran into Coun. McConnell. However, there was nothing accidental about (his) decision to run through the chamber," Jepson said in the report.

McConnell "remained stoic" after the incident, despite suffering from facial bruising and hip and shoulder injuries, Jepson said.

"She did not immediately appreciate the physical consequences to her and it was not for many months that she began to realize that the incident had taken a toll on her emotional well-being."

Another report earlier this year found Ford violated the council's code of conduct when he used racial slurs in two separate incidents. He later apologized to council and said he was "deeply ashamed" of his actions.

Original Article
Source: huffingtonpost.ca/
Author: Paola Loriggio

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