The upside of the rash of departures from Mayor Rob Ford’s office is that it is presumably getting easier for Ford to crackdown on leaks, simply because there aren’t that many people left working for him When a leak does emerge, it gives a smaller population of people who it could have come from. And that can make it easier for the press to figure out who’s talking. So from a scandal management perspective, on the Mayor’s and press’s side, it’s a net positive.
News out just before the Mayor’s press conference at 4:30 is that Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne says she’s preparing to “take action” if things get any more out of town at Toronto City Hall. But what I wanted to flag your attention to is The National Post’s new source in the Mayor’s office who seems to have become overcome by scandal combat stress.
Quoting at length from the unnamed Mayoral office source …
A source within the Mayor’s office told the National Post that no such conversation took place, calling it a “fabrication.”
Days earlier, communications staffers George Christopoulos and Isaac Ransom also quit amid the growing scandal surrounding Ford. And late last week, the mayor terminated chief of staff Mark Towhey.
The source within the Mayor’s Office told the National Post that Towhey “is trying to kill the mayor, politically and otherwise,” accusing him of leaking “revisionist history.”
“He’s got an axe to grind with the mayor here and with other people in the office. Certainly with Councillor Ford. He’s trying to blame everyone else for where he is,” the source said.
“The story in Star today is the wildest fabrication I’ve ever, ever, seen anyone in the media write and it’s clear that the latest one is an attempt by Mr. Towhey to not place himself in that meeting — to have the chief of staff in a political meeting of that magnitude and not have the chief of staff be there but have a non-political staffer like [director of operations and logistics David] Price there, it’s ridiculous,” the source said referring to the Star’s allegation of a meeting between Ford and Price that discussed the alleged crack video.
When asked why other employees are quitting, the source suggested a split within the office.
“They are all on the same team. I guess they are all looking to get jobs at the Toronto Star. Who is going to employee them in politics? The Benedict Arnold Party?” the source said.
