Mayor Rob Ford goes to court
Mayor Rob Ford and brother Councillor Doug Ford makes their way back to City Hall through a swarm of media after the mayor testified at 361 University Ave. courts in Toronto Sept. 5, 2012. (Dave Abel/Toronto Sun)
Mayor Rob Ford and brother Councillor Doug Ford make their way back to City Hall through a swarm of media after the mayor testified at 361 University Ave. courts in Toronto Sept. 5, 2012. With them is press secretary George Christopoulos. (Dave Abel/Toronto Sun)
Mayor Rob Ford and brother Councillor Doug Ford make their way back to City Hall through a swarm of media after the mayor testified at 361 University Ave. courts in Toronto Sept. 5, 2012. With them is press secretary George Christopoulos. (Dave Abel/Toronto Sun)
Rob Ford makes his way back to City Hall through a swarm of media after the mayor testified at 361 University Ave. courts in Toronto Sept. 5, 2012. (Dave Abel/Toronto Sun)
Rob Ford makes his way back to City Hall through a swarm of media after the mayor testified at 361 University Ave. courts in Toronto Sept. 5, 2012. (Dave Abel/Toronto Sun)
Mayor Rob Ford and brother Councillor Doug Ford make their way back to City Hall through a swarm of media after the mayor testified at 361 University Ave. courts in Toronto Sept. 5, 2012. With them is press secretary George Christopoulos. (Dave Abel/Toronto Sun)
Press Secretary George Christopoulos aids Mayor Rob Ford as he makes his way back to City Hall through a swarm of media following his testimony at 361 University Ave. courts in Toronto Sept. 5, 2012. (Dave Abel/Toronto Sun)
Mayor Rob Ford arrives at 361 University Ave. court in Toronto Sept. 5, 2012, for his testimony in his conflict of interest case. (Dave Abel/Toronto Sun)
Mayor Rob Ford arrives at 361 University Ave. court in Toronto Sept. 5, 2012, for his testimony in his conflict of interest case. (Dave Abel/Toronto Sun)
Mayor Rob Ford arrives at 361 University Ave. court in Toronto Sept. 5, 2012, for his testimony in his conflict of interest case. (Dave Abel/Toronto Sun)
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TORONTO?-?Mayor Rob Ford took the stand Wednesday in the conflict-of-interest case against him.
Ford is testifying in a University Ave. courtroom on the first day of what is expected to be a three-day hearing of the lawsuit that could lead to the mayor being booted from office.
The lawsuit against Ford was launched by lawyer Clayton Ruby in March on behalf of Paul Magder. Ford is alleged to have violated the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act during a February city council meeting.
During that meeting, councillors ? Ford included ? voted 22-12 to rescind a 2010 council decision ordering the mayor to repay $3,150 in donations from lobbyists and their clients his children?s football foundation.
Wednesday started with media camped out in front of the University Ave. courthouse waiting for Ford?s arrival. Ford ended up entering the courthouse through a side door.
In an opening speech to the court, Ruby stressed the case wasn?t about Ford?s football foundation.
?Mayor Ford wants this hearing to be about kids and the good work he does by directing donations to the high school football teams,? Ruby told the court. ?That is not what this hearing is about. Nor did anything in the integrity commissioner?s report interfere with those kids.?
Ruby stressed the issue is ?the integrity of what Mayor Ford did.?
?The only person hurt in all of this was Rob Ford, he had to pay back the money to publicly correct this breach of city integrity and he just did not want to do that,? he said.
Ford?s lawyer Alan Lenczner argued council had no jurisdiction to impose the original fine on Ford and that the issue was not a conflict in its proper term.
?There is no lack of transparency,? Lenczner told the court.
Ford spent almost two hours on the stand Wednesday morning. Lenczner questioned Ford for almost an hour, including time to play video from the Feb. 7 council meeting where the alleged conflict occurred. Ruby questioned Ford for just over an hour before the lunch break.
During Lenczner?s questioning, Ford outlined his particular definition of what he believed a conflict of interest was.
?There is no interest in the city,? Ford said. ?This is just my personal issue. This does not benefit the city in any way. So this is, to me, not a conflict of interest. Usually if there is, the solicitor or the clerk will advise you.?
Ruby?s cross-examination of Ford started by focusing on whether Ford ever received a council handbook outlining the conflict of interest act or attended an orientation session for new councillors. Ford denied he ever received a handbook and confirmed he didn?t go to the orientation session.
?I didn?t think I needed to attend,? Ford testified.
Ford repeated his definition of a conflict several times to Ruby. He added he believed it took two parties to have a conflict and admitted if city staff had advised him he had a conflict on Feb. 7, he wouldn?t have taken part in the debate and the vote.
The questioning included some clashes between Ford and Ruby. At one point, Ruby asked Ford if he had ever read the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act.
?I?ve never read that before,? Ford said.
?You have to have read it,? Ruby said, adding they read it at Ford?s deposition in June.
?You read it to me, but I haven?t read it,? Ford said.
Ruby asked Ford if he would agree he had a special responsibility to lead in the area of conflict of interest legislation.
Ford disagreed.
?I just get one vote, I?m just one member of council,? he said. ?I don?t consider myself special.?
Ford said he can?t be responsible for 44 members of council.
?We deal with millions of dollars and I watch the money,? Ford stressed.
?I?m sure you watch the money,? Ruby said.
The cross-examination of Ford is expected to continue throughout the day.
Source: http://www.torontosun.com/2012/09/05/mayor-rob-ford-goes-to-court
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