Mayor Rob Ford said during the first televised debate of Toronto's election campaign that people are no longer interested in the drug scandal surrounding him after the front-runners seeking to replace him said he has embarrassed the city and ruined its reputation, according to the TheStar.com.
Mayoral candidates Olivia Chow and John Tory made no mention Wednesday of the incidents of drug use, drunken public appearances and erratic behavior that have given Ford international notoriety, TheStar.com reported.
"It's time to take down the circus tent at City Hall. Rob Ford has made Toronto an international embarrassment. It's time for change," said Chow, according to TheStar.com.
Ford acknowledged last year after months of denials that he smoked crack in a "drunken stupor" after police said they obtained a video that appears to show him smoking crack, TheStar.com reported.
News reports of the crack video's existence first surfaced last May, igniting a media firestorm around Ford, He careened from one scandal to another, becoming a national embarrassment for many Canadians, according to TheStar.com.
Ford has rebuffed pressure to resign and is seeking to be re-elected Oct. 27, TheStar.com reported. The mayor of Canada's largest city said people are not interested in scandal talk.
"People have heard this story. It's rewind, rewind, rewind," Ford said, according to TheStar.com. Ford said the scandals and police investigation are "personal" and he repeated that he's "not perfect."
Ford, a populist, received favorable reviews from pundits and in the media for his debate performance, TheStar.com reported. The mayor avoided reading from a script unlike the other candidates.
Ford is not facing criminal charges but the police investigation continues, TheStar.com reported. Recently released police documents note that meetings between Ford and Lisi are "indicative to that of drug trafficking" and that the two have been in constant contact during the investigation.
The Toronto City Council stripped Ford of most of his powers in an effort to isolate him last year, but it lacked the authority to force him out, according to TheStar.com.
Ford's promises to slash spending, cut taxes and end what he called "the war on the car" gained him a loyal following in the suburbs that came to be known as "Ford Nation," TheStar.com reported.
