From CNN:
Toronto’s City Council voted Friday to strip embattled Mayor Rob Ford of his ability to appoint and dismiss his senior staff in an initial move aimed at usurping power from the controversial politician.
Despite admitting last week that he had smoked crack cocaine in a “drunken stupor” about a year ago, Ford has defiantly said he will not leave his job.
“Obviously, I can’t support this,” Ford told council members. “I perfectly understand where they’re coming from.”
“Council delegated those powers and council has the ability to take those powers away,” City Solicitor Anna Kinastowski said at one point in the meeting.
While fighting for his job Thursday, Ford added to his growing list of missteps.
Early in the day, a scrum of reporters approached Ford to ask him about new allegations of drunkenness, drug use and the verbal and physical abuse of aides.
In the course of answering, he denied a female staffer’s allegation that he sought to perform oral sex with graphic language of his own, stunning reporters.
Later in the day, he backtracked.
With his wife at his side, he went back before reporters to say he had been under “tremendous, tremendous stress” and was getting unspecified support from “a team of health care professionals.” But he called the latest allegations “100% lies.”
“When you attack my integrity as a father and as a husband, I see red. Today I acted on complete impulse in my remarks,” Ford said. He took no questions from reporters, who shouted sharp inquiries at him as he entered the office.
“Mayor Ford, why should we believe you? Why would you subject your family to this?” one asked.
“What’s the matter with you, Mr. Mayor?” another said.
