Friday, May 13, 2011

Ford prefers his supporters in public consultations

The Toronto Star:

Mayor Rob Ford has asked campaign supporters to “help” him by registering for the public consultation meetings the city is holding to learn which services residents believe should be preserved or cut.

Most of the people who attended January public meetings on the 2011 budget were opposed to Ford’s plans. Unlike those gatherings, the upcoming meetings on the city’s “service review” require advance registration because of “limited space.” Registration by Ford supporters, therefore, could prevent Ford opponents from attending.

An email sent Wednesday to people who signed up for Ford’s campaign updates is titled “Mayor Ford needs your help!”

It begins with language similar to that on the city website: “The City of Toronto needs to hear from you! We are facing a $774 million budget deficit for 2012 and to help address this, the city is launching the public consultation process to find out what you think we should do to address this.”

It then launches into a Ford-specific pitch: “This is about respect for taxpayers — watching your tax dollars is what Mayor Ford committed to do. But he needs your help to let the city know what your priorities are.”

The email concludes, “Thank you! From your friends in Ford Nation.”


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