Smitherman, Maclean’s Take Potshots At Ford
Posted October 7, 2010 7:27 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Mayoral Candidate Rob Ford was on the receiving end of a couple of potshots on Thursday – one from his closest rival, the other in a feature article.
As the campaign entered its final couple of weeks, Ford was keeping a low profile. George Smitherman suggested to CityNews the frontrunner – who himself admits he is overweight – may not be fit enough to keep up with the grueling schedule.
“Maybe he just doesn’t have the fitness for the rigorous pace,” Smitherman said.
“I’m not the one dropping out of debates left, right and centre. I’m not the one that’s running a light schedule of four or five events a day.”
Rob Ford was on the football field on Thursday more than he was on the campaign trail, organizing a pep rally and coaching his high school football team. He laughed off the criticism about his fitness.
“It’s only my belly,” he said.
“These people have been taking shots at my belly for years. That’s okay. It’s all paid for. Don’t worry about it. I’ll lose a couple of pounds.”
On the newsstands, Maclean’s magazine dissected Ford and questioned his intelligence.
The article suggested his campaign is the most sophisticated this city has ever seen. The strategy is simple: making a few key phrases – “wasteful spending” and “gravy train” being the most obvious – his mantra.
Some voters are listening. Others don’t like his message.
“I don’t care about his slogan. I don’t respect what Rob Ford stands for,” one Toronto resident said.
Starting at 7pm, Ford and Smitherman faced off in person at the Toronto Board of Trade debate co-sponsored by Citytv.
