Soknacki questions whether Mayor Ford breaking re-election campaign rules

Toronto mayoral candidate David Soknacki is accusing Mayor Rob Ford of using his office at City Hall as the headquarters for his re-election bid.

Soknacki’s campaign manager Brian Kelcey has filed a freedom of information request regarding communications involving the mayor’s senior staffers.

“We’re now in a campaign period and there are laws and regulations governing what the mayor can and cannot do from his office and what the mayor’s staff can and cannot do from their office with respect to campaigning,” Kelcey told reporters Tuesday.

He said the request isn’t a fishing expedition.

“It stretches belief to think that given past habits, that there might not have been an accidental, or we’ll see a deliberate comment by Doug Ford, or an order given to one of the mayor’s staffers to execute a campaign request or something that would be worth our attention,” he said.

Kelcey said he’s been told by sources at city hall that a few members of the mayor’s senior staff have been working on his re-election campaign while on city time.

The request covers the mayor and five members of his staff, including his chief of staff. The request is looking for schedules, briefing notes, memos, draft speaking notes and emails.

“We filed a broad request targeted at a few members of the mayor’s staff and the mayor, so that we’re not wasting the time of lower-level assistance who are just helping with constituency work, covering the day that the mayor officially began his legal campaign up until Feb. 18,” he said.

In November 2012, a superior court judge ruled Ford has violated conflict of interest rules and ordered the mayor removed from office. However, Ford appealed and the removal order was overturned.

There’s been no comment from the mayor’s office regarding the Soknacki allegations.

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