By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday, January 26, 2013
Mayor Rob Ford wins appeal, will stay in office
Rob Ford has won his conflict of interest appeal. He will remain mayor.
In a judgment released Friday morning, a three-judge Divisional Court panel overturned the November ruling that evicted Ford from office over a February violation of the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act.
Ford’s victory ends an unprecedented period of uncertainty at City Hall — and averts an unprecedented period of upheaval. Had the court upheld the ruling, Ford would have lost his job, Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday would have become interim mayor, and council would have been forced to call a $7-million-plus byelection or appoint a successor.
The lawyer who tried the case against Ford, Clayton Ruby, will now try to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada . The court has no obligation to take the case, and most legal experts believe it is unlikely that Ruby will succeed.
Ford said at a City Hall press conference that the experience has been “very, very humbling.” Asked what he will now do differently, however, he said only that he has learned that he has wide public support. He twice said that he plans to be mayor for the “next six years,” projecting confidence that he will win the 2014 election.
“Folks, two years ago, the people of this great city elected me as their mayor,” Ford said. “It is an enormous privilege and I’m thankful for it every single day. I’m very proud to say that over the past two years, I’ve done exactly what I said I was going to do. The job is not finished yet, and I plan to spend the next six years on getting the job done, moving forward to continue doing the work we were elected to do. We are doing a great job in turning the city around. (Source: Toronto Star)
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