Elizabeth HagedornYou can't put a price on loyalty. Or maybe you can, at least in the Rob Ford administration, anyway.
Sources in the mayor's office tell Canada's The Globe and Mail employees loyal to Toronto's mayor were given raises and a junior assistant was hired.
The Toronto Sun called it "a surprising taxpayer-funded pay hike given Ford's penny-pinching persona but it is part of a growing list of surprises that have rocked Toronto municipal politics the last few weeks."
Why does this matter? On Monday, the City Council will vote to reduce Ford's staff and budget. For his part, Ford says he won't go down without a fight and is reportedly considering an injunction to stop a vote.
This comes on the heels of Friday's vote to strip Ford of his key executive powers. (Via ITN)
"Mr. Mayor, have you purchased illegal drugs in the past few years?"
Ford, of course, is the mayor of North America's fourth largest city. He's still in office despite having recently admitted to smoking crack and driving under the influence. (Via City News)
"Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine. But do I? Am I an addict? No. Have I tried it? Probably in one of my drunken stupors." (Via WDIV)
JAY LENO: "God bless Canada, what a gift the Canadians have given us." (Via NBC)
But jokes aside, a good number of Toronto residents still stand behind their mayor. Despite widespread calls for him to resign, recent polling showed him with a 44 percent job approval rating. (Via CNN)
His supporters call themselves the Ford Nation — and they've stuck with him through past scandals. (Via CBS)
"There is an idea within the nation that the media is picking on him. These charges aren't really true. They don't really care about the charges. So far we haven't seen the straw that's going to break the camel's back." (Via CBC)
It's too bad sales from his Robbie Bobby bobblehead collection aren't a measure of his popularity.
They're reportedly through the roof. (Via WHDH)
