The mayor said for the first time Wednesday he bought illegal drugs while in office after admitting last week to using crack cocaine and being drunk in public.
– For your average big city mayor, admitting that you bought illegal drugs while in office would be the most damaging thing to happen in a day—but Rob Ford's not your average mayor. Soon after a press conference in which the crack-smoking, binge-drinking Toronto mayor claimed his closet was empty of skeletons, a judge released evidence from witnesses—mainly Ford staffers—who alleged he had abused drugs including cocaine and OxyContin, partied with prostitutes at City Hall, racially abused a taxi driver, and attacked several staff members, reports the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, and the National Post. Among the partially redacted allegations included in a huge police dossier on Ford's activities: Ford staffers worried about how their boss often drove drunk, sometimes in school zones. One staffer told police he was in the car with Ford when the mayor downed a 12-ounce bottle of vodka in a few swigs, chasing it with Gatorade. He says Ford was frequently so drunk he was "rambling and incoherent"—and he and other junior staff members were often sent to buy alcohol. Staff members told police that some women came to the mayor's office saying Ford had told them they could have a job after they smoked joints with him outside of bars. St. Patrick's Day last year appears to have been a wild night even by Rob Ford standards, the police documents reveal. During celebrations, staffers say Ford drank heavily from a bottle of vodka and was seen at City Hall with a woman believed to be an escort. Against staffers' advice, Ford—who talked about "going out then getting laid"—then took a taxi to a bar, calling the driver a "Paki" and throwing a handful of business cards at him. He later moved on to a second bar, where a waiter says he saw Ford and an unknown woman apparently snorting cocaine. After an intoxicated Ford stormed the dance floor, he was asked to leave. He then returned to City Hall, where he continued to drink, attacked two staffers, and made lewd remarks to a female security guard before staffers managed to get him into a taxi home, according to witness statements. Upon arrival at the residence, a staffer who accompanied Ford says the drunken mayor got in his own car and sped off. Toronto's city council has voted 37 to 5 to ask Ford to step down, at least temporarily, but the increasingly isolated mayor is adamant about staying on. Meanwhile, Ford Motor Co. has told the mayor and his supporters to stop using its logo on T-shirts and other items, reports the Detroit News, and organizers of this year's Santa Claus Parade have asked Ford to stay away. Click for a stroll through some of Hizzoner's lowlights.