Josh Matlow (Ward 22) has become the first member of city council to publicly call for Mayor Ford to resign. Mr. Matlow tweeted: “Serious accusations have been made against the mayor of Toronto. If they are proven to be true beyond a reasonable doubt, he should resign.” Councillor Matlow has had an on and off relationship with the mayor. In recent times, their exchanges in council have been rancorous. And while there is no record yet of any other elected members calling on the mayor to quit, the coming week would seem to be, to use a phrase, a time of truth for the mayor. Proof of what he did does not lie in scrutiny of the video made by the cocaine criminals from Etobicoke. The public may reasonably assume the mayor has done what he is accused of unless he is able to say clearly that he did not do it. This matter will be heard in the court of public opinion and the public will expect the mayor to prove himself innocent. There is not a politician in Canada who could not, if falsely accused in this manner, dismiss the lie with a few simple facts. The mayor’s inability to declare with conviction that this is a hoax should correctly seal his fate in the public mind.
