Toronto councillors want focus on issues, not mayoral distractions

Amid an escalating war of words between Toronto Mayor Rob Ford and a woman who accuses him of behaving inappropriately, several councillors say they want to see an end to the ongoing distractions at city hall.

Coun. Gloria Lindsay Luby said Monday that she would like the focus at city hall to be on city business, without being sidetracked by the latest allegations involving the mayor.

"I just wish this nonsense would stop, really," Luby said in an interview with CBC News on Monday.

Asked about the same issue, Coun. Chin Lee admitted that he was, to a certain extent, "tired of a lot of distractions that are happening here."

But Lee said that if the mayor "is not doing the job, then council will have to do the job of leading the city and getting things done in the city."

Allegations of inappropriate behaviour

Last Friday, former mayoral candidate Sarah Thomson posted allegations on her Facebook page that Ford had made a suggestive comment and groped her at a Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee event the night before.

Ford quickly denied the "false allegations," which he said left him "shocked, dismayed and surprised."

Over the weekend, Ford again denied the allegations when speaking on his weekly radio show, saying that what Thomson had alleged was "not true."

In turn, Thomson released a statement about the comments Ford made on the radio, predicting that the mayor would "eventually own up" to the allegations she had made.

On Monday morning, Thomson made new allegations about the mayor on a different radio station, suggesting that he may have been under the influence of drugs when he attended the CJPAC party.

When reporters asked Thomson to elaborate on those remarks later in the day, she suggested the mayor could also have been affected by a medical condition.

But she offered no evidence to substantiate her claim.

"He could have diabetes, he could have been on drugs, I’m not sure," said Thomson.

The mayor told reporters late Monday afternoon that he has nothing else to say, that his prior comments stand and that he will not be commenting any more on any allegations made by Thomson.