Newly released court documents reveal the alleged dysfunction inside Toronto Mayor Rob Ford鈥檚 office after reports first surfaced of a video that shows the mayor smoking from a crack pipe.
None of the statements in the court documents have been tested or proven in court.
George Christopoulos, Ford鈥檚 former press secretary, told police that Ford鈥檚 former chief of staff, Mark Towhey, was fired after he gave the mayor three options on how to respond to media reports about the video.
Towhey wrote three separate statements for Ford. One statement had the mayor telling reporters that he would take a leave of absence, another stated that he would resign and the last said: 鈥淚 do not do this, I do not do this, I do not do this,鈥� according to the court documents.
But Christopoulos said Ford decided to say something 鈥渃ompletely off the mark鈥� instead.
On May 24, Ford told reporters: 鈥淚 do not use crack cocaine. Nor am I an addict of crack cocaine. As for a video, I can鈥檛 comment on a video I have never seen or does not exist.鈥�
Christopoulos said the mayor鈥檚 staff 鈥渇igured that he had an issue with something, both alcohol or prescription pills, and that he needed to straighten himself out for his family.鈥�
But he said 鈥渢he mayor was deep in denial.鈥�
After he was dismissed as head football coach at the Don Bosco high school in May, the mayor called Towhey later that day 鈥渋n tears, sobbing and completely distraught,鈥� according to the court documents.
Ford wanted to have a party at his house with all the Don Bosco players afterward, but Towhey told him that no staffers would be used to help organize the event.
Ford got angry with Towhey, who was fired and escorted out of city hall the next day.
Christopoulos also told police that staffer Isaac Ransom resigned because 鈥渢he mayor was incapable of taking direction鈥� and did not trust anyone.
Christopoulos also said the mayor would call him very late at night or early in the morning. One time, Ford called from his father鈥檚 gravesite, according to the documents.
Christopoulos said that David Price, a friend of the Ford family, was hired to be the mayor鈥檚 director of operations and logistics after he 鈥渂asically badgered the mayor to give him a job.鈥�
鈥淭he mayor finally gave in and hired him at double the price of everyone else in the office,鈥� which did not go over well with the staff, according to the documents.
Price himself told investigators that he had known Ford for 35 years and that he has not seen the mayor doing drugs. But Price said he was concerned about the mayor鈥檚 drinking. He also said that Ford is 鈥渞idiculously stubborn,鈥� which makes it difficult for his staff to approach him about problems.
According to the court documents, Price also told police that Ford 鈥渓oves to do the small stuff, the customer service. The strategic stuff is all Doug Ford (mayor鈥檚 brother).鈥�
After several members of Ford鈥檚 staff resigned, the mayor offered his remaining staffers more money to stay on the job, Christopoulos told police.
Christopoulos was among those who walked away from the mayor鈥檚 office, along with executive assistant Kia Nejatian.
Nejatian told police that staffers started panicking after Towhey was fired because he provided 鈥減roper direction and advice.鈥�
Towhey was the one who would push back when Ford wanted staff to do his personal errands, Nejatian said.
Another staffer, Chris Fickel, who ran a lot of personal errands for the mayor, said he endured a lot of verbal abuse.
He said the mayor would belittle him in front of other people and say 鈥渢his kid is as useless as two tits on a bull."
