文世昌：上任两年整 给福特打打分

给福特市长打分 Mayor Ford’s war on public servants

Mayor Rob Ford福特当选市长两周年，任期刚好一半，平心而论，政绩方面，值得称赞的当然不少，例如他控制市政府审慎花钱，对工会谈判颇有成果，签订了新合约，为纳税人节省了数百万加元，说服市议会同意将垃圾收集外判，减少市议员办公室预算开支，兑现竞选承诺。

但是，福特被市民批评、受到舆论非议的事项也很多： 频频失言、失态， 行动失当、失策， 行为表现经常失去常理：his performance record was riddled with gaffes, missteps and questionable behaviour。

前市长Mel Lastman赖士民也忍不住公开嘲笑他Former mayor Lastman has some unflattering and blunt words about how current Mayor Ford is running things ：
“ I ‘m not a genius, obviously, but he makes me look like one. I know him, he’s stubborn and stubborn sometimes is good, but not constantly. You can’t be that stubborn and run a city.”

可见赖士民自知有犯过5次6次失言的毛病，但比起福特近日来一个月5次6次白痴式的失言，简直可以自诩是天才！

福特也懂得自嘲担任市长以来，略有遗憾：例如自己驾车时打手机、看文件等小毛病。?
立场右倾保守的National Post《国家邮报》评论员Matt Gurney给福特的成绩表打分，认为功过参半，分析最新民调，展望连任机会时，点出福特的支持度，在30% 多一些的水位徘徊，假如只有一位强劲对手参选，而这个人又是Jack Layton林顿的遗孀Olivia Chow邹至蕙，福特便注定落败！作者专栏的标题正好是：Ford’s dumb mistakes make Mayor Olivia Chow more likely。

福特最新的controversies争议事件，正是一连串涉嫌对任职市政府高级公务员或专业人员的攻击言论、轻视态度、或孩子戏的报复手段，甚至引发全体议员，要开大会讨论。

首先是针对ombudsman申诉专员Fiona Crean有关福特市长办公室行为失当的报告a report accusing his office of meddling in appointments to city boards and agencies， 认为他干预和影响多个任命市民参与市政事务谘询会的正常运作。福特反指控批评基于政治动机出发， she had political motives，但她出席市议会全体大会时，提供了确实的証据she neatly refuted by producing evidence that the mayor’s office indeed gave city staff a list of its favoured picks for city appointments。

第二件事涉及福特在公众电台Newstalk 1010清谈节目批评多伦多政府的Medical Officer of Health医务官员David McKeown，罪名是他建议减低驾车速度限制，使行人和单车驾驶者更安全，he was accused for the sin of proposing lower speed limits to make Toronto safer for pedestrians and cyclists。市长冷嘲热讽，The mayor called Dr. McKeown’s $294,302 salary “an embarrassment”，认为McKeown医生的薪酬高到令人难堪，蕴含羞辱之意。Integrity Commissioner操守专员Janet Leiper收到市议员John Filion要求市长公开道歉不果的正式投诉后，认为在大气电波公然羞辱政府官员的行径不符合市议员的code of conduct操守，正式跟进其事。

福特对以上两件事的回应，借用Globe and Mail《环球邮报》记者Marcus Gee专栏文章Ford ramps up war on public servants的说法：He wants to get rid of the integrity commissioner and the ombudsman 。

Marcus Gee对市长的做法不敢苟同，因为申诉专员和操守专员的职责和效果，有利市民监察政府的施政和议员的操守，福特不宜草莽行事，公私不分，意气用事，甚至和自已参选市长时，倡议市政需要廉洁透明的政纲背道而驰 ：

That would be a huge setback for the goal of clean, transparent government that the mayor himself campaigned on when he was running for office。

操守专员一职的设立，主要是监察市议员的行为，the integrity commissioner keeps a watch on the conduct of city councillors，历史渊源来自2000年当时有市议员涉及巨额购置电脑器材，假公济私的贪腐大丑闻 ：

The so-called accountability offices were established after the MFP computer-leasing scandal of the early 2000s。

Toronto Star《多伦多星报》10月29日的社论 Toronto Mayor Rob Ford should stop bullying Ombudsman Fiona Crean，反对福特以节省公帑为由，刻意取谛或草率合併两个看门狗监察职位的建议，等同恣意打击把关操守部门的神圣职能，狠批福特市长迹近欺凌的行径：

Efforts to dump Crean, or to gut the city’s watchdogs through a devastating amalgamation, amount to the same thing — a shameless attack on the agents of integrity at Toronto city hall。

《星报》赞成延续Obudsman申诉专员5年的任期，但终于续约2年：Those who remember the greed and graft exposed in the city’s MFP computer leasing scandal, and who want to avoid any return to those squalid times, will vote to reappoint Crean for another five years。Fiona Crean’s renewal is only extended for two years which is seen as a compromise by Ford supporters。

但是Globe and Mail《环球邮报》对Integrity Commissioner操守专员插手处理福特市长失言，却另有不同看法，社论Toronto Mayor Rob Ford shouldn’t have to account to a civil servant for what he says on the radio，认 为 技术上他们兄弟俩虽然违反议员应有的准则，technically they have violated City Council’s code of conduct when they slammed the medical officer of health on their local radio talk show， 行 径 令 人 侧 目 ：It was a shameful performance, particularly from the Mayor, who has a duty to safeguard morale among and respect for city employees。公 务 员 不 宜 管 辖 言 论 ：Bureaucratic oversight of the speech of elected officials is a troubling matter。结论认为：市长既然是由市民一人一票经选举产生的政客，言行自有公论，最好下一次大选，届时由选民决定取捨！