Huh.

Trying to figure out my disappointment at the news that Mayor Ford won his appeal and will keep his job.

It wasn’t because I believed that if he’d lost, that would be the end of him. Far from it. Quite possibly, we’d be seeing a whole lot more of him – louder, more bombastic, more defiant — if a by-election followed and a campaign ignited.

Crassly, I think I’m disappointed because I was looking forward to the novelty of what might happen if he’d been tossed from office. Council intrigue and jockeying. Reappointment or by-election. Reappoint who? Who’d run against the mayor in a by-election?

Yeah. On days like today, I do think I am that shallow.

But the wheels of justice turned – and folks, if you embraced the ruling of Judge Hackland, you cannot dismiss the appeal judgement — and Mayor Rob Ford is still the mayor of this city. So, it’s back to business. At least until the release of the report on his campaign finances comes out sometime in the next little while.

Much was made in the lead up to today’s court decision of how, if the mayor was removed from office, we as residents of Toronto would get a chance at an electoral do-over. An opportunity to erase the mistake made just over two years ago. Fresh beginnings.

The same can now be said for Mayor Ford. Today he’s been reprieved. Given a second chance to reclaim the leadership role he’s fumbled so spectacularly over the course of the last year or so. Live and learn, so to speak.

There are two avenues open to him, as I see it. To walk down the nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah path, thumbing his nose at his opponents as he did when he first took office and went all Don Cherry on our collective asses. Emboldened by nothing more than narrowly avoiding a legal bullet and trumpeting Mandate, Mandate, Mandate. The People Gave Me A Mandate.

The same ol’, same ol’ in other words.

The same approach that lost him control of the transit file, the Port Lands, the budget process. Today’s ruling changes none of that. If Mayor Ford sees this as just another day, a mere bump in the road, he will still be very much a patch it together as he goes type of mayor with a fingers crossed and hope for the best approach to governance.

On the other hand, he could jump feet first into the leadership vacuum he’s created by his own behaviour and actually start acting like a mayor who needs to cobble together the solid support of at least 22 of his councillors and not just assume he has it because he’s the man. It doesn’t mean giving up his agenda or bowing down to special interests or vast left wing conspiracies. It simply means doing what has to be done to be a mayor in the city of Toronto.

If you see us here at All Fired Up in the Big Smoke as nothing more than Mayor Ford haters, I know this will sound insincere and pure rationalization. So be it. Although that does make me a little sad. But I’m glad the mayor wasn’t tossed from office today. I treat the news I’m hearing of Clayton Ruby possibly taking this to the Supreme Court with the opposite of relish. Dis-mayo?

This city faces some huge challenges, discussions and decisions in the next little while. A new premier of the province. A casino. The release of Metrolinx’s thoughts on funding our Big Move.

It’d be nice not to have the distraction of a mayor fighting for his job in the middle of that. While some of that is now out of his control, he could still start chipping in productively, as a member of the elected body that oversees the well-being and direction of the city. He could try being an actual mayor of all Toronto for a change, see if it fits.

— hopefully submitted by Cityslikr