Rob Ford Knocks Down Female Councilor

Toronto's mayor gives Pam McConnell a fat lip 'by mistake'
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 18, 2013 3:25 PM CST

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford strikes again—literally. During a wild city council meeting that saw hecklers and the mayor exchange nasty remarks, Ford charged across the floor and knocked over councilor Pam McConnell, apparently by mistake, the Globe & Mail reports. "The mayor ran through me," said McConnell, who got a fat lip in the process. She said she would have hit her head on a council floor railing if others hadn't grabbed her. "He didn't mean to but he pushed me over. I am OK, yes, I'm a very strong woman."

Prompted by another councilor, Ford apologized to McConnell and said he charged into her "because I thought my brother was getting into an altercation" (Ford's brother, Doug, is a city councilor). People in the crowd cried out, "Shame! Shame! Shame!" and the speaker called a 10-minute recess—during which the Ford brothers exchanged shouts with audience members. "You are a disgrace. Bring it on buddy," the mayor shouted, and was dragged off by a council member. As you can imagine, the issue at hand today—of whether to reduce the mayor's budget powers—has not yet been resolved. (More Rob Ford stories.)

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