Toronto's City Council has voted to strip scandal-plagued Mayor Rob Ford of many of his powers after a heated debate where he knocked over a woman councilor. The council voted overwhelming in a series of votes on Monday to cut his office budget by 60% and allow mayoral staff to join the deputy mayor. Ford now effectively has no legislative power as he would no longer chair the executive committee. Ford retains his title and ability to represent Toronto at official functions.
The motion to cut his budget and powers was revised from a tougher version to ward off potential legal challenges. Ford would retain his title and ability to represent Toronto at official functions. "Obviously I cannot do the job with eight people in the office with a quarter of the former mayor's budget," Ford said. The council does not have the power to remove Ford from office, barring a criminal conviction. It is pursuing the strongest recourse available after recent revelations that Ford smoked crack cocaine and his repeated outbursts of erratic behavior. Click for more on today's wild meeting. (More Rob Ford stories.)
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