But would councillors really rebel against an elected mayor?  [Councillor Kyle] Rae — who Ford keeps slamming for holding a $12,000-taxpayer-funded goodbye party — says it is a real possibility.

“Most thinking people in Toronto would be so embarrassed by him being mayor that there would be an obligation on council to do something,” he said.

Councillor Howard Moscoe was a little more descriptive in how he sees a Mayor Ford interacting with council.  “He won’t be able to pass gas without the permission of council,” Moscoe said.

When asked if he thinks Ford will be able to work with council, he added: “Depends how often he wants to pass gas.”

Read the rest of the article here.

“According to the report from clerk Ulli Watkiss, Rae’s early-June party at the Rosewater Supper Club was entirely compliant with the city’s policy.

Ford said that if he is elected mayor, the policy will change.

“It’s outrageous – I’ve been saying it from day one. It’s not an office budget, it’s an expense account and the clerk even agreed with me,” he said. “I’ve been trying to change that policy for 10 years. I haven’t been successful – I haven’t had the votes. But when I become mayor I’ll have the votes and the policy will change.”

Read the rest of the article here.

Related: Shut the cash flow (Toronto Sun)

“Rae shrugged off the criticism.

He maintained the farewell party was something his constituents wanted and he pointed out the $12,000 is less than half of the $26,000 surplus from the 2006 election that he will be donating back to the City of Toronto when he retires this year.  He said his trip to Vienna was approved by Toronto Council this past winter and pointed out he’s a regular attendee at the conference.

“I went to council in January and council agreed,” said Rae. “(Ford) doesn’t support AIDS grants. He thinks the world’s knowledge is in his head.”

Read the rest of the article here.

“Ford’s site, which went live Thursday, asks Torontonians to sign a petition to get their money back and demand Rae resign immediately.

“We want as many people to get on the website as possible and force him to pay it back or get his friends to all pitch in $30 or $40,” Ford said.  Rae’s farewell bash was held at the Rosewater Supper Club in honour of the veteran councillor’s 19 years in politics.

Over 300 people signed the petition during the first hour of the site’s appearance.”

Read the article here.  View the website here and the Facebook group here.

Photo courtesy: Globe & Mail

Outgoing Ward 27 councillor Kyle Rae has endorse former police officer and adviser to London mayor Boris Johnson Ken Chan, who declared his candidacy exclusively to TEN back in January:

“I have looked at the people in the race and I think the person with the experience we need is Ken Chan,” said Rae, who has represented Ward 27, Toronto Centre-Rosedale since 1991, in an interview Friday.

“Working with George at the provincial level, Ken got lots of experience with policy and budget issues and before that he was an openly gay police officer, so he knows what civic service is.”

Read the rest of the article here.

Related: Politics not as usual in Ward 27 (Globe & Mail)

Photo courtesy; Toronto Star

The City of  Toronto has announced it will proceed with the controversial decision to narrow portions of Jarvis Street and creating bike lanes:

“A public notice said the city will remove the centre lane, which reverses to accommodate high traffic flow, and add bike lanes of both sides of the remaining roadway between Bloor and Queen streets.

Mayoral candidate Rocco Rossi yesterday called for an end to the war on automobiles, calling the decision a “clear affront to democracy.”

“I am opposed to the project as planned,” he said in a statement to the National Post. “I support bike lanes. I support transit. I don’t support any further bike lanes on major routes and I don’t support clogging traffic on major routes.”

Read the rest of the article here.

“She said, “A few months back, I met Adam at a party. I said I was looking forward to working with him. He asked why. I told him I was running, and I said I was going to win. He laughed.”

The memory serves as a spur. She intends to be taken seriously. She ran against Rae an election ago for the simplest reason in civic politics. “He didn’t address an issue in my building. We had no water for four days. I thought: How dare he?”

Read the rest of the article here. 

Photo courtesy: National Post

At least one councillor thinks that Toronto City Hall would be a much happier place if everyone spent more time between the sheets:

“I think more people at City Council need sex,” [Ward 27 Councillor Kyle] Rae told me yesterday at his office, on whose window is posted the following sign: “You are now entering a clothing-optional area.” Everyone is free to ride the rocket that they choose, of course. Mr. Rae, who is married to Mark Reid, his partner since 1994, didn’t have much advice for Mr. Giambrone, other than to say, “People have to manage their sexual relationships in an honest manner.”

Read the rest of the article here.

Photo courtesy: Inside Toronto

Former mayoral and council candidate Enza “Supermodel” Anderson has thrown her hat into the ring in Ward 27, adding to the crowded field looking to replace outgoing councillor Kyle Rae:

“Known from those elections for over-the-top costume and comments, Anderson struck a different pose as she came in to register, wearing simple black pants and blouse and armed with the beginnings of a platform that was almost mundane: better transportation, a consultative approach to development and an approach to taxes that gives homeowners a break.

“I want people to look beyond my gender and hear my ideas about making this city great,” she said. “I think I proved that when I ran for mayor in 2000 and came in third. I’ve proven that when I ran for council in 2003 and came in second in that election. In all the things that I’ve done, people saw beyond my gender and saw my ideas.”

Read the rest of the article here.

Related: A supermodel comes to City Hall (National Post)

And: Enza tosses makeup bag in the ring (Toronto Sun)

In an Ontario News Watch and TEN exclusive, sources confirm that Ken Chan, a former Police Officer and senior aide to George Smitherman at Queen’s Park, intends to run for City Council in Ward 27.  It was revealed this morning that Chan, 34, has resigned as the policing adviser in London UK Mayor Boris Johnson’s office, a position he has held for the past year, to return to Toronto to launch his campaign for the seat currently held by Kyle Rae.

Ken Chan is also the Board Chair of a non-profit organization serving the mental health needs of LGBT communities in London and is also on the boards of a community college and a secondary school in London. He is also a former board member of Alterna Savings Credit Union in Toronto.

He moved to London in 2008 to work on the British Government’s initiatives to cut red tape for businesses and front line public service, but has continued to own a home in Toronto.

Do you have a campaign tip or exclusive?  Contact TEN here.

Update: 640News picks it up here.