City watchdogs should be Rob Ford's best friends

Remember the Rob Ford that got elected?

He rattled on endlessly about “respect for taxpayers.” He promised to bring accountability, transparency and government responsibility to city hall.

Voters really liked that Rob Ford. They gave him a landslide mandate.

Which is why it’s so baffling to see the mayor at odds with the accountability offices that could so easily contribute to that mandate. These watchdog offices — the ombudsman, the lobbyist registrar and the integrity commissioner — are designed to help make government more fair, ethical and responsive. They should be the frontline in Ford’s quest to radically improve customer service and reduce bureaucratic waste.

But Ford, egged on by recent reports that have been somewhat critical of his administration, has recently mused about lumping the offices into the gravy category. He’s suggested that the city could replace their collective budget and 20 staff with a single lawyer on retainer.

There’s no reasonable justification for this. The need for accountability at city hall is only getting more demanding as the city grows.

Ombudsman Fiona Crean, despite recent press, has spent the vast majority of her investigative time on non-political matters, uncovering major weaknesses with the city’s ability to effectively communicate with citizens or respond to things like TCHC fires or sewage backups. She’s made numerous recommendations that have been unanimously endorsed.

The lobbyist registrar’s office, too, are up to their eyeballs in new and important work. They’ve seen a massive increase in the number of corporate interests that seek to influence politicians on big ticket issues like casinos and plastic bags. Without them, the city would leave itself vulnerable to the same kind of toxic environment that led to the embarrassing computer leasing scandal a decade ago.

And the integrity commissioner, for all the bluster, is nothing more than a part-time position responsible for holding councillors to the code of conduct they themselves adopted. The code is pretty simple: be honest and don’t insult the people who work for you or pay your salary. That shouldn’t be too much to ask.

The suggestion that the accountability offices have an anti-Ford bias is based on no evidence. When they’ve criticized the mayor or his administration, it’s been well-founded and fair. In virtually every case, the mayor has only found himself in the spotlight because he drags out the resolution and refuses to swallow his pride and admit a mistake.

That kind of pride is a dangerous thing for Rob Ford. It’s seemingly turned what should be natural allies in his quest for a better and more responsive government into enemies, limiting his ability to succeed at city hall. The mayor ran on accountability and now, apparently, is at war with it.