Rob Ford suspends staffer David Price for making a really boneheaded phone call

Here’s what we know about Rob Ford’s shadowy director of logistics and operations David Price: he was Ford’s high school football coach; he allegedly dealt hash with Doug Ford in the ‘80s; and  he probably shouldn’t be allowed near a phone.

First, CBC reported yesterday that Price was a frequent caller to the mayor’s weekly radio show before becoming a Ford staffer in April. Posing as both “Dave from Scarborough” and “Dave from Etobicoke,” Price heaped praise on Ford and scorned lefties. One gem: he refers to David Miller and his “merry band of big-brother, I know better than you, paternalistic, heavy-handed, Looney Tunes socialists.” Subtle. (Listen to the clip below for a sampling from the “Dave” greatest hits collection.)

Then Price made things worse by calling the Toronto Sun’s city hall reporter after the paper picked up the story. The staffer complained about the wording of a headline, refused to identify himself, said he never claimed to be Dave from Scarborough, paused awkwardly and blurted out, “The headline’s wrong, that’s all I’ve got to say.”

When the Sun asked the mayor’s office about the call, Ford apologized and said, “I don’t deal with people like this. So I’ll be taking appropriate action.” Price’s punishment: a weeklong suspension without pay, along with the knowledge he’s close to trumping Giorgio Mammoliti as the mayor’s most buffoonish sidekick.