Ford fact check: apparently, city staffers not as gravy-drenched as once thought

Remember back in 2010 when then–mayoral candidate Rob Ford said the city could balance its books without layoffs? How times have changed. Mayor Ford’s definition of “gravy” is much different than candidate Ford’s, shifting from things like expensive parties on the taxpayers’ dime to things like, um, people with jobs. In the process, he’s stated that the city is an overstaffed, bloated, inefficient bureaucracy that sucks up taxpayer dollars while it lumbers along. Of course, the possibility that city staff would increase rather than decrease in the post-amalgamation era is unthinkable for small-government types, but municipal affairs blogger Matt Elliott argues that this isn’t even exactly true. Despite a net increase in city employees, many areas slashed city staff between 1998 and 2007, and many of the departments that grew are unsurprising (like the TTC). The police grew, too, which actually is surprising, given Ford’s unflagging commitment to reducing their ranks. Read the entire story [Ford For Toronto] »