Jan. 22 (UPI) -- Though things seemed to settle down over the Christmas holiday, Rob Ford returned to form this week when someone posted a YouTube video of the scandal-ridden Toronto mayor drunkenly speaking in a Jamaican accent and using a profanity to describe Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Ford said in a prepared statement that his "personal life" would not impact his work as mayor.
“As you know, I’m a human being. The same as every one of you. And I’m entitled to a personal life. And my personal life does not interfere with the work I do day in and day out for the taxpayers of this great city,” Ford said. “Monday was unfortunate. I had a minor setback. We all experience these difficult bumps in life."
"I am telling the Toronto residents that I'm still working hard every day to improve my health and my well-being. But again, this is completely a private matter," he added.
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Ford, 44, admitted Tuesday that he had been drinking "a little bit" when the video was recorded, despite previous declarations that he had decided to abstain.
Some of Ford's colleagues on the city council said Wednesday that the latest incident proves that the mayor won't be "able to change."
City Councilman Michael Thompson said Ford's antics left him "just dumbfounded."
Ford said his opponents are using his string of scandals to "distract from the fact that they want to hike taxes in 2014."
[Toronto Star, National Post]
