The Rob Ford Saga.....Awkwardly Continues

Rob Ford is now the butt of late night jokes. Wear it well Mr Ford. You earned it.






 Senior policy adviser Brooks Barnett resigns from Ford's office



Policy Adviser Brooks Barnett has resigned from the Mayor's Office. The script isn't new, we should have seen this coming. One day after Toronto Mayor Rob Ford confessed to smoking crack cocaine, one of his senior and most experienced staff members has left City Hall.  He is one of an exodus of resigning mayoral staff members.

The Toronto Star confirmed that policy adviser Brooks Barnett resigned Wednesday morning. The newspaper reports Barnett was one of only four people remaining on Ford's 18-person staff that was with the team when Ford first took office in 2010.  He has been the mayor's senior policy adviser and council relations adviser since March 2011. He was a very well liked and respected staff member.

The Toronto Sun also reports that Barnett was with Ford during a drunken St. Patrick's Day party at City Hall last year.

The Sun writes:

The night included Ford knocking Brooks off his feet in an apparent rage, jumping on his giant Cut the Waist challenge scale and stripping off his clothes, smashing his cellphone on the wall, crying uncontrollably and even throwing racial slurs and his business cards at a cab driver.

The sudden resignation comes following Ford's shocking admission to smoking crack after months of denial. The announcement is said to have taken his staff by surprise. Shortly after the Toronto Star and Gawker reported the existence of a video of the mayor smoking from a crack pipe, a stream of staff members left the Mayor's Office, including press secretary George Christopoulos and deputy Isaac Ransom. Executive assistants, advisers and chief of staff Mark Towhey all either quit or were fired in the following days.

And now, as the Ford crack controversy winds into the next phase, we have another staffer leaving.
Brooks Barnett was a popular young man with policy makers and citizens alike as his Twtter feed suggests:

@brooksbarnett  you've made the right decision. You were outstanding asset to the Mayors Office, I am sure that you will be truly missed

Mark Towhey @towhey      

Brooks Barnett is a bright, outstanding young man of amazing integrity. He was a pleasure to work with & will be an asset wherever he goes.

 

Brian Johnston @BJohnston42      

Good luck to my friend and former MO colleague @brooksbarnett! A pleasure to work with at City Hall
 

Isaac Ransom @IsaacRansom      

@brooksbarnett you sir, are a gentleman and a scholar. Was a pleasure to work with you.