[URBAN NOTE] One more Rob Ford note

[rfmcdonald]

Torontoist's Steve Kupferman just posted a copy of the factum--brief, in the United States and England--presented by Rob Ford's lawyer in his defense. The full factum is viewable here, but Kupferman's four-point summary is below.

The Municipal Conflict of Interest Act and its harsh penalties don’t apply to the case, because Ford was voting on a matter subject to council’s own code of conduct, which derives its authority from a different piece of legislation, the City of Toronto Act.

City council didn’t have the authority to levy the $3,150 fine in the first place, because the code of conduct doesn’t allow them to.

If the judge agrees with neither of those points, then it can at least be said that Ford’s mistake was nothing more than an error of judgment. He has declared conflicts in the past. The complexity of the vote confused him, and he didn’t realize he was in the wrong.

Also, $3,150 is insignificant. Ford would never knowingly have jeopardized his job over such a small amount.

Thoughts?