David Price (Toronto politician)
David Price is a Canadian most widely known as a member of the staff of Rob Ford, Toronto's mayor in 2011,2012 and 2013.[1] Price had been Ford's high school football coach, and had retained close ties with the family. He served as the campaign manager the mayor's brother, Doug Ford, when he ran for Toronto City Council. Price's official title was "director of operations and logistics", although commentators noted that Ford had controversially used members of his staff, paid by the city, to help him coach football teams.[2]
Career as a financial advisor
A profile of Price in Toronto's Globe and Mail reported Price had been a financial advisor prior to joining the mayor's staff.[3] Price graduated from York Univerity with a degree in economics, and subsequently spent over a decade working for financial service agency State Street Trust Company Canada
The Globe and Mail reported they had been conducting an investigation into whether the Ford brothers had sold illegal drugs in their youth. They reported that Price had been a partner in this drug enterprise.
Although Ford only hired Price in April 2013, he had been described as a loyal, trusted associate for decades.[4]
In mid-May 2013 reporters from two separate publications independently reported they had been shown a clandestine recording that where a disheveled Ford smoked crack cocaine, and made racist and sexist slurs.[5][6][7][8][9][10]
CBC News reported that unnamed members of Ford's staff had informed them that Price suggested he knew who possessed the recording.[4] The CBC reported that Price asked Mark Twohey, who was then Ford's chief of staff, what a staff member should do if they knew how to acquire the surreptiously recorded video. Twohey is reported to have replied that the appropriate choice would be to inform the Police. Ford fired Twohey shortly afterwards. had suggested Ford should quietly buy the recording before reporters could raise the fund
Price however triggered new criticism, when it was learned that he had been a long-time caller to the Ford's call-in radio show.[5][6][7][8][9][10] Price had been regularly making these calls, identifying himself using a range of pseudonyms, including, "Dave from Etobicoke", "Dave from Scarboro", and "Dave from Georgetown". At no time had Price or Ford acknowledged their long-time friendship. When news of the calls became public Ford's staff asserted Price had stopped making the calls. But in late June the QMI News agency reported that Price made a contentious call to one of their reporters, disputing its coverage of the phone calls. QMI reported that Price refused to identify himself during these calls.
References
- ↑ Daniel Dale (2013-04-05). "Mayor Rob Ford hires his high school football coach". Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2013/04/05/mayor_rob_ford_hires_his_high_school_football_coach.html. Retrieved 2013-06-28. "Ford’s spokesperson would not discuss David Price with the Star, but the Sun reported that he has been hired for the newly created position of director of operations and logistics. A government spokesperson confirmed that Price is now on the city payroll."
- ↑ Wendy Gillis (2013-05-31). "Mayor Rob Ford’s new hire, David Price, is a mystery at city hall: Football is one link between the mayor and the new ‘director of logistics and operations’". Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2013/05/31/who_is_david_price.html. Retrieved 2013-06-28. "No one at City Hall can define Price’s new role with any certainty — the position did not exist prior to his arrival, and the hiring was done by Ford alone, making some senior officials feel the mayor simply wedged Price in. Asked about Price’s hiring last month, Doug Ford told a Globe and Mail reporter: “You can’t teach loyalty.”"
- ↑ Colin Freeze, Patrick White, Ann Hui (2013-05-31). "Meet the man at the middle of Toronto’s City Hall storm". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 2013-05-30. http://web.archive.org/web/20130530013358/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/meet-the-man-at-the-middle-of-torontos-city-hall-storm/article12218380/. Retrieved 2013-06-28. "The man is Dave Price, the mayor’s director of logistics – a 49-year-old newcomer to mayoral politics but a long-time friend of the family. A Globe and Mail investigation has revealed that Mr. Price was a partner in a hash-dealing enterprise in the 1980s headed by the mayor’s brother, Councillor Doug Ford."
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Rob Ford staffer 'Dave' suspended after phone call: 6 calls placed by David Price praising Ford on mayor's radio show, CBC News learns". CBC News. 2013-06-26. http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/06/26/toronto-rob-ford-staffer-suspended.html?cmp=rss. Retrieved 2013-06-28. "In May, Price asked his colleagues in the mayor’s office if they should try to obtain a video that is alleged to show Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine. A senior source in the mayor's office told CBC News that Price contacted the mayor's then chief of staff Mark Towhey, asking him “hypothetically” what they would do if someone told him where the video was. Towhey, who was fired days later, responded that police should be contacted."
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 David Rider (2013-06-25). "Mayor Rob Ford friend was caller "Dave" to radio show: David Price called Newstalk 1010 show at least six times before Ford hired him, CBC reports". Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/06/25/mayor_rob_ford_friend_was_caller_dave_to_radio_show.html. Retrieved 2013-06-28. "When asked why he was able to quickly identify Price’s voice on the Sun reporter’s tape of their Tuesday phone conversation, but on the radio show never identified Price as an old friend and not a random caller, Ford turned and strode away from reporters."
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Don Peat (2013-06-26). "Toronto Mayor Rob Ford suspends staffer Dave Price". Canoe.ca. http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Politics/2013/06/26/20928611.html. Retrieved 2013-06-28. "The suspension came shortly after Ford learned Price called a QMI Agency reporter, refused to identify himself and complained about an online headline on a story about Price misrepresenting himself when he called in to the mayor's radio show."
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Don Peat (2013-06-26). "Mayor Rob Ford suspends staffer Dave Price over call to Toronto Sun". Toronto Sun. http://www.torontosun.com/2013/06/26/mayor-rob-ford-suspends-staffer-dave-price-over-call-to-toronto-sun. Retrieved 2013-06-28. "Price called the Sun’s City Hall Bureau around 2 p.m. Tuesday to register the complaint. He was concerned about a headline on an online story about his habit of calling into the mayor’s radio show claiming to be “Dave” from different parts of the city and showering Ford with compliments."
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Don Peat (2013-06-26). "Rob Ford: Suspended Dave Price 'a very hard worker'". Toronto Sun. http://www.torontosun.com/2013/06/26/rob-ford-suspended-dave-price-a-very-hard-worker. Retrieved 2013-06-28. "As first revealed by the Toronto Sun, Ford suspended David Price — his director of logistics and operations — for a week without pay."
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 David Rider, Jessica McDiarmid (2013-06-26). "Mayor Rob Ford suspends staffer for phone call to Toronto newspaper". Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/06/26/mayor_rob_ford_suspends_staffer_for_phone_call_to_toronto_newspaper.html. Retrieved 2013-06-28. "When asked why he was able to quickly identify Price’s voice on the Sun reporter’s tape of their Tuesday phone conversation, but on the radio show never identified Price as an old friend and not a random caller, Ford turned and strode away from reporters."
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Rob Ford staffer 'Dave' suspended after phone call: 6 calls placed by David Price praising Ford on mayor's radio show, CBC News learns". CBC News. 2013-06-26. http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/06/26/toronto-rob-ford-staffer-suspended.html?cmp=rss. Retrieved 2013-06-28.
