The Rob report . . .
Seen a Ford lately?
Sneed is told that embattled Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, who claims he has taken a leave of absence to seek help for alcohol addiction, flew via private jet to Chicago on Thursday afternoon.
It was not known whether Ford, a hot mess whose addictions have become fodder for the international media, was seeking treatment in Chicago, near where his firm, DECO Labels & Tags, is located in suburban Wood Dale — or whether he was en route elsewhere.
◆ Crack shot: Ford, who came under fire in 2013 after a video allegedly showing him smoking crack and videos showing him drinking heavily were obtained by the Canadian media, took the leave of absence from his office Wednesday after a new video surfaced, purportedly showing him smoking crack from a copper pipe.
◆ Pot shot: “I have a problem with alcohol, and the choices I have made while under the influence,” Ford stated. “I have struggled with this for some time . . . I have decided to take a leave from campaigning and from my duties as mayor to seek immediate help.”
◆ Last November, William Moyers, a spokesman for Hazelden addiction treatment centers, referred to Ford as a man “ . . . unable to get out of the way of his own ego and the media spotlight long enough to take care of himself. Instead, day after day, he chooses to mount the stage for another act of his own tragic play. It would be comedy if the mayor were trying to be funny. But he is dead serious, so it is sad.”
◆ Moyers told Sneed on Thursday: “All these months later, maybe Ford has finally realized his way isn’t working and he will do the right thing to get help. But I can’t confirm or deny he is here.”