The Fords pride themselves on being available to take a phone call any time but the reality is that they're not the kind of individuals who actively seek out areas that require urgent attention. Instead, history shows they prefer to wait until they have to act. Case in point is Ward 2. Doug Ford is its City Councillor. If you take the time (like I have) to contact organizations, shelters and other similar places of interest in the area, you'll find a common thread - people can't recall the last time Doug Ford ever walked through their doors.

Whenever Doug Ford opens his mouth, he seldom (if ever) talks of solving issues in Ward 2. I hear dialogue of Port Lands development, or monorails, or shutting down libraries that are in supposed industrial areas, or subways for Sheppard. I hear him speaking of ambitions for running as an MPP in the next election, and looking ahead to the future without actually paying attention to the now, with pie-in-the-sky notions of building casinos at Woodbine as one of the few public statements with regards to anything in Ward 2 of recent memory.

I don't hear a single tangible idea of how he would stimulate employment in this chronically under-employed area. I don't hear him speaking of creating any community initiatives to clean the Humber River, or to the building of more affordable housing in Ward 2. I do not hear any active initiation upon the vague notions which he campaigned upon. I hear nothing. When I listen to other councillors (regardless of their political leanings) I at least hear of dialogue involving their own Wards.

Whether I agree with their positions or not, there is a sense that they are at least in the community they speak of, and even if I may personally disagree with an issue (and even if their claims that they speak for a majority of their constituents is not necessarily true) I know that they at least have a definable position and believe they are doing something positive for their own Ward.

The worst offense to a Ward 2 citizen at this present moment is the radio show that the Fords are involved in on CFRB 1010 every Sunday. I'm not going to fault the Mayor for this - he's the Mayor, and if the Mayor of the city wants to be on the air for a couple of hours every week, I wouldn't care what his name is - I'm fine with it.

But it takes time to drive from Etobicoke to the offices of CFRB 1010 and back. One could argue that because of the time of day of the broadcast, it's basically a commitment from the moment Doug Ford wakes up, to 3pm (and then beyond, considering the time it would take to return).

Doug Ford is a rookie councillor. Instead of going on air, why is he not in Rexdale actively working on issues that matter to the citizens of his Ward? That is one entire day he has committed to being elsewhere that serves absolutely no purpose when it comes to serving in public office. There is nothing being solved here by his participation in that show, and to fail to even recognize that he could best spend that time working on behalf of the citizens of his ward instead of talking about the Toronto Maple Leafs not only shows the worst kind of judgment, it tells the citizens of Ward 2 that he has no interest in their welfare.

It's trivializing any of the crucial issues that warrant immediate attention in this area. Doud Ford was not elected to work on initiatives elsewhere in the city. He was elected to serve Ward 2.

Where are you, Doug Ford?

This post has been contributed by Rahim Ladha who is a long-time resident of Ward 2. Photo by AshtonPal in the blogTO Flickr pool.