FORD'S HONESTY IN QUESTION

Character counts in Toronto's mayoral race.

On that score, we worry about frontrunner Rob Ford. Confronted by
controversies from his past, it seems as if the truth has to be
dragged out of him.

This despite the fact the controversial Etobicoke councillor often
proclaims his life is an open book, that he's honest and that, as he
told the Sun's Michele Mandel in April, he has no skeletons left in
his closet and "what you see is what you get".

Thursday, Sun reporters Jonathan Jenkins and Rob Lamberti revealed a
previously unknown skeleton - a marijuana bust in Florida in 1999.

Ford initially denied the incident had occurred, indignantly telling
Jenkins: "No, to answer your question. I'm dead serious. When I say 'no' I
mean never. No question. Now I'm getting offended. No means no."

Only after Ford was provided documentary evidence of the bust did he
acknowledge it, noting police found a joint in his back pocket. He
said while he'd been arrested, he'd hired a lawyer and the charge was
dropped for reasons he couldn't remember.

Ford, a law-and-order politician who opposes pot legalization, told
Jenkins he'd forgotten about the incident which occurred when he was
29 years old - a grown man - a year before he won a seat on council.

That was Wednesday. Thursday, Ford revealed that in the same incident
he had pled guilty to failing to give a breath sample, for which he
paid a fine and performed 50 hours of community service. (Court
documents list the charge as driving under the influence, but Ford
maintained yesterday he was convicted of failing to provide a breath
sample.)

Ford said this "more serious" charge caused him to forget the
possession charge when first contacted by the Sun Wednesday and that
he waited until Thursday to tell the full story because he wanted to
explain everything all at once to the media.

Ford has previously admitted to initially lying about a 2006 incident
at a Maple Leafs game where, drunk and angry, he was removed by
security guards after shouting crude insults at a couple.

At first, Ford denied even being at the game, before admitting his
actions the next day and apologizing, saying he lied because of
embarrassment.

We think voters deserve a mayor who tells the truth the first time.