Former Rob Ford aide Mark Towhey hired to help Caledon
Rob Ford’s former chief of staff has just been hired by Caledon to help the town, which is under fire for its development policies

TheStar.com
June 26, 2015
San Grewal  

Rob Ford ’s former chief of staff, Mark Towhey, who’s penning a tell-all book about his time with the former Toronto mayor, has just been hired by the Town of Caledon as a policy and communications expert to deal with growing development controversies sweeping the small municipality.

According to the Caledon Enterprise, Towhey was hired using a sole-sourced contract for a $100,000 external communications consultant. The move was approved by town council this week, with no debate, the Enterprise said.

Towhey, who was fired by Ford right after the former mayor’s crack cocaine scandal broke in 2013, is now writing a book about his time during that tumultuous period.

Things in Caledon aren’t likely to be as explosive, but the town has recently been under siege over allegations that its land use policies and developments are not following provincial guidelines. Mayor Allan Thompson has also come under fire for the sale of property to a developer in April for $9.4 million.

On Thursday, Peel Region council called in the province’s development facilitator to investigate land use practices in Caledon and make recommendations. Thompson and his fellow Caledon councillors who also sit on Peel council, tried to block the move, attacking it for stripping the town of control over its own development.

“Caledon is faced with extraordinary and unprecedented challenges with regards to growth and local planning that require us to seek professional advice, guidance and to enlist additional resources, Mr. Towhey has the experience and expertise to provide that,” read a statement released by Thompson’s office this week.

Beside the book he’s writing Towhey has become a staple on Newstalk 1010 radio. He hosts a Sunday afternoon pop-culture and current affairs show.

Amazon.ca has the following description of Towhey’s upcoming book: “In Mayor Rob Ford: Uncontrollable, Towhey gives an insider account of working with Ford, covering for him, managing a man who people see as a joke, who trips over himself in videos; who throws candy at children instead of handing it to them; who rants and raves, and gets belligerent in meetings and at private events.”

According to the website, the book will be available October 6, 2015.

The Caledon staff report that led to Towhey’s hiring states that, “debates at the Region of Peel have led to confusion and misinformation on the land use planning process in Peel” and “for clear communications on these matters, a public policy consultant would be extremely helpful.”