MAYOR ROB FORD: BEHIND THE SCENES

In Mayor Rob Ford: Behind the Scenes, Towhey reveals what it’s like to manage a man people see as a joke, one who trips over himself, who throws candy at children instead of handing it to them—a man millions of people make fun of.

Through it all, Ford’s former chief of staff, Mark Towhey, stood by his side. Towhey had helped Ford get elected and become one of his closest advisors. He responded to media questions regarding Ford’s addictions, his anger management problems, and, of course, the video of Ford smoking crack. In May 2013, Towhey had a confidential conversation with Ford. It was after the video was made public and followed rumors of Ford’s involvement in the murder of Anthony Smith, who stands beside Ford in the video. The public only knows two words from that conversation; Towhey told Ford to “get help.” They also know what happened next. Towhey was fired. Perhaps what’s most amazing is that Towhey bears no ill will toward the mayor. This is not the account of a man eager to get revenge. It’s simply an up-close look at the mayor—and what goes on behind the scenes. Mark Towhey joined Rob Ford’s mayoral campaign in 2010 and, after Ford’s election, served as his chief of staff from August 2012 to May 2013. Johanna Schneller is a Canadian journalist who writes for pub- lications such as the Globe and Mail, Vanity Fair, GQ, InStyle, and Toronto Life. The Toronto Film Critics Association named her “one of North America’s leading freelance journalists.”