John Tory can't seem to shake off Rob Ford during 1st year in office

Toronto Mayor John Tory often says hecame to city hall, in part,to replace the politics of Rob Ford.

But the former mayorhasn't gone away. In fact, theman who is now Ward 2 councillorhasbeen a relentless foe during Tory's first year in office.

"Iwould sayhe is quite harshly critical of me," Tory said of Coun. Ford in a year-end interview with CBC Toronto's city hall reporter Jamie Strashin. "He has called me a liar. That stuff, to me, is over the top," he added.

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"I would have saidmost people elected to the public officewould focus on doing their job and governing ... Ithink about four minutes after the last [election], he declared he was going to run against me."

Ford was forced out of the mayor's race inSeptemberof last year by hiscancer diagnosis. But he would not be forced out of city hall.

Instead, Fordran for his old council seat inEtobicokeand won handily, while his brother Doug stepped into the mayoral election and eventually lost to Tory.

Rob Ford's victory setup an awkward situation at city hall, with a former mayor sitting in the same chamber as his successor, and making no secret of wanting his old job back.

The 61-year-old Tory said he is trying to shrug it all off as no big deal, but the media continues to ask him about Ford.

"I can't say I don't care," he said."I end up having to answer about him because I'm asked about it."

Tory noted one of the things he is most proud of during his first year in office is how he has changed the tonefrom the days when Ford was mayor.

And he saidpeople both inside and outside city hall have noticed.

"They were traumatized by what had gone on here before," the mayor said. "Even if they disagree with me on issues,they see the place being more civilized."

Tory said people thank him every day for "returning respect to city hall" for behaving and speaking in a way that is respectful and reasonable.

After all, the former mayor made international headlines in May of 2013 when news of the so-calledcrack videobroke.

The controversy flared up againwhen former chief of police Bill Blairannounced his own investigators had seen the video of the mayor smoking what appeared to be crack cocaine, afterFord had repeatedly denied it existed.

Thescandal culminated in a raucousmeeting at city hall, in which Ford was stripped of many of his mayoral powers.That was also the meeting where Ford ran across the chamber and bowled over Coun. Pam McConnell.

But there's one particular actin Tory'sfirst year that he says was memorable, partly because it draws another contrast between him and Ford.

"I took huge pride for being at Pride," Tory said,referring to the annual Pride parade, an event Ford always refused to attend when he was mayor, drawing accusations from many in the city that he wasa homophobe.

"I think that meant a lot to the city in a certain way.We were going to try to bring [the city] together," he said.

But Tory said responding to Rob Ford is not what he was elected to do. There are many other councillorsat city hall who get a lot less media attention than the former mayor, Tory said.

At the end of the day, Tory saidhisobjective in the council chamberis clear.

"I've got to get 23 votes," he said.