Article content continued

“This weekend, I had an accident and thankfully no one was just injured. I am grateful I have received this timely wakeup call and look forward to starting my journey to permanent sobriety. I’m very sorry to all those that I let down. I ask for all of your help and advice in dealing with this difficult addiction.”

OPP responded around 2:20 a.m. Sunday after a car crashed in front of a house in the 6700 block of Holden Road. Police said a grey Lexus was headed south on Holden when it went off the road and struck a concrete culvert. The driver wasn’t hurt. But police said officers arrested him at the scene when he showed signs of being drunk.

When the Star contacted Kouvalis Monday on his cellphone to ask about the charges, he would only say: “Can’t talk about that.” But he sent his statement a short time later, explaining he hadn’t been free to talk earlier.

Kouvalis was Rob Ford’s campaign manager in 2010 and appointed as his chief of staff after the election win. Kouvalis was also the pollster and chief strategist for Toronto Mayor John Tory in 2014. Last November, he ranked No. 17 on Toronto Life magazine’s list of Toronto’s 50 most influential people, beating out singer The Weeknd at 18 and Leafs president Brendan Shanahan at 19.

Kouvalis also made headlines in Windsor when he was accused of threatening to kill former MP Jeff Watson. Some campaign workers said they heard Kouvalis say: “If I could … kill Jeff Watson with my bare hands and get away with it, I would.”