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Rob Ford is not the first mayor of Toronto to receive death threats on the job. Mel Lastman, Toronto’s mayor from 1997 through 2003 and himself no stranger to controversy, revealed Wednesday that as mayor he received several.

“This happens. This part of the job,” said Mr. Lastman, 78, from his Toronto home. “The first time [I received a death threat] was the night after I was elected.”

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Police have arrested two men for death threats against Mr. Ford: one last month, from a man who called the city’s information line; the second this week by a man who used Facebook and Twitter to threaten Mr. Ford. There is no record of arrests in the threats against Mr. Lastman.“There are some nuts who called in,” Mr. Lastman recalled, adding that police took the threats seriously and tightened his security.

“I had the police phone me. They wanted to know where I’d be, when I’d be there. I had them driving me places. They were following me, with me, and met me when I arrived at places. Particularly with cops with me, I never felt scared. I knew they were on top of it and I’m glad.”