Mayor Rob Ford was faced with a huge midterm decision: hire a fresh-faced chief of staff and change course, or elevate loyal, hardline conservative aide Mark Towhey and continue losing votes.

On Wednesday, Ford did the expected and signalled that his 2014 re-election bid will be based on what city hall “socialists” prevented him from doing — hence the need for Toronto to return him with an arch-conservative council — rather than an impressive list of accomplishments.

“Mark has been a key leader on my team since the very beginning of my (mayoral election) campaign in 2010,” Ford said in a statement announcing Towhey’s promotion from policy chief to chief of staff. “He is a trusted adviser and well-respected in my office. He knows my objectives better than anyone and will help ensure we achieve them over the next two years.”

Towhey, 48, is a former Canadian Forces infantry captain and crisis management consultant who cuts an amiable figure ambling through the city hall atrium, invariably replying, “Peachy,” when asked how he is doing.

But his reputation among city councillors is that of a hard-nosed conservative ideologue who would rather guide Ford to council defeat on major issues, including budget cuts and transit expansion, than compromise.

One councillor who often votes with Ford urged him to bring in fresh talent from the office of a federal cabinet minister, saying the mayor badly needs the agenda-advancing skills of the Stephen Harper Conservatives.

Ford had options. Sources say a surprising number of people expressed interest in the difficult job. They include John Capobianco, a genial, well-connected Conservative strategist and respected public affairs practitioner.

But Ford, who values loyalty above almost all else, noted that Towhey started the 2010 campaign beside him while Capobianco moved over only after Rocco Rossi dropped out.

Councillor Shelley Carroll, the centre-left former budget chief who considered running against Ford in 2014, calls Towhey’s promotion “problematic.”

She recalled privately urging him last year to persuade Ford not to vote against provincially funded public health nurses, saying it would set up a fight with the McGuinty Liberals.

“He looked straight at me and said: ‘I like to fight.’ That’s just not good for the city. Torontonians are tired of fighting,” Carroll said.

Councillor James Pasternak, a council centrist, said Towhey fought his ultimately successful quest to give Antibes Community Centre “priority” designation, with free programs for kids and seniors, and helped scuttle his efforts to get the city to look at introducing an “affinity” credit card.

“I think, going forward, we have to see political savvy and the art of compromise with a centrist council,” Pasternak said. “If it’s going to be package after package this council can’t support, clearly the administration is not going to get its priorities passed.”

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Ford offered the job to Towhey weeks ago, sources say, but Towhey responded with a list of demands that included concerns about the mayor’s professional and personal conduct. Ford then named another aide, Earl Provost, acting chief of staff while he conducted a search.

Towhey declined an interview request.