

Colin Perkel, The Canadian Press





TORONTO -- Publication of an "unparalleled tell-all" book written by a former top aide fired by Mayor Rob Ford as his crack-scandal made headlines last year appears to have been quietly pushed back until next spring.

The book by Mark Towhey had been due out just days before the Oct. 27 municipal election but is now expected May 5, 2015, according to Amazon in the U.S.

Amazon's Canadian website, however, still carries an Oct. 21 publication date but all other promotional materials have been removed.

Neither Towhey nor the publisher, New York-based Skyhorse Publishing, responded immediately to requests for comment or to explain the changed dates.

The initial announcement of the book and its publication date was made just two days before Ford's diagnosis with a rare and aggressive cancer prompted him to opt out of his bid for re-election as mayor and run instead for council.

In signs of the extraordinary rush to get the book on shelves before the vote, the publisher initially gave as many as three titles for the work.

Skyhorse appears to have since decided on "Mayor Rob Ford: Uncontrollable: How I Tried to Help the World's Most Notorious Mayor."

Even so, a cover has yet to be finalized.

The book promises an "insider" account of working in the mayor's office as Ford's official life unravelled, according to the publisher's blurb.

Towhey has mostly stayed quiet about his life as chief of staff to Ford and the events that led to his abrupt dismissal last year as the crack-cocaine scandal exploded and after he apparently told his boss to "get help." He maintained he had to show discretion given the role he had played.

He also refused to discuss the initial pre-election timing of the work that raised questions about the extent of that discretion.

The litany of Ford's highly publicized woes made him a household name in much of North America.

He was caught on camera apparently smoking crack cocaine. He was accused of groping a campaign rival. He was fired as a high school football coach. He admitted to using crack in a "drunken stupor." He used profane language on live television and in rants caught on video. Council stripped him of most of his mayoral powers. He ultimately checked in to rehab earlier this year.

The mayor is currently undergoing chemotherapy for his cancer and has largely dropped from view since stepping out of the mayoral race -- although his councillor brother, Doug, has taken his place as a candidate.