WASHINGTON—A Washington think-tank held a symposium Friday on a topic that has fascinated people in Canada, and beyond: How is Rob Ford the mayor of Toronto?

In an attempt to explore the factors that led to his election, and enduring core of support, Washington’s Wilson Center held a discussion titled “The Rob Ford Phenomenon: What’s going on in Toronto?”

The conversation was led by Toronto public policy administrator Anne Golden — who didn’t exactly sing Ford’s praises, but did offer her take on the reasons people voted for him and why many continue to support him despite a tsunami of scandals.

Golden, former president of the Conference Board of Canada and the United Way of Greater Toronto, is currently a public policy scholar at the Wilson Center.

About two dozen people crowded into a boardroom near the White House, to hear her hour-long presentation and ask questions.

One academic suggested the parallels between Ford and ex-D.C. mayor Marion Barry went beyond being exposed for smoking crack: he suggested they both draw political support from segments of society that fear being ignored by the urban elite.

Friday was the first anniversary of a story by the Toronto Star reporting Ford was seen on a video smoking what appeared to be crack cocaine in a glass pipe. A year of revelations would follow until Ford took a leave of absence on May 1 and checked into a rehabilitation facility.

Golden explained the history of the Toronto mega-city, and said Torontonians were frustrated by a garbage strike, taxes, and the perception of waste at city hall. She said Ford’s promise to, ‘Stop the gravy train,’ appealed to them.

She also said people hold politicians in such low regard these days that they expect almost nothing of them, and will excuse almost any behaviour — so long as it’s not stealing public money.