Sweating, nervous and far from confident, Mayor-elect Rob Ford yesterday officially unveiled Team Ford, a caucus of councillors heavy on suburban voices and right-wing ideology.

Once approved by Toronto council Dec. 8 — and history suggests the mayor will get the votes on council to endorse his choices — the cast is expected to push Ford’s mandate for budget cuts and, of course, “stop the gravy train.”

Ford’s executive committee and senior political team is notable for its omissions — not a single left-wing, centre-left or known “progressive” has been pulled inside the tent.

Downtown Toronto appears as an outcast, shut out of access to the seat of power. Only two team members — Cesar Palacio as chair of licensing committee and Karen Stintz as TTC chair — represent ridings based in the old city of Toronto boundary, and they are so on the fringe that they don’t sit on the Toronto-East York community council.

And councillors who backed Ford’s opponents for mayor during the election campaign, either Joe Pantalone or George Smitherman, are left outside looking in.

“This is not about left and right,” Ford said when asked why he eschewed council’s left-wingers and failed to reach out to them. “It’s about being hard-working and understand customer service. That’s the bottom line.”

In interviews with the chosen team, the term “customer service” was on everyone’s lips. What exactly that means is anyone’s guess, especially in a world where staff will soon be told to get serious about cutting back 2 to 3 per cent of their budget, despite inflation and higher wages.

In his own words, delivered haltingly and staccato style, Ford said he has “assembled a first-class team” that will bring hard work, accountability and respect for taxpayers back to city hall.

The mayor took only three questions from the media before he was rushed away by his press secretary, Adrienne Batra.

It was Ford’s first city hall news conference since his stunning Oct. 25 election victory. He grabbed 46 per cent of the votes cast and has a strong mandate for change, a mandate he garnered by sweeping the suburban ridings.

Fifteen minutes past the start time, The Ford 15 alighted the city council elevator to stand beside the mayor, who takes office Wednesday.

There were no surprises from the slate revealed in the Star last week, except that Councillor David Shiner is Ford’s mystery choice to fill the executive position that some expected Ford’s brother, Doug, to hold.

Doug posed for pictures with the Ford 15, but couldn’t define his role. I suggested he’d be “herding cats,” essentially keeping the executive on message and on track and happy and content, and he laughed nervously, adding. “I guess so.”

Mayor-elect Ford refused to be more specific, except to say his brother will have “a very, very important role.”

It is believed Ford will move quickly to set the tone of his new administration. He’s said he’ll place a motion to get rid of the vehicle registration tax as early as council’s first business session, Dec. 16, ending the $60 tax, starting Dec. 1.

The office budgets for city councillors and the mayor will also be chopped, ahead of the city’s budget debate in the new year.

Interviews with transition team members since the election revealed that Ford received advice to include a broad representation on his cabinet-style executive committee. Such a move is seen as an olive branch to the natural opposition. By failing to heed that advice, Ford has set up the expectation that he might be prepared to butt heads to effect his mandate.

“Sometimes, when you sit around and sing ‘Kum-ba-yah’ you don’t get anything done,” explained Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong, one of Ford’s lieutenants, now in charge of the massive public works portfolio, including garbage, road construction, water and snow removal.

“He has a mandate and he’s selected people who can achieve that mandate.”

Minnan-Wong is expected to oversee the push towards privatizing of garbage collection.

Under the City of Toronto Act, the mayor has power to name his deputy (Doug Holyday) and the heads of the seven standing committees: Michael Thompson, Peter Milczyn, Norm Kelley, Giorgio Mammoliti, Paul Ainslie, Palacio and Minnan-Wong.

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But by handing out appointments to various committees and boards, the mayor gets the support of a majority of council for his slate of appointments. He’ll need that support to install Mike Del Grande as budget chief, Frances Nunziata as Speaker and John Parker as her deputy; and Karen Stintz as TTC chair.

Council has a direct vote for the four at-large positions on Ford’s executive, but he’s expected to get the votes to confirm Del Grande, Shiner and two rookie councillors: Michelle Berardinetti (Ward 35 Scarborough Southwest) and Jaye Robinson (Don Valley West).

Ford becomes mayor Wednesday. The inaugural is Dec. 7 and council votes on the choices Dec. 8. The first official council meeting is Dec. 16.

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