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“Shame on you, shame on you. Get out of this chamber. Get out of this chamber,” Mr. Perks yelled at Mr. Mammoliti, centimetres from his nose, before rolling television cameras. “You’re a bully. You’re a bully. You’re trying to destroy the public service in this city.”

Councillor Mammoliti repeatedly told Mr. Perks not to touch him. “I will defend myself if you keep touching me,” Mr. Mammoliti warned.

“I’m not touching you, Giorgio. Leave the chamber. You said you were leaving the chamber, you haven’t got the courage to stand up and debate this, leave,” continued Mr. Perks.

“Please get away from my space. I’m asking you nicely,” Mr. Mammoliti countered. “I think you are bullying me now.”

The standoff, which happened the same morning retiring Chief Financial Officer Cam Weldon urged the fractious term of council to be nicer to one another, continued for nearly a minute,

before Mr. Perks stormed off.

Mr. Mammoliti later accepted his colleague’s apology but suggested he seek help for “anger management issues.”

He maintains that he has the right to question any report that is before the council. This one from ombudsman Fiona Crean says the mayor’s office interfered in the selection process for city agencies, boards and commissions which prevented staff from properly screening applicants, an assertion Rob Ford has denied. “It seems to be driven towards the mayor of the City of Toronto and I’m not sure that the mandate has the ombudsman to include the political end of any report,” says Mr. Mammoliti, who claimed that some of Ms. Crean’s findings are based on hearsay.