TORONTO

Councillor Paul Ainslie stuck to his claim he asked Mayor Rob Ford's staff to remove him from an event last month but he won't say why.

Ainslie's account of the Feb. 23 Garrison Ball contradicts Ford's version that he was never asked to leave. The incident came to light in a Toronto Star story published Tuesday that alleged Ford was booted from the event over fears he was intoxicated and has been battling a drinking problem.

Ford didn't speak to reporters Wednesday - a day after calling the story an "outright lie".

After dodging media for almost two days, Ainslie came out to stand by his story.

"I asked the mayor to leave," he said before a Toronto Public Library board meeting at the Toronto Reference Library.

"I'm not getting into a he said, she said fight, I'm standing by my comments.

"I personally asked the mayor's chief of staff that the mayor should leave the Garrison Ball."

Ford's chief of staff Mark Towhey told theGlobe and Mail Ainslie didn't ask him to ask the mayor to leave.

"I have a table of people that were behind me when I asked him to ask the mayor to leave the ball," Ainslie said, before refusing to name anyone who was sitting at the table.

"I'm not dragging other people into this," Ainslie said.

The Scarborough councillor refused to say how the mayor seemed that night, why he asked him to leave or whether he believed Ford was intoxicated.

"I have no comment," he said several times.

The councillor said he had a "private conversation" with Ford before speaking with Towhey.

Ainslie added he himself was drinking at the event but wasn't intoxicated, insisting "that would be irresponsible of me."

Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday said he'd like to talk to Ainslie to hear his side of the story.

"I don't know what to believe anymore," Holyday said.

Asked if Ainslie was still a member of Ford's inner circle, Holyday said "he hadn't heard any different."

But Holyday said maybe Ainslie doesn't want to be part of Ford's executive committee.

"If he wants to go against the mayor the proper thing for him to do would be to step aside because you're either with the group or not with the group," Holyday said.

"There is opportunity to take a separate position on some issues but you certainly can't be personally against the mayor if you're part of his team."

Ainslie said "as far as I know" he was still on the mayor's team.

"Nobody has told me any different," he said. "I talk with the Fords on a regular basis."

He denied he was bitter over not being named Ford's budget chief earlier this year.

"I didn't ask to be budget chair, I didn't lobby to be budget chair … I would have liked to be budget chair if it was offered to me," he said.

Councillor Sarah Doucette repeated Wednesday she's heard concerns from other councillors about the mayor appearing intoxicated at events.

"If he has a problem, I think from his own sake and everyone's sake he should ask for help," Doucette said.

"I'm not doing this to be vindictive. I'm doing this because of my concern for the mayor, he's been under an awful lot of pressure."

Doucette said she hasn't taken the concerns to the mayor.

"He and I don't exactly sit down and have a beer together so, no, I have not taken these concerns to him. Maybe that's the wrong expression at this point, " she said.

Holyday called Doucette's claims "inappropriate."

"I could say I've heard some things about Sarah Doucette from other councillors but I can't name them and if I said some awful things she wouldn't like it printed in the paper but I wouldn't do this, it's not becoming," he said.

Councillor Jaye Robinson said she's never seen Ford "in that state" and has "never seen him drink."

"Councillor Ainslie wanted to be budget chief and he's not now - he wasn't given that appointment. You have to weigh in those things," Robinson said.

Calling the ongoing debate over the mayor's alleged boozing a "sideshow," Robinson said city business "needs to progress in a fruitful way."

"It feels like people are being targeted at City Hall constantly," she said.

Councillor Peter Milczyn said he hasn't "observed" the mayor drinking.

"In all these years I've never seen him drunk at City Hall, I haven't seen him drinking on the job," Milczyn said. "Others have seen it, I haven't seen it … I've heard stories, it is like third, fourth, fifth-hand stories."

Milczyn said last year after council meetings councillors were invited to the mayor's office for drinks.

"There was wine, there was beer. The mayor was drinking water or coke," Milczyn said.

Normally a vocal critic of Ford, Councillor Adam Vaughan wouldn't wade into the drinking issue.

"My focus on the mayor is about whether or not he is a good or bad mayor for the city and he is making decisions that are bad," Vaughan said. "I don't need to know what he is doing on his private time."

"When I call him a part-time mayor it is because he doesn't show up for his officials duties, I have no idea what he does in his private time."

TTC chair Karen Stintz said she didn't want to comment on allegations made against the mayor.

"No one has come to me directly with concerns about the mayor's behaviour," she said.