Of the 15 items scheduled to come before city council Wednesday, members of the mayor’s voting bloc were allowed to make up their own minds only twice.

As has been the case with most council meetings since Rob Ford took office, the right-wingers received a “Recommended Voting Strategy” cheat sheet beforehand. These itemized lists include the motion number, a short description of the item, and either a yes, no or open voting option.

“Although there really isn’t an option,” conceded a member of Ford’s executive.

When motions come up that aren’t covered on the instruction sheet, Ford’s team uses hand signals.

These types of pressure tactics aren’t new to City Hall. It happened under David Miller and it’s been happening under Ford since he took office in December. But the difference with the current administration is the brazenness in which it is done and the discipline Ford holds over his coalition.

A copy of Ford’s strategy sheet, which was obtained by the Star, reveals that the mayor is whipping his vote on almost every decision — not just key platform planks. The mayor’s brother Councillor Doug Ford (Etobicoke North) did not respond to a request for comment.

At Wednesday’s council meeting, Ford won two thirds of the votes by margins of either 25 to 18 or 24 to 19. It’s highly unusual for city hall to have such a stark divide on every single item, said Councillor Joe Mihevc (St. Paul’s).

“The Fords talk about running the place like a business but it’s been more like a military. My kids would call them control freaks,” said Mihevc. “The risk is that people get tired of being told what to do. And I can tell you, there are a few who admit they’re having trouble sleeping at night. This isn’t what they were elected to do.”

Municipal politics is traditionally a party-free system, where independent politicians are free to vote their conscience. In practice, right- and left-wing councillors have always voted with ideologically-aligned colleagues.

Numerous members of Ford’s inner circle say the majority of votes since December have been whipped, although it was never more evident than at this week’s meeting, where a core group of 23 councillors sided with the mayor on 11 of 17 votes.

It’s not that control has grown tighter. The split is just more obvious.

Early on, opposition councillors supported the mayor on a number of his popular campaign promises, including repealing the vehicle registration tax and reducing councillor expense budgets. But during this week’s council meeting, new items took centre stage and councillors retreated behind their respective ideological lines.

Somewhere in the mix is the “mushy middle,” made up of about seven councillors who aren’t part of Ford’s executive team, but who also weren’t totally shut out from committee positions. A chunk of this group also receives the Ford cheat sheet, although not all of them fall in line on every issue.

So far, this group has swung right, but that may be changing. These middle-of-the-road councillors have been organizing their own bloc, “the mighty middle,” in hopes of ending the voting pattern.

Right now Ford holds a majority. There are 15 on the hard left and 22 on the hard right. The mayor’s vote tips the scales. If the “mighty middle” comes together and even one of those Ford supporters drifts centre the bloc would be broken.

“Some of us are talking. Let’s just say we’re going to be more organized going forward,” said Councillor Josh Colle (Eglinton Lawrence).

For rookie Councillor Sarah Doucette, who represents Parkdale-High Park, it would be a welcome shift. The current situation has left her “very frustrated” particularly with some of the other new councillors.

“I met with quite a few of the newbies before coming to City Hall and everyone said ‘I want to vote item by item.’ I want to have discussion. It’s not about left or right. Some are still doing it. Some aren’t,” she said.

“I know a lot of councillors show up to council and vote how they’re told to. I know that. But do their constituents I wonder?”

Doucette has found bloc voting especially discouraging on “obvious” issues, such as whether city council should write the federal government to formally oppose millions in cuts to immigration agencies in Toronto.

“It was just a letter. But because (an opposition) councillor moved the motion it was voted down. How could we not support writing a letter to oppose funding cuts to Toronto?” said Doucette, who identifies herself as not officially part of the opposition, but almost always on the other side of an issue from the mayor.

Wednesday’s cheat sheet was designed to stop left-wing political tricks.

Ahead of a controversial vote on whether or not to oust the four remaining Toronto Community Housing Corporation board members — two tenant representatives and two newly appointed councillors — the mayor’s team was bracing themselves for a left-wing filibuster.

To prevent the delay, the right voted to push each agenda item to various committees. Once it was clear the opposition wasn’t going to drag out debate, the Ford team revisited many of the items. Without directions on how to vote, Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti (York West) took charge of the whip by signaling “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” as each motion came forward.

“Let’s put it this way, the mayor likes a good quarterback. I’m the quarterback,” said Mammoliti, adding it’s a position he’s ready to play all season.