Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair took a welcome but overdue step last week when he asked Ontario Provincial Police to take over a supervisory role on the investigation of Mayor Rob Ford.

He should have done it sooner.

The fact the chief has been in a war of words with Ford and his brother, Coun. Doug Ford, naturally raises public concerns about whether the investigation into the mayor was proceeding impartially.

This investigation must not only be carried out without fear or favour to the mayor or the chief, it must be seen to be carried out in that manner.

With OPP Commissioner Chris Lewis appointing Det-Insp. Chris Nicholas — who led the investigation which successfully convicted serial killer Russell Williams — to oversee the Toronto police investigation of Ford, that concern has been addressed.

Regarding the Fords’ allegation Blair is out to get the mayor for political reasons, there is an ongoing investigation by the Office of the Independent Police Review Director and we’ll leave it to that body to decide if the claim has merit.

Ditto for the OPP, Toronto police and the Crown deciding whether there should be any charges laid against Mayor Ford resulting from its investigation of him and Sandro Lisi.

Regardless of whether Ford is charged with any crimes — and if he is he will be entitled to the presumption of innocence — the police investigation is not the determining factor when it comes to whether Torontonians should re-elect Ford Oct. 27.

Citizens have a right to expect a higher standard of conduct from their mayor than that he is not charged or convicted of crimes.

They have a right to expect their mayor will not consort with criminals and thugs.

By his own admission, Ford smoked crack cocaine while in a “drunken stupor” as mayor, then lied about it for six months.

By his own admission, while serving as Toronto’s chief magistrate, he purchased illegal drugs.

By his own admission, he has been inebriated in public and acknowledged he probably drove after drinking.

Despite promises to the citizens of Toronto to clean up his act, Ford has not done so.

He told reporters he was no longer drinking because he had a “come to Jesus moment”, then admitted to drinking after the Steak Queen video surfaced showing him ranting in Jamaican patois.

He continues to blame others for problems his own actions have caused.

The reality is the citizens of Toronto can no longer trust the mayor of Toronto on virtually anything he says, and his own actions have left him with so few allies on city council, he is politically impotent in any event.

No matter how admirable the mayor’s early and largely successful attempts to impose needed fiscal discipline on City Hall, Ford no longer deserves to be mayor.

No matter what the police investigation concludes.