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“It’s the third biggest city in North America,” says Mr. Saras, “and one of the most important cities in the world. The first citizen of this city has to have his dignity and his integrity.”

Mr. Saras has seen a lot in almost half a century in journalism. Since Pierre Trudeau, Mr. Saras has interviewed every prime minister. Photos of Mr. Saras with Peter Manning, Peter Mansbridge, Jean Chrétien, Paul Martin and Mike Harris adorn the walls of his office at city hall.

In his suit and tie, Mr. Saras is a dignified elder statesman amid the denizens of the city hall press gallery. He has never, for example, joined the hordes who fight for position outside the mayor’s office, for a glimps or a quote.

“It reminds me of the Mau Maus attacking their victims,” he says, half-jokingly.

I initially spoke with Mr. Saras about his Monday night meeting with Mr. Ford on Tueday morning, before the videos of Mr. Ford at Steak Queen in Rexdale came to light. At that time, Mr. Saras was inclined to give the mayor the benefit of the doubt. He compared Mr. Ford’s travails to those of François Hollande, the French president, hounded by the media for having an affair.

That is discrediting the office of the mayor. This is very, very bad. You are creating an even worse example for the citizens

By Wednesday, having seen the Ford video in which he slags Police Chief Bill Blair, Mr. Saras was less chivalrous. Now he compares Mr. Ford to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s prime minister, who recently purged the top echelon of Turkish police.

“I cannot imagine that the chief politician is attacking the chief of police,” Mr. Saras says. “That is discrediting the office of the mayor. This is very, very bad. You are creating an even worse example for the citizens.”

The mayor’s attempt at Jamaican patois also does not sit well with Mr. Saras. “It’s a matter of self-respect,” he says.

Mayor Ford won election in 2010 with support from the multi-ethnic suburbs of Scarborough, North York and Etobicoke. He needs those votes even more in 2014. For Mr. Ford to upset bike-riding downtowners like me poses no danger to his re-election bid. But when the mayor raises the eyebrows of Thomas Saras, he may be in real trouble.

National Post