Toronto Mayor Rob Ford should totally be allowed to sleep at work

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is walking a thin line this week as he launches a personal attack against an unnamed city worker photographed apparently sleeping at his or her desk.

After all, when news of the incident broke on Wednesday, it took the Internet approximately 37 seconds to find a photograph of Ford seemingly sleeping during a meeting.

The image, apparently from a day-long meeting in 2011, is a totally different situation, of course. Not because Ford says he wasn't sleeping (“Oh buddy, that’s not how I sleep,” he told the Toronto Sun). But because he is the mayor, and there are plenty of reasons why Ford would be allowed to sleep at work while a staff member is not.

Ford called for the person's firing after Coun. Giorgio Mammoliti snapped the photograph at a community centre earlier this week and, instead of knocking on the door and instead of asking “dude, are you really sleeping,” ran directly to City Hall so he and Ford could jump up and down and shout about what a terrible example this low-level parks and rec lackey was setting for the city.

For readers who may not be familiar, Mammoliti is a Toronto councillor who, in 2009, was photographed leaving a strip club in the middle of a workday. So he knows almost better than anyone the value of context.

[ Related: Ford's calls to fire employee in rec-centre photo 'way too hasty' ]

Ford has also had some history with being captured on media in precarious circumstances, not the least of which was that alleged video that two Toronto Star reporters and a Gawker editor claim shows him smoking from a crack pipe. Ford's lawyer told the Star when the controversy first broke that there was no way to prove what was being smoked by a video.

Ford is now claiming there is no way to prove he was sleeping in the archived photo recently stirred up. But why bother denying it? There are plenty of reasons why Ford should be able to sleep at work.

For one, if he is sleeping at work then at least we know he is at work. Many have questioned Ford's continually shrinking schedule, unexplained absences and history of prioritizing coaching football over council responsibilities. Whenever Ford is in the building, it's a bonus. And as long as his body is present his brother, Coun. Doug Ford, can pull a "Weekend at Bernie's" and the important work can continue.

For another, Ford is exceptionally busy. Between his history of coaching football, currently on hiatus, and appearances at late-night events such as street festivals, when do we expect him to sleep? His commute is spent driving to work and reading documents, and at home he is terrorized by CBC comedians dresses as warrior princesses. You try to sleep under those conditions.

[ More Brew: Toronto Zoo elephants make 50-hour drive to California ]

Lastly, remember that Ford's staff often uses "constituent meetings" as an excuse for Ford's late arrivals at work and sudden disappearances. Ford also frequently cites speaking to unnamed, unidentified Toronto residents who support whatever whim he is following at the time. I'm not saying this is the case, but isn't it at least possible that those "constituents" are actually characters from the vivid dreams he has while napping at work? If he doesn't take naps, who is going to tell him what Toronto needs?

So, should Ford be free to nap at work? I’d go so far as to say that he should nap at work. And should the staffer be fired, despite a lack of evidence that he was actually asleep at his desk? Constituents have told Ford that is the case, so who are we to argue?

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