Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is looking out for the ‘little guy’

Rob Ford doesn't get a lot of love from the media.

Over the past year, Toronto's right-leaning mayor has been much maligned on issues ranging from library closures to his refusal to take part in the city's gay pride parade.

Countless stories were written about his cellphone use while driving and many journalists poked fun at him for calling 9-11 after a crew from CBC's satirical show This Hour Has 22 Minutes ambushed him outside his house for an interview.

The negative media may have taken a toll on Ford's popularity just a year after taking office.

According to a recent poll by Forum Research, Ford is the second-least popular mayor in the country with a 37 percent approval rating.

But maybe this will help his popularity:

According to the Toronto Star, Mayor Ford is a man of the people.

Through an Freedom of Information request, the Star obtained the mayor's itinerary which shows that, between July and October, Ford booked a 'remarkable' 209 one-on-one meetings with residents - about two per day.

By comparison, over the same time period Ford booked 15 meetings with other politicians, eight with corporate executives and organizations, and none with community groups or non-business advocacy groups.

As a city councillor, the Star reports, Ford earned a reputation as a "tenacious advocate for residents whose problems city employees had failed to solve."

His advocacy for the 'little guy,' however, is not typical of a big city mayor.

Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday said he isn't sure whether Ford is using his time effectively.

"I just don't know," Holyday told the Star.

"If he's really able to help people, and getting results — and I'm sure that he must be, or he wouldn't continue doing it — then I guess it's an admirable thing to do. Certainly he's attempting to help people."