I'll be honest, I actually didn't believe the allegations against Toronto Mayor Rob Ford about smoking crack up until the news hit on November 5th. Aren't crack addicts usually a lot thinner? I don't mean that as a joke, it's what I would imagine.
So, now that he's gone on and admitted his use, but remains to do his job as Mayor, fixing the damage to the reputation of Toronto and restoring the trust that the people put in him should be the most crucial next steps.
What he has going for him are the number of people who empathize with his drug problem - denial and hiding the truth from loved ones is usually the first sign of an addiction. They may be a minority, but the support is there. What Ford should do right now is use that to his advantage if his mandate is to continue running the city as their Mayor and to get the people back on his side.
In PR, Crisis Management is not about spinning the truth or turning a negative in to a positive. In Ford's case, there is no way you can turn the fact that he admitted to smoking crack in to something that the audience will see in a different light.
What a Publicist can do is salvage what hasn't been lost or damaged and begin to rebuild the foundation by filling in the cracks and replacing the bolts.
The first step is to be honest with your audience, which Ford has finally done. The next step is to show them what you plan on doing to fix the situation with specific goals and measurable outcomes. For Ford, that would mean admitting to having an addiction, getting help at a clinic or through a medical professional, and assigning the Deputy Mayor to take over during his hiatus. The final outcome would be a genuine apology to the City of Toronto (not using the words "I sincerely, sincerely, sincerely...), a move towards helping other addicts, and implementing actions that remind people about all the good that he has done prior to the allegations.
Showing an act of good faith and sincerity is something that most people can forgive. Ford is not a bad person, he made bad choices. He is a public person in a very public profession with even more public responsibilities which magnifies his situation ten times fold.
In order to receive the support of the people of Toronto, his peers and staff, the next few weeks will be crucial in implementing these steps if Ford wishes to serve the people of Toronto with authenticity and integrity.
This has been my close up, I welcome your thoughts.
