Confused Rob Ford voted against honoring Olympians, Nelson Mandela

Aaron Vincent Elkaim/Getty Images

Confused Rob Ford voted against honoring Olympians, Nelson Mandela
(Image credit: Aaron Vincent Elkaim/Getty Images)

It feels like gaffe-riddled Mayor Rob Ford is still getting the hang of this "being in a position of leadership" thing. The notorious Toronto mayor claims to have accidentally voted against a motion to honor Canadian Olympic athletes and rename a street after the late Nelson Mandela. Audible gasps were heard at the city council meeting when Ford was the only person to vote against the measures.

The mayor's chief of staff approached Ford about his mistake a half hour later, and claims Ford didn't immediately realize his goof. "I guess I pushed the wrong button. Of course I support Nelson Mandela," Ford said, adding that he was stretching his back when he voted. Since city council members had left the chambers once he realized his screw-up, it's not clear if Ford can change his vote.

Ford's colleagues weren't pleased with his latest gaffe. "Rob was pretty stupid to vote against this motion in the first place and should have read the motion," suggested Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong.

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Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.