Ford was elected councillor of Ward 2 Etobicoke North, a suburb in Toronto’s west end, in 2000, and gained a reputation as a brash populist and cost-cutting crusader.

Ford was so committed to addressing the concerns of his constituents that he made an effort to return every phone call personally, even going so far as to give out his home number.

While his candid talk led to clashes with some of his fellow councillors, Ford gained a following for trying to reduce bureaucratic waste and show “respect for the taxpayers.”

His promise to “stop the gravy train” at city hall became the central mantra of his 2010 mayoral campaign and ultimately lifted him to victory. Ford became mayor of Canada’s biggest city by taking 47 percent of the vote and outpacing his closest competitor by 10 points.

Despite this electoral triumph, Ford’s stint as mayor was contentious almost from the beginning, partly because of his politics and partly because of the increasing distractions of his personal life.

One of Ford’s biggest preoccupations was subways, which led to many council fights over transit expansion, which he insisted could not happen without more subways.

City council under Ford nonetheless introduced a number of significant changes, including the repeal of the dreaded vehicle registration tax, outsourcing garbage collection in the city’s west end and a deal with city workers that averted a strike.

TROUBLED LIFE

While Ford managed to weather some personal distractions, things became more serious in May 2013 after reports emerged of a cellphone video that showed Ford smoking crack cocaine.

The drug story not only made Ford an international celebrity and the object of mockery on late-night talk shows, but also triggered a criminal investigation, which eventually led police to acquire a copy of the video.