Can Rob Ford fix his reputation and remain mayor of Toronto?

Thomas Bink: I don't think there's any way Ford can keep his job. It's true, we haven't seen the video and there aren't any charges against him, but come on, enough is enough. Regardless of whether Ford has done anything criminal, these ongoing allegations are a massive distraction from important city business. Ford should step aside until he manages to clear his name and the dust settles. If he's innocent, great, we all owe him an apology and he can become mayor again in the 2014 election.

Andy Radia: I'll admit that this is a bad day for Rob Ford and Ford Nation. Chief Bill Blair's press conference where he explicitly linked the mayor with an individual charged with serious drug offences is invariably damaging to his career as a politician. But let's just take a step back and relax a little. The investigation is still ongoing, Ford has not been charged with anything and the matter has absolutely nothing to do with his job as mayor. In fact, he's doing a great job as mayor — the city's financial position is much better than it was when he took office in 2010. I also find it a little hypocritical that some of the same analysts calling for 'due process' in the Wallin, Duffy and Brazeau Senate suspension motion are calling on Ford to resign today. Again — as of today — Ford hasn't been charged with anything, he hasn't had a chance to defend himself in a court of law and there has not been a conviction.

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Matthew Coutts: Sure, Ford has not yet been charged with anything, but it takes more than that to govern. It takes a moral authority that Ford absolutely does not have anymore. Five months ago we were presented with the possibility of a video showing Ford smoking from a crack pipe and everything the mayor has said and done since then has been thrown into question. He has smeared names, attacked credibility, made accusations of large conspiratorial attacks on his character. He has undermined everything City Hall stands for. He has to go.

Bink: Yeah Andy, you were pointing at me when you mentioned allowing Wallin, Duffy and Brazeau to have their respective days in court before getting booted out of the Senate. But I think there is a difference between three individuals in a huge, non-elected body and the mayor of Canada's largest city. As Toronto's mayor, Ford is the face of North America's fourth-largest city and a key Canadian economy. Focusing on did-he-or-didn't-he instead of crumbling roads, homelessness and Scarborough subways is a crime. We need the distraction to step aside for a while so we can focus on critical city business.

Radia: Sure, Matt — Ford fought back against the allegations with a ruthless vengeance but I'm not sure that deserves dismissal. Can Rob Ford be a jerk at times? Is he rude? Does he say stupid things that aren't grounded in reality sometimes? Yes, yes and yes. But there's nothing criminal about any of that. And besides, the good people of Toronto knew that before they elected him — he's been the same since 2000 when he was first elected to council! And Tom, you're putting forward the old faulty argument that 'politicians can't do two things at once.' Sure, he's going to have to spend some time defending himself, but I don't see how that has or will affect his performance as a mayor. This may be a distraction for the media, but Ford has been dealing with horrible — and sometimes false — accusations since 2010 and he's done just fine.

Coutts: I don’t know, ask anyone at City Hall (Ford’s brother excluded) and they will say that this distraction has had a negative impact on the government’s performance. Just one example, he split with Coun. Paul Ainslie, formerly the chair of Ford’s management committee, largely because the councillor had the temerity to admit he expressed concerns about Ford’s behaviour. But my issue is not that Ford may be mean and spiteful, it is that he is almost certainly a liar. Yes, we still don’t know what Ford is doing or smoking is on the video. But when given a chance to address it, he claimed the video did not exist. Now, the video has come to light. Every report Ford called an unsubstantiated personal attack has been vindicated.

Bink: Yeah, I don't know how Ford will be able to sidestep this one. But he's survived everything so far, so anything is possible.

So, what do you think? Have your say in the comments area below.

Matthew Coutts is a national affairs writer for Yahoo Canada and Andy Radia is Yahoo Canada's politics expert. Thomas Bink is the Managing Editor for Yahoo Canada News.