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link — Comments Off on Public-private Sheppard Subway is a “dumb idea”
16
Mar 11

Public-private Sheppard Subway is a “dumb idea”

Stephen Wickens at the Globe & Mail talked to former TTC GM David Gunn about the news last week that he’d be coming to Toronto to help the transit agency work through the 2012 budget process. Gunn apparently doesn’t think he’ll be consulting after all:

“I think they’re wedded to this Sheppard subway public-private partnership idea,” said Mr. Gunn, who talked with Mr. Ford in January. “I’ll tell them it’s a dumb idea, but they won’t want to hear that.”

via Transit guru David Gunn says his views likely to kibosh TTC invitation – The Globe and Mail.

I’d love to hear the internal discussions surrounding the Sheppard plan right now. Are there actual true believers at City Hall, or is the hope simply that they can save face by killing time setting up committees and commissioning reports?

Reminder: we gave up a fully-funded ready-to-break-ground LRT for this. You could have been riding it in 2014.

link — Comments Off on Trust us: we’re not going to do what we’ve said we’d like to
14
Mar 11

Trust us: we’re not going to do what we’ve said we’d like to

Royson James’ latest column has a neat exchange with Doug Ford toward the end of end of it:

The mayor’s brother, Doug, also took great pains over the weekend to explain that Ootes’ job does not involve selling off public housing.

So, why has the mayor not made an unequivocal announcement to that effect — words that might stop the rumours that the city’s poorest tenants may soon be on the streets?

“You can trust me on that, take my word for it,” Doug Ford said in an interview. “Case is not being brought in to sell off public housing.”

Then why not issue a statement or news release saying the mayor expressly does not want Ootes selling tenants’ homes?

“We may have to do that (this) week,” he said.

via I’m not here to sell off housing: Ootes – thestar.com.

It’d be pretty funny if the mayor’s office actually released a statement assuring tenants that Case Ootes wasn’t going to sell off public housing. That would seem to serve as a strong indication that perhaps tenants weren’t clamouring for this move, and in fact the hundreds in attendance last week actually were a good representation, wouldn’t it?

And, again: maybe the first step toward reassuring people that you’re not going to privatize public housing should be NOT publicly musing about privatizing public housing. But what do I know.

The weird thing is that even I don’t believe Ootes was brought in as part of a Machiavellian scheme to sell off housing. I do believe — and I think this is reasonable — that the Mayor’s Office does have in mind a long-term goal to consolidate control over the TCHC board and eventually implement some degree of privatization. Given the mayor’s comments during his campaign and afterwards, plus the need to achieve significant cuts in the 2012 operating budget, I don’t think I’m being over-the-top.

All the drama that happened last week over Ootes is, I think, emblematic not of an immediate privatize-everything conspiracy but of an administration that is totally unwilling to compromise. Team Ford decided on the outcome before anyone got a chance to debate, and even the most reasonable of compromises were voted down.

link — Comments Off on Family matters at City Council
14
Mar 11

Family matters at City Council

The Toronto Star’s Robyn Doolittle speaks to Councillor Michelle Berardinetti, who in addition to being a total Ford loyalist also happens to married to a Liberal MPP:

By accepting the position on Ford’s executive, Berardinetti says she was agreeing to side with the mayor. So far, it hasn’t been a problem, because Ford has strong support in her ward.

But would that change if the mayor sics “Ford Nation” on her husband’s seat?

“I don’t think he will,” she said.

But if he does?

“I really think that was just Rob being Rob,” said Berardinetti.

via City councilor must choose between Rob Ford or her husband — in politics – thestar.com.

I knew there was a reason municipal politicians tend to stay out of provincial and federal races. It can backfire.

With this upcoming provincial election, though, Ford wouldn’t be able to stay out of it if he wanted to. The Progressive Conservatives are already using him symbolically — cut the gravy! Respect for taxpayers! Blah blah blah –, and the “Respect for Taxpayers Action Group” that Nick Kouvalis is putting together seems to be gaining steam.

If the provincial election pushes Berardinetti away from the mayor and into the ‘mushy middle,’ it becomes a whole lot more difficult for the mayor’s office to wield control.

link — Comments Off on Gunn in the first act
13
Mar 11

Gunn in the first act

Some transit news got buried under the TCHC stuff last week, notably the story that David Gunn, who managed the TTC between 1995 and 1999, was returning to the agency as an unpaid consultant to help work through the transit agency’s 2012 budget process.

Kelly Grant and “City Hall Bureau Chief”:

Although he and TTC chief general manager Gary Webster still have to sort out final details, Mr. Gunn is expected to start the short-term gig the week of March 21 or March 28.

Mr. Gunn won’t be paid. However, the TTC would cover his expenses, including his flights, hotel and meals, TTC spokesman Brad Ross confirmed.

“We’re just preparing ourselves for 2012. Dave brings a lot of credibility. He’s one of the best transit managers in the world,” said Gary Webster, the TTC’s chief general manager.

via Former manager returning to help balance TTC books – The Globe and Mail.

Steve Munro’s post on the subject and the subsequent comment thread is good reading. Gunn was very much focused on maintaining the existing transit system at a ‘state of good repair’ and tended to be critical of expansion plans.

Notably, Munro notes that Gunn refused to attend the opening of the Sheppard Subway. The Urban Transport Fact Book quotes Gunn as saying “You would never have built the Sheppard subway if the decision was based upon transit principles. The only time you build a subway is when the street is clogged with buses.”

Still, though, he seemed to have earned the respect of TTC employees, which is no easy task.

The other big transit story from last week had to do with cellphone use. It all culminated in the Toronto Star publishing a story indicating when exactly operators are allowed to pee. While the story indicated management had made some critical mistakes the undercurrent to the story was that the TTC has gotten serious about cellphone use while driving, which is a good thing.

link — Comments Off on Deputy Mayor: “Seizing control” of library board would be “great”
13
Mar 11

Deputy Mayor: “Seizing control” of library board would be “great”

Let’s not bury the lede on this one. Here’s InsideToronto.com’s David Nickle, writing about proposed changes to the structure of the Library Board:

Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday said he wasn’t aware of any attempt to seize control of the library board away from Toronto Council’s left.

“If we did seize control from the left it’d be great, but I don’t know anything about it,” said Holyday. “But I think we’re going to have some serious choices next year and if there’s a bunch of people not willing to make serious choices, then they should step aside.”

via InsideToronto Article: Council to restructure boards.

Emphasis added.

Lots of buzzing over the weekend about this item, set to hit Executive Committee at the next meeting. Agenda Item EX4.7 is a report from the City Manager that calls for numerous moves that would change the composition of the city’s boards.

Some councillors and city-watchers have seized on this as an attempt by Team Ford to exert greater control over these boards, in response to what I guess would be called “subversive” moves by boards (notably the Library Board, but also Public Health and the Police Services Board, among others) who voted against the mayor’s cut-everything request during the 2011 budget process.

Specifically, the Manager’s report calls for a reduction in the size of the Library and five other boards. It also calls for a change in the way board members are recruited. (Here’s a quick glance at the proposed changes to council representation on these boards.)

I’m willing to give the mayor’s office the benefit of the doubt on this one — I doubt this is part of a coordinated attempt to tighten control of these boards. That feels too sneaky and megalomaniacally evil, even for this bunch.  This report was commissioned by the David Miller council, and it includes a bunch of positive changes, notably a recommendation that boards seek a more “youthful perspective” by recruiting members between eighteen and thirty, and a new restriction on former councillors sitting on specific boards.

That doesn’t mean this report won’t ultimately be taken and twisted as a way to wrangle control of these boards, however, and it’s certainly something that has to be watched closely. Especially in light of Holyday’s comments.

link — Comments Off on Whipped votes: who broke ranks on Wednesday night
11
Mar 11

Whipped votes: who broke ranks on Wednesday night

Jonathan Goldsbie’s blow-by-blow of this week’s council meeting(s) is a hell of a read, and I’m not just saying that because he mentions my name. There’s way too many interesting points to reproduce here, so let’s focus on the really juicy part — a handwritten “recommended voting strategy” that was given to Ford’s allies and detailed how they were to vote on various amendments. None of them were open votes.

Assuming that the group receiving the impromptu cheat sheet included the 23 councillors listed below the mayor on my Council Scorecard, we can get a quick sense of who broke ranks and voted with their conscience:

  • Michelle Berardinetti & Gloria Lindsay Luby voted ‘Yes’ on Shelley Carroll’s motion (3) regarding publicizing expense records, even though it was a whipped ‘No’ vote.
  • Michelle Berardinetti, Chin Lee, Gloria Lindsay Luby, Denzil Minnan-Wong & Jaye Robinson voted ‘Yes’ on Adam Vaughan’s motion (7a) that TCHC disclose any meetings with lobbyists during this interim period. The recommendation was to vote ‘No.’
  • James Pasternak voted ‘Yes’ on Adam Vaughan’s motion (7b) that funds set aside to pay Case Ootes instead go to repairs at TCHC buildings. Again, the recommendation was to vote ‘No.’

Goldsbie’s sheet doesn’t have a recommendation for Maria Augimeri’s Motion 11, which ensures that the TCHC bylaws reverted back to requiring a minimum of two board members once the new board is in place. In that case, 18 of the hardliners – including the mayor and his brother – voted against, while Michelle Berardinetti, Frank Di Giorgio, Chin Lee, Gloria Lindsay Luby and Michael Thompson voted in favour.

I’m not sure if Giorgio Mammoliti, who is apparently responsible for giving ‘hand signal’ voting instructions to councillors on items that aren’t included on the cheat sheet, gave any indication on this one. It was the last motion of the evening.

link — Comments Off on Council’s middle gets organized
11
Mar 11

Council’s middle gets organized

Robyn Doolittle at the Toronto Star obtained a copy of the Team Ford “cheat sheet” (or “recommended voting strategy” if you prefer) handed out on Wednesday morning. She produces only a low-resolution version in her article, but it’s clear that the strategy during this week’s regular meeting was to refer all items to committees to prevent the possibility of a filibuster strategy on the TCHC item.

MM5.1, a motion by Josh Matlow and seconded by Josh Colle regarding council salaries, was a recommended ‘No to waiving referral’ vote which is interesting only in the sense that Josh Colle has seemingly tried to play nice with the mayor’s office. (He ultimately voted in favour of dissolving the TCHC board on Wednesday night.)

Doolittle also indicates that some of the fence-sitting councillors are looking at forming their own voting bloc:

So far, this [middle] group has swung right, but that may be changing. These middle-of-the-road councillors have been organizing their own bloc, “the mighty middle,” in hopes of ending the voting pattern.

Right now Ford holds a majority. There are 15 on the hard left and 22 on the hard right. The mayor’s vote tips the scales. If the “mighty middle” comes together and even one of those Ford supporters drifts centre the bloc would be broken.

“Some of us are talking. Let’s just say we’re going to be more organized going forward,” said Councillor Josh Colle (Eglinton Lawrence).

via Ford hands out cheat sheet to his team – thestar.com.

Doolittle pegs the number of ‘middle’ councillors at seven, which I guess would be Colle, Matlow, Mary-Margaret McMahon, Ron Moeser, Ana Bailão, Chin Lee and Raymond Cho. I’d argue that Raymond Cho is pretty firmly on the opposition at this point.

Cho, Bailão & Matlow voted against the mayor on Wednesday night. Moeser was absent. The rest voted for.

link — Comments Off on Smile and vote with the mayor
10
Mar 11

Smile and vote with the mayor

cityslikr at All Fired Up In the Big Smoke makes an interesting observation:

At last night’s meeting, every one of the councillors who ultimately voted against giving the mayor the power to deep six the last remaining members of the TCHC board rose to speak, question or give a motion or amendment. To make a public pronouncement about why they were going to vote the way they did. They weren’t all barnburners or crowd pleasers. But they stood up and let those attending the meeting, the press, their constituents back home, all know their opinion on what was happening.

via Cat Got Your Tongue? « All Fired Up In The Big Smoke.

It’s a good point. I find the councillors who never speak in support of their votes to be incredibly disappointing.

Related to this, here’s a fun picture of one of those incredibly disappointing councillors, Jaye Robinson, checking out my Council Scorecard at last night’s session.

link — Comments Off on The taxpayer isn’t here
10
Mar 11

The taxpayer isn’t here

David Rider:

Doug Ford thanked the tenants for attending but said their views were unrepresentative.

“Folks, I’m telling you, there’s no one that cares more about the folks at TCHC than Rob does,” he said. “Out of the 164,000 tenants that are in TCHC housing, I see maybe four or five hundred, which — I appreciate you all coming down, but there’s 163,500 that’s saying, ‘Move forward. Let’s have a clean slate.’”

via Council ousts TCHC board, appoints Ootes as temporary leader – thestar.com.

This part of last night’s meeting was illustrative of the weird semantics used by the Fords and their allies. They can talk at length about respecting the taxpayer, but the ‘taxpayer’ they care most about is seemingly never represented by an actual person.

People who come to meetings, who give deputations, who write about city issues — basically anyone who pays attention — don’t count. Because, we’re told, the real taxpayers, who we hear about but never see, are out there. And they agree with the Fords. They called the mayor and told him so.

That’s the story, anyway.

 

link — Comments Off on All that jazz hands
10
Mar 11

All that jazz hands

At Toronto Life’s blog, John Michael McGrath has the best explanation of “Jazz Hands,” which will probably be a common sight at the next bunch of city council meetings:

This council meeting was probably the most uproariously crazy we’ve seen in a while. (And remember, council meetings already featured a prop toilet this year.) We got an early taste of who the crowd favoured when Adam Vaughan and Gord Perks walked in to cheers and applause. Clearly, Ford Nation was either not in attendance or they were caught in traffic behind a streetcar. After a few more rounds of cheering for the left and booing the right, Nunziata threatened to have the crowds ejected from council. As a compromise, Paula Fletcher suggested that people wave their hands in the air as a silent alternative—what The Globe and Mail’s Kelly Grant dubbed “jazz hands”—and, amazingly, it stuck. With only a few exceptions, for the rest of the night the benches used jazz hands instead of applause, and two-handed thumbs downs instead of booing.

via Council votes to fire TCHC board, but not before hours of hilarity, weirdness, jazz hands and unwitting racism | City Sindex | torontolife.com.

Good photo too.

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