Whoaccio
Senior Member
What? Suburbanites hate light rail. I'm still not sure how the city plans to sell the 'burbs on the idea of giving up two lanes of traffic and a whole bunch of turning restrictions for something most of them will never use.
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Next Mayor of Toronto?
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What? Suburbanites hate light rail. I'm still not sure how the city plans to sell the 'burbs on the idea of giving up two lanes of traffic and a whole bunch of turning restrictions for something most of them will never use.
allabootmatt
Senior Member
That one has been doing the rounds for a while now. I will believe it when I see it. At this point, I am sceptical that he would run--and if he did, I doubt it would go anywhere.
To take on Miller at this point--who for all his flaws has presided over a lot of positive change, and aside from some rabid haters seems to be reasonably popular--you need someone with major public profile. Otherwise it's like sending Stephen LeDrew.
Rocco Rossi is charismatic and well-connected, but he just doesn't have name recognition. Remember that as a rule people pay very little attention to municipal politics, and among low-information voters the devil you know will usually win.
The only possible centrist challenger I think might have a chance would be someone on the order of George Smitherman, although if he were running I suspect we would know by now.
For better or worse, my bet is Miller will be mayor for a long time yet. He has a solid electoral formula of piling up votes in the inner city and in outer-ring ethnic communities that I doubt anyone else can match.
Of course, Bob Rae is my personal pipe dream.
Moonmoth
Active Member
Minnan-Wong is nothing but a small-thinking, conservative little man of forgettable significance. David Miller certainly doesn't fear Minnan-Wong, that's like a lion fearing a mouse. Minnan-Wong may be empowered by the people who oppose Miller to a small degree, but he is not mayoral material by any stretch of the imagination.
christiesplits
Senior Member
I agree that light rail isn't as romantic as subways, but its certainly an acknowledgment of congestion up north, especially from a mayor who critics accuse of governing only below St. Clair. Plus, a commuter from Royal York & Eglinton or Markham & Sheppard will surely appreciate a modern, quicker commute than a stuffed air conditioned-less Orion bus.
If only Miller could focus some attention on the redevelopment of Downsview Park. He could sell that as the waterfront of the burbs - turning underused land into parkland, housing developments and retail.
Patrick Smyth
New Member
Do you know how little effort the above named put into their $100,000 jobs? This Council is a farce and we're all just whistling as the city goers down the tubes for want of some hard-working Councillors. Sintz can't even manage her own Ward never mind a city. The taxpayers of Toronto paid for improvements to her public speaking abilities but what do they get for that? M-W doesn't pay much attention when he is at hios desk and Ford is never there. It's a terrible shame on us who tolerate this awful value for money.
T.O.Fanatic
Active Member
Hmmmm, I agree with all of this, but there is the problem of selling this to the suburbanites. (Like someone else said) My parents live in Scarborough, and pretty much live in their cars. You should hear my dad complain about lost lanes of traffic!
H
Hydrogen
Guest
That's why I said there was nothing striking about Stintz. Ford and Minan-Wong have long records acting like complete twits. Stintz doesn't have anything that quite compares (and that is not a compliment).
Patrick Smyth
New Member
This is just a deplorable situation. How many of these Councillors are not working? I believe Shiner spent a goodly amount of time trying to be an MPP and if you have you ever seen Feldman "in action" you'd surely wonder why he, of all the people we are paying for at City Hall, needs to head off into the sun at all.
I have attended a number of Council, Community Council and Committee meetings over the past 15 years and the work ethic of some of these Councillors is atrocious. We're pissing away our tax money on some of these people. Are we getting closer to putting the spotlight on this?
CITY HALL: LICENSING AND STANDARDS COMMITTEE
Councillor's boycott halts progress on bar safety
JENNIFER LEWINGTON
CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF
January 10, 2009
The rare failure of a Toronto council committee to meet and do its work yesterday was tied, in part, to sour relations between some members of council and the mayor.
In a protest aimed at Mayor David Miller, Councillor David Shiner (Ward 24, Willowdale) boycotted the licensing and standards committee, whose six members, including Mr. Shiner, were approved by council last month.
With two others already out of town, the committee failed to muster four members required for quorum. As a result, committee business, which included calls for new measures to improve bar safety, was put off until next month.
Mr. Shiner, who says he has not decided whether he will continue his boycott, says his no-show is not sour grapes over being bounced from the board of Toronto Hydro.
"An important message has to be sent," said Mr. Shiner, a frequent critic of the mayor.
"Members of council who don't blindly support the mayor are not given opportunities to speak at committees very often and to participate in the important discussions," he said, citing fewer openings now to comment on the budget.
"In 17 years, I have not seen the division that is being created on council, with those that support the mayor being given their committee picks and rewarded with committee choices and those that don't ... support the mayor, they try and relegate off," he said.
Not so, says deputy mayor Joe Pantalone, chairman of the committee that hands out assignments.
"It's impossible to make everyone happy," said Mr. Pantalone (Ward 19, Trinity-Spadina), noting that some of the mayor's most vocal critics received their top picks.
Councillor and former deputy mayor Michael Feldman (Ward 10, York Centre), another absentee from licensing and standards, grudgingly plans to attend despite having no wish to serve on a committee often caught up in bitter disputes over taxi issues.
Mr. Feldman, dropped from his preferred committee of economic development, is in Palm Springs, Calif., for a film festival (and says he has lured a small movie shoot to Toronto).
"I can understand the frustration of people over not getting where they should be because of their strengths," said Mr. Feldman, who wriggled out of serving on the community development and recreation committee by swapping with Councillor Paul Ainslie (Ward 41, Scarborough East), who was initially put on licensing and standards.
I have attended a number of Council, Community Council and Committee meetings over the past 15 years and the work ethic of some of these Councillors is atrocious. We're pissing away our tax money on some of these people. Are we getting closer to putting the spotlight on this?
CITY HALL: LICENSING AND STANDARDS COMMITTEE
Councillor's boycott halts progress on bar safety
JENNIFER LEWINGTON
CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF
January 10, 2009
The rare failure of a Toronto council committee to meet and do its work yesterday was tied, in part, to sour relations between some members of council and the mayor.
In a protest aimed at Mayor David Miller, Councillor David Shiner (Ward 24, Willowdale) boycotted the licensing and standards committee, whose six members, including Mr. Shiner, were approved by council last month.
With two others already out of town, the committee failed to muster four members required for quorum. As a result, committee business, which included calls for new measures to improve bar safety, was put off until next month.
Mr. Shiner, who says he has not decided whether he will continue his boycott, says his no-show is not sour grapes over being bounced from the board of Toronto Hydro.
"An important message has to be sent," said Mr. Shiner, a frequent critic of the mayor.
"Members of council who don't blindly support the mayor are not given opportunities to speak at committees very often and to participate in the important discussions," he said, citing fewer openings now to comment on the budget.
"In 17 years, I have not seen the division that is being created on council, with those that support the mayor being given their committee picks and rewarded with committee choices and those that don't ... support the mayor, they try and relegate off," he said.
Not so, says deputy mayor Joe Pantalone, chairman of the committee that hands out assignments.
"It's impossible to make everyone happy," said Mr. Pantalone (Ward 19, Trinity-Spadina), noting that some of the mayor's most vocal critics received their top picks.
Councillor and former deputy mayor Michael Feldman (Ward 10, York Centre), another absentee from licensing and standards, grudgingly plans to attend despite having no wish to serve on a committee often caught up in bitter disputes over taxi issues.
Mr. Feldman, dropped from his preferred committee of economic development, is in Palm Springs, Calif., for a film festival (and says he has lured a small movie shoot to Toronto).
"I can understand the frustration of people over not getting where they should be because of their strengths," said Mr. Feldman, who wriggled out of serving on the community development and recreation committee by swapping with Councillor Paul Ainslie (Ward 41, Scarborough East), who was initially put on licensing and standards.
T.O.Fanatic
Active Member
Does anyone else see that the same councillors (with a few exceptions) keep getting reelected? Also notice that the same Toronto MP's and MPP's also win repeatedly. WHAT IS WRONG WITH US! I live in Joe Volpe's federal riding, the man is sleazy and corrupt, yet continues to win!
Patrick Smyth
New Member
If you've had a career, or worked hard at any endeavor, you can spot who's working and who is not. That's my beef. There is not a strong enough work ethic among a whole lot of the current Councillors. What kind of example is that? City Hall needs leaders at all levels but if the guys at the top are goofing-off who's really all that worried about losing their job. In the area of planning and development I've seen so much waste but when Councillors use planning staff as political tools too many turn a blind eye.
lordmandeep
Banned
what!!!
there are a ton of conservatives/reforms out West and a ton of Bloc member in Quebec who have been around for ages and keep getting reelected.
Talk about false outrage...
Patrick Smyth
New Member
It's a farce.
How would you rate the performance of the three entities, the Conservatives/Reform in the West, the BQ in Quebec and the Toronto City Council? Which constituencies are getting the greatest value for money? I'd say Toronto citizens are getting the worst deal of the three. It's a farce.
How would you rate the performance of the three entities, the Conservatives/Reform in the West, the BQ in Quebec and the Toronto City Council? Which constituencies are getting the greatest value for money? I'd say Toronto citizens are getting the worst deal of the three. It's a farce.
jaycola
Active Member
I nominate Moses Znaimer for next Mayor.
He is an Icon of Toronto culture. He is a hugely successful businessman. He built a media powerhouse that changed TV broadcast in Canada. He is a champion of multiculturalism and diversity.
A bit of Bio from the web.
He was educated in Montreal, attending McGill University, earning a BA in philosophy and politics (and serving as president of the McGill Debating Union), and later attended Harvard University, earning his MA in government in the mid-1960s.
Znaimer’s multiple honours include The Urban Alliance on Race Relations Diversity Award, The Human Rights Centre Gold Medal and the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews Human Relations Award; the Queen Elizabeth Golden Jubilee Medal; the Republic of France’s Chevalier de L’ordre des Arts et des Lettres; and the Jane Jacobs Lifetime Achievement Award for his visionary and impactful contribution to the public realm.
He has the public profile, a liberal attitude with the business acumen. He has proven himself as a man of vision and action.
My number one choice.
He is an Icon of Toronto culture. He is a hugely successful businessman. He built a media powerhouse that changed TV broadcast in Canada. He is a champion of multiculturalism and diversity.
A bit of Bio from the web.
He was educated in Montreal, attending McGill University, earning a BA in philosophy and politics (and serving as president of the McGill Debating Union), and later attended Harvard University, earning his MA in government in the mid-1960s.
Znaimer’s multiple honours include The Urban Alliance on Race Relations Diversity Award, The Human Rights Centre Gold Medal and the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews Human Relations Award; the Queen Elizabeth Golden Jubilee Medal; the Republic of France’s Chevalier de L’ordre des Arts et des Lettres; and the Jane Jacobs Lifetime Achievement Award for his visionary and impactful contribution to the public realm.
He has the public profile, a liberal attitude with the business acumen. He has proven himself as a man of vision and action.
My number one choice.
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christiesplits
Senior Member
News regarding potential mayoral candidate Karen Stintz.
Anyone else suspect that if this were say Councillor Giambrone or Mihevic they would have been tarred and feathered with the ol "pinko commie, chairman Miller supporting lefty taxdollar wasting latte sipping grad degree socialist seal" label?
Anyone else suspect that if this were say Councillor Giambrone or Mihevic they would have been tarred and feathered with the ol "pinko commie, chairman Miller supporting lefty taxdollar wasting latte sipping grad degree socialist seal" label?
Urban Shocker
Doyenne
It worked for the evil Margaret Thatcher - reduction in pitch slows speed and adds the impression of gravitas.