Ridiculous comments and claims made by City Councillors

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From CBC:

Mammoliti told CBC Toronto he was forced to take the room at the Chateau Laurier because he only decided to attend the convention at the last minute. By then, he said, other hotels near the convention site were full. "The only one available was the Fairmont, okay? It was last minute, remember that. So that was beyond my control," he said.

Mammoliti also spent $732 for a Porter flight to and from Ottawa, far more than any other councillor spent on transportation. Several, including Ward 15 Coun. Josh Colle, drove themselves to Ottawa for the conference. Colle charged the city nothing for mileage, even though he was entitled to. Mammoliti said his flight was so expensive because, again, he booked at the last minute.

In the past, Mammoliti has been critical of what he calls unnecessary spending at city hall. He's also claimed city taxes are too high because of it.

"Many of the city's residents have reached out to me, telling me that they are suffering real hardships. They are already forced to make the impossible choice of having to either pay their bills or put food on the table," the councillor wrote in a news release earlier this year.

"All these new taxes punish people who work, own homes or drive cars. While residents don't mind paying their fair share of taxes to fund core City services, they are fed up with having to pay for the endless spending agenda down at City Hall."

City records show Mammoliti's four-night hotel stay alone cost over $2,200, including taxes. He also charged taxpayers $732.53 for the Porter flight, and a further $500 in per diems to cover his daily personal expenses. Toronto residents also paid $130 to pick up his parking tab at Billy Bishop airport while he was gone.

CBC Toronto has learned Mammoliti was in Ottawa this week at another FCM event, and was again staying at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier. It's unclear how much Mammoliti will bill taxpayers for his most recent stay, but the hotel currently lists rooms at $570 a night, including tax.

In all, Mammoliti's four-day trip last June cost taxpayers more than $4,700, by far the most of any of the 11 councillors who attended.

 

[Skeezix]

First, if you've left it to the last minute such that accommodation and transportation costs are through the roof, don't go.

Second, I find it hard to believe he couldn't get a hotel room in Ottawa, where the room cost + cost of a cab to get to the convention could have been far below the cost of the room he had at the Chateau.

 

[pman]

Hey, let’s not be too hasty to condemn Mammo for his pricey trip, folks. Every day he’s not in Toronto is a day he’s not attending Council and committee meetings. Surely that’s worth a lot.

 

[Avenue]

Fiscal conservatism has never really been about saving the public's money. It's rent-seeking without paying into the common pool. Mammoliti is actually very consistent with his ideology.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

First, if you've left it to the last minute such that accommodation and transportation costs are through the roof, don't go.
Second, I find it hard to believe he couldn't get a hotel room in Ottawa, where the room cost + cost of a cab to get to the convention could have been far below the cost of the room he had at the Chateau.

On top of that, did he actually do any work while he was there?

AoD

 

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On top of that, did he actually do any work while he was there?

AoD

You REALLY need to ask?

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

You REALLY need to ask?

Maybe he sampled the adult entertainment offerings like he did here for fact-finding purposes.

AoD

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

Hey, let’s not be too hasty to condemn Mammo for his pricey trip, folks. Every day he’s not in Toronto is a day he’s not attending Council and committee meetings. Surely that’s worth a lot.

I would not mind paying taxes to send Mammo away to various conventions in the continent during every council meeting.

It may even be cost-effective if we consider wasted time at city council.

 

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‘Mamamouchi’ is a delight to say out loud, and has an equally delectable meaning: ‘someone who believes themselves more important than they really are’. This is from http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20171122-twenty-six-words-we-dont-want-to-lose and seems amazingly similar to (and descriptive of) Georgio Mammoliti!

 

[vic]

Since this is basically the Mammo thread, there's another good one:

https://twitter.com/BenSpurr/status/938133419376238596
"Cllr Mammoliti, echoing comments that Cllr Campbell made earlier today, says that council always rejects subways for TO's suburbs. In 12 days the TTC is opening a subway extension in North York."

Of course, as others have pointed out:
https://twitter.com/DavidHains/status/938144089601691648
"Every non-streetcar Toronto transit expansion since 1980 has occurred in the city's suburbs."

 

[W. K. Lis]

Since this is basically the Mammo thread, there's another good one:

https://twitter.com/BenSpurr/status/938133419376238596
"Cllr Mammoliti, echoing comments that Cllr Campbell made earlier today, says that council always rejects subways for TO's suburbs. In 12 days the TTC is opening a subway extension in North York."

Of course, as others have pointed out:
https://twitter.com/DavidHains/status/938144089601691648
"Every non-streetcar Toronto transit expansion since 1980 has occurred in the city's suburbs."

When did North York become "downtown" Toronto?

BTW. The Township of North York was formed on June 13, 1922 out of the rural part of the Township of York, so they could remain "rural" instead of "urban".

 

[W. K. Lis]

From EX29.10 Enhanced Security Measures at Toronto City Hall, at this link.

...
Motions (City Council)

2 - Motion to Amend Item (Additional) moved by Councillor Jim Karygiannis (Final)

That City Council direct the City Manager to report to Executive Committee on the feasibility of a policy that would require all Members of Council, Members of Council's staff, and all City staff that work at City Hall to obtain police clearance in order to ensure the security and safety of the building.
...

Wonder how much "dirt" they'll dig up on the current or future Councillors or Mayors. Think about Rob Ford or Doug Ford, or their associates or staff.

 

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In the OMB decision on the Ward Boundaries they gave short shrift to Mammo!

*[50] Finally, the Board rejects the relief sought by Mr. Mammoliti which is, in essence, “do nothing”.
As indicated at the outset, maintaining the status quo would fail to achieve effective representation and would not account for the significant growth that has occurred since 2000 (and is projected to occur going forward) in certain areas of the City, particularly the Downtown. All of the experts who testified agreed that from a parity perspective, the status quo is not an option. Ultimately, the decision to re-
examine the City’s ward boundaries is one that lies with Council.
It has the ability to review its ward structure as often (or as little) as it chooses. The City undertook a lengthy, detailed process, incorporating public comment and considered (and reconsidered) various options. Public and stakeholder inputs were incorporated throughout the process. For the Board to simply send the matter back to Council would be an untenable outcome.

 

[W. K. Lis]

OMB approves 47 wards for Toronto for the 2018 election

Provincial tribunal backs council-approved redistribution of wards to balance population sizes after challenges from councillors and citizens.

From link.

There will be three more politicians seated in Toronto’s council chamber after the 2018 election.

In a decision released today, the Ontario Municipal Board agreed with a city council approved redrawing of ward boundaries, increasing the number of wards to 47 from 44.

The new boundaries would see four new wards created — three downtown and one in the North York neighbourhood of Willowdale. It would see one ward in the western part of downtown removed. Seven wards would see no boundary changes at all.

The OMB ruling came after two city councillors and several citizens appealed council’s 2016 decision to approve the 47-ward option recommended by third-party consultants.

The OMB was on the clock, with the city requesting the decision come no later than Dec. 31 to give the city clerk time prepare for the election.

At a more than week-long hearing in front of a three-member panel on the 16th floor of the OMB’s Bay St. office, those participating argued over the fate of how the city would be represented.

Bruce Engell, the Toronto lawyer representing Ward 5 (Etobicoke Lakeshore) Councillor Justin Di Ciano, built a case around concerns about the methodology used by the consultants and argued the board should impose a 25-ward structure also considered by council.

The city’s lawyer Brendan O’Callaghan said the board should not overturn a decision of council that took the advice of independent consultants after a multi-year review.

The city launched a review of ward boundaries in 2014, after the existing structure was challenged at the OMB.

The populations of the current wards are becoming increasingly unbalanced as growth is seen in urban centres and other pockets, the city-hired consultants found.

The aim in restructuring ward boundaries is to balance populations sizes across wards to achieve voter parity — a Supreme Court of Canada-backed principle that every residents vote should have equal weight.

The consultant’s 47-ward option looked to achieve that parity by 2026, with improvements towards that goal made in each election cycle based on population projections.

The position of the consultants, who presented their work to the board on behalf of the city, was that imposing 25 wards that followed federal riding boundaries would still create problems of voter parity while separating important neighbourhoods of interest.

The decision on Toronto’s ward boundaries comes just after the OMB rejected the plan approved by Hamilton’s council to make only minor changes to their own wards.

That council decision, the Hamilton Spectator reported, did not follow the advice from third-party consultants who presented options to rebalance Hamilton’s ward populations, leaving some councillors and concerned citizens accusing the majority of council of gerrymandering.

Took them long enough. Now looking at the recent census, should see the next review in a couple of decades...

 

[Soop]

From John Campbell. Happily he's getting roasted in the replies.

https://twitter.com/Campbell4Ward4/status/950524142490734593

John F Campbell‏@Campbell4Ward4 14h14 hours ago
Ah the 2 hour time transfer! Bay St types can now scoot up to Yorkville, do a little shopping, drop $150 on a nice lunch and get back all for a singe fare! What an awesome deal! And the TTC is only out $20 - $25 million!