Ford, Nunziata seek cut in councillors

[Prometheus The Supremo]

------------------
Ford, Nunziata seek cut in councillors TheStar.com - GTA - Ford, Nunziata seek cut in councillors
February 27, 2008
Jim Byers
City Hall Bureau

Rob Ford wants to see a lot less of his fellow city council members.

Ford and fellow councillor Frances Nunziata have put forward a motion at next week's city council meeting seeking to cut the number of elected city councillors from 44 to 22.

Ford said the move would save tens of millions of dollars.

"It's basically what constituents have told me over the years; there are too many of us down there (at City Hall). We have 22 MPs and 22 MPPs in Toronto; we should have 22 councillors."

Right now, there are two council members per provincial/federal riding. Ford said one would suffice.

"Our committee meetings are getting shorter and the council agendas are paper thin," he said. "It's the perfect timing, and the City of Toronto Act (which came into effect last year) gives us the power to do it.

"If we're in a financial crisis, and the mayor says we are, this could save tens of millions of dollars. Fifty or 100 million, even. You're talking 22 councillors, plus staff and salaries and agendas. It's hard to even put a price tag on how much you'll save."

Even some small-C conservatives on council insist the move wouldn't do anything for the city's bottom line.

"We might save a couple million dollars, but what are we trying to achieve?" asked Councillor Karen Stintz, who frequently weighs in on ways to cut spending. "There probably are better ways to save money around here."

Councillor Adam Vaughan was not impressed with the Ford-Nunziata suggestion.

"I can think of half the councillors we could get rid of, starting with those two. He (Ford) has a lot of time to talk about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, but I have constituents to serve."

Councillor Doug Holyday said halving council would mean a huge increase in workload.

"I think it would work if we had an elected executive committee," he said.

A recent report on city operations recommended a stronger executive committee to help the mayor get his agenda approved. That's fine, but only if they're elected, Holyday said. He has suggested it have eight members: two each from Etobicoke-York, North York, Scarborough and Toronto-East York.

Stintz said council should certainly look at redrawing the ward boundaries.

"John Parker has 80,000 constituents and Adam Giambrone has 37,000," she said. "We need to look at that. If in doing so we opt to reduce the number of councillors, I could support that."

More important is finding a way for opponents to organize to keep mayoral powers in check, she said.

Council will also be asked next week to show leadership by freezing councillor and mayoral salaries.

 

[lordmandeep]

the two biggest clowns in the Council are Ford and Miller...

 

[unimaginative2]

"If we're in a financial crisis, and the mayor says we are, this could save tens of millions of dollars. Fifty or 100 million, even. You're talking 22 councillors, plus staff and salaries and agendas. It's hard to even put a price tag on how much you'll save."

It's very easy to put a price tag on how much you'll save, and it wouldn't be anywhere near fifty or 100 million dollars.

 

[lordmandeep]

you know if we invade another country we could be rich. We could loot and plunder it and bring it back to the home.


We could become like the Romans....


Rob Ford, is just a fat lard...

 

[299 bloor call control.]

here's a way to get more revenue outta Rob Ford...

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

I totally agree with this scheme - and in a diabolical way, especially when applied to councillors from Etobicoke.

Councillor Doug Holyday said halving council would mean a huge increase in workload.

Indeed, but oh, for the sake of the city, we need to find efficiencies everywhere!

AoD

 

[Moonmoth]

Nunziata is an unabashed neo-con troglodite. Ford is just stupid.

 

[unimaginative2]

Yet another article where Adam Vaughan manages to insert himself with a crass remark.

If you're going to go all the way down to 22 councillors, it might be worthwhile to just get rid of the ward system and elect from citywide lists. It could clear out some of the abundant dead wood, though obviously at a cost to local representation. It would also mean the introduction of organized party politics beyond the council NDP caucus.

 

[afransen]

I kind of like the idea of an elected executive, or mini-mayors. Reduce the number of councilors to 22, but add some number of executive committee members from each part of the city. That way more local issues could be pushed down to a caucus of councilors and the executive for an area.

In other words, have City Council as a steering committee, and not deciding minutiae like speed bumps.

 

[Hydrogen]

Ford and fellow councillor Frances Nunziata have put forward a motion at next week's city council meeting seeking to cut the number of elected city councillors from 44 to 22.

They could start with themselves.

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

why would they want to cut council? would that not mean more work burden for the smaller council? possibly more work for themselves? could it be just a ploy to impress the voters?

personally, i think the city wards are way to big and need to be cut down in size to increase focus on areas that need it. think more neighborhood and less ward. i don't like how the ward boundaries are drawn.

just my opinion.

 

[junctionist]

Nunziata's ward isn't looking too good, either. There's the crumbling infrastructure, rising crime in Weston, closing of manufacturing centres, and the lack of any substantial development.

 

[Westonite]

Nunziata

She has got to be one of the most useless councillors. I live in Weston and I have seen the community deteriorate to the point that we might be the new jane and finch....she is useless.

 

[lordmandeep]

yeah she is useless as well.


Ford thinks fiscal responsibility is just cutting everything and giving tax breaks.


It is imo the ability to keep tax increases at a manageable rate while being able to invest in key areas in an efficient and effective manner.



Good thing these people will never be in charge.