Random Thoughts

Just some thoughts after a busy few days of news

THE IRRELEVANCY OF CITY COUNCILLORS

Remember the Mayor's first election promise:

• "EMPOWERING COUNCIL
  
  Portfolios
  
  City Councillors must become active participants, with the Mayor, in governing our City. Our Councillors come from diverse backgrounds that are rich in different life experiences. Many will have previously served as Councillors. We must leverage the depth and breadth of their knowledge and expertise to the City’s advantage.
  
  Each Councillor has a vision of the City that encompasses more than just their immediate ward obligations. Councillors who chose to accept additional responsibilities will be assigned portfolios that suit their experience and skill set. These portfolios will include duties above and beyond their local ward responsibilities, including Social Services, Fire and Police Services, Community Services, Infrastructure Services, Finance etc."

I bring this up because it seems clear that Council is becoming more and more irrelevant as Eddie's second term moves forward. Council agendas are a joke, mattters are posted in the last possible minute and it looks like we may go back to bi-weekly meetings. If Ken Lewenza can lash out at the Mayor over spending $20,000 for his extravaganza and if Council sits quietly when the Mayor says he will tell them the Grand Prix sponsorship costs in the last second, then perhaps Council needs the Governor's hubby back again

But the real concern for me is that Council has little idea what the Mayor is doing and so far, no one seems ready to stand up to him. Tell me, how would you feel as a Councillor not to know about, or know about it in the last minute, the $75M Tunnel deal or the Engineering complex and have to give out quotes that make you look like a fool!

Anyway, I remembered this quote that Mike Hurst gave as Mayor as he introduced his "Made-In-Windsor" border solution back in March 2003. Don't tell me that Eddie is not a quick-learn:

• "Hurst said that based on conversations he's had with councillors "my sense is that council will turn this down.
  
  "And that's disappointing because rather than trying something, they would prefer to offer nothing in the way of alternatives."
  
  Hurst said that as mayor his mandate is to look at the overall picture that will be of most benefit to the city.
  
  "Councillors don't have to do that but the mayor does," said Hurst. "You can't keep saying no because the feds and the province are only going to wait so long before they impose a solution on us."

This brought back the memory of the supposed reversal on DRTP North without notice to residents right after the Special Council meeting that opposed DRTP.

Imagine my shock at seeing the Star headline today:

• "Council does tax flip-flop"

Imagine my bigger shock when Councillor Halberstadt said in his BLOG, using Councillor STOPDRTP's word:

• "City Council betrayed Windsor's multi-residential ratepayers last night with a stunning reversal, without notice, of its decision just seven days earlier to begin a phased reduction of the multi-res tax rate from the highest in the province down to the provincial average.
  
  I was the lone Councillor to oppose the reconsideration motion, made by Council Percy Hatfield. Councillor Hatfield and other Councillors who supported the motion a week earlier, claimed they didn't fully understand the implications on other tax classes (residential, industrial and commercial) until it was pointed out to them last night by Mayor Eddie Francis."

WHY BE NICE

Perhaps it's true. Nice guys finish last.

Here I was trying to put on a gentler, kinder face. I actually praised soemone at City Hall. I was trying to turn over a new leaf...and what happened...a kick in the you know where.

Remember the nice things I said about the Treasurer and how co-operative he was with me and others in answering questions. As you may also recall, I asked him some very specific questions about the City's reserves because I was concerned about the City's Standard & Poor's rating. Well here is the answer I got back:

• "Mr. Arditti,
  if your concern is the status of the City's fiscal health, I would point out that the City finances are reviewed annually by the independent international credit rating firm of Standards and Poors. As you know, its most recent report in the fall of 2006 upgraded the City's credit outlook even in the face of a local economic slowdown. I believe that this is reflective of the soundness of the mayor's and council's financial policies. The report is a public document.
  
  Reserves have been reported accurately as per mandated municipal accounting rules and are subject to annual audits. Reported reserves, which are the basis of peer comparisons in the BMA study, must include those of local Boards and Commissions. Just as on the opposite side of the coin, the City's reported long term debt must also include the debt of those same Boards and Commissions (debt for these entities accounted for fully $111M of the total City debt of approximately $161M as of 12/31/2006).
  
  The recommended budget being tabled on Monday outlines the available City reserves as well as a reserve enhancement plan. The City of Windsor is also in the enviable position of not having to rely nearly as much as most of its peers on reserves as a major source of funding for its capital projects; the benefits accruing from the implementation of sound fiscal policies enable the vast majority of the capital funding to be in the nature of sustainable pay-as-you-go funding sources (please see the last paragraph of my previous e-mail).
  
  Respectfully, I would also point out that while of course I value residents' input, generally that input is more appropriately expressed at public occasions such as the recent Community Strategic Plan Consultations, Council meetings dealing with the particular issue of concern, council's budget deliberations (upcoming on May 2nd and obviously open to delegations), etc. Given the City's population it is not feasible to address repetitive individual concerns outside of the frequent noted public opportunities. That is the reason we have elected representatives."

Whack...don't call me, I'll call you, especially when it deals with the Mayor's speech!

HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY

I see that Stream held a job fair for applicants for bilingual call centre positions.

According to the Star,

• "The Dallas-based corporation Stream will stage a job fair Thursday at the Caboto Club between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. to test local interest in the company’s plans...
  
  Stream’s decision on Windsor will be based on the turnout at the job fair, as well as the ability to meet its need for workers who speak English and French, said company spokeswoman Katherin Dockerill...
  
  The company — which has 14,000 employees — is looking to Windsor for bilingual help because the call centre business is already saturated in Quebec, she said. Stream is also interested because this city is in transition away from the auto industry and has a large pool of available workers."

It may depend in the end on which media outlet is correct:

• Windsor Star - Job fair attracts throng
  
  A sense of deja vu struck Mike Meloche as he joined hundreds of other job seekers who gathered Thursday at a job fair organized by a Texas-based outsourcing company considering Windsor as a site for a new location...
  
  Stream, a Dallas-based corporation with operations around the world, used the job fair to test the region’s bilingual base, said Jacqueline Meagher, senior human resources manager at the company’s London, Ont., operation. “The turnout’s been great,” said Meagher, who estimated that more than 200 people had showed up at the Caboto Club by early afternoon. “We had people here before the job fair actually started, so we’re really pleased.”
  


• A Channel - Light Turnout At Call Centre Job Fair
  
  A global outsourcing company is considering a move to Windsor and looking to possibly hire up to 600 people --- jobs that are very much needed here. But you wouldn't have known that gauging by today's turnout at a job fair. Organizers say while the turnout wasn't what they expected it wasn't all bad either.
  
  About 400 people filled out applications.

BURGER KING REJECTION STORY NOT REPORTED IN THE STAR

Hmmmmm. I wonder why the Star neglected to report this story. Perhaps because of the embarrassment to the City of offending another major corporation or the strange reason why the Mayor voted to create a tie or the lawsuit to come or the effect on the Tunnel plaza improvements or...

Here is the Council Minute

THE FOLLOWING MOTION WAS VOTED ON BY COUNCIL AND DECLARED LOST:
Hatfield
Lewenza

I That the application of Burger King Restaurant for an amendment to Zoning By-law 8600 for Part of Block ‘A’ and Lots 50 to 54 inclusive, Registered Plan 91, and Part of Block ‘O’, Registered Plan 85, located on the southwest corner of University Avenue East and Goyeau Street by adding a supplementary regulation permitting a drive-through restaurant BE APPROVED. Further:
(i) Section 25.6 (a) (i) – Parking Area Separation from a Street shall not apply;
(ii) Access from an alley to a parking area or egress from a parking area to an
alley shall be permitted (Section 25.3 (c)).

II That the Site Plan Approval Officer and the Site Plan Review Committee BE DIRECTED to consider the following during the site plan review process:
(i) Design guidelines for a Mixed Use development in the City Centre Planning District (Section 6.11.4.3 in the City of Windsor Official Plan) with particular reference to sub-paragraph (c) at least one building wall is located on an exterior lot line.
(ii) Access driveways to the site should be located as far away as possible from the intersection of the two streets.
(iii) Stacking spaces required by the Zoning By-law should be located in a single stacking space lane, uninterrupted by another parking space, aisleway or walkway.
(iv) Raised curbs, landscape elements or a combination of the two, should delineate stacking space lanes.
(v) Pedestrian access areas to the building should be physically separated from parking and stacking spaces/lanes and designed to be barrier free and clearly visible from the street and parking areas.
(vi) That during the site plan application process, Administration be directed to review the amount of pavement width on University Avenue to ensure there is sufficient space to permit through-traffic vehicles to pass around a vehicle that is waiting to make a left hand turn into the alley to access the subject site.

The motion is put and is lost due to an equality of votes.
Aye Votes: Mayor Francis, Councillors Brister, Lewenza, Hatfield and Dilkens.
Nay Votes: Councillors Halberstadt, Valentinis, Marra, Gignac and Jones.