Need another reason why city council needs a clean sweep? Some of them don't even know what they're talking about, even certain committee chairpeople. Take Dundas councillor and chairman of the Audit and Administration committee Russ Powers for example. He tried to minimize the fact that the city will be paying out 800,000 dollars annually for furniture at City Hall over the next three years. And it gets better.
Before I start here, I just want to say that I am not criticizing Russ as a person. As a matter of fact, I knew his wife, Linda, who recently passed away. She was a great lady and I had many chats with her as a BNI member. The fact is that he is running for re-election and judging by his actions of late, he has a long way to go to earn another term. That is, if anybody in Dundas is paying attention.
As reported by Emma Reilly in the Spec's city hall blog, Hall Marks, another 1.1 million is being spent on Blackberry smartphones. Now those smartphones are worth about $500 a piece; at least I hope. By that token, that would amount to over 2000 of them being used by the city. Now keeping things in perspective, the city, just like a lot of other companies, are having a tough time keeping personal calls on these phones in check. Owning a Blackberry Curve myself, and coughing up close to $700 for it two and a half years ago, I know that the most expensive aspect of owning these phones are not really the personal calls. It's the roaming charges, long distance calling and not to mention data usage. What about installed applications? They cost money too.
Obviously there's a lot of taxpayers in the city in an uproar about this too! But first of all, let's come to an understanding that this is a problem being experienced by all companies. And of course, before we start condemning, let's ask ourselves a question. I am sure that a good deal of you are Christians, but do you remember the parable of the woman about to get stoned for adultery. Jesus demanded "let he who is without sin cast the first stone." So as he inquired, who among you can tell me beyond a shadow of a doubt that you never ever ever, after having a phone for at least a year, used it for personal calls? All of a sudden there are pots calling out kettles. Not a pretty sight. Indeed.
Now how embarrassing is it for the chairman of a committee with 100% access to information to make a statement that is immediately refuted? I can only think that either of two things are happening. Either he is minimizing the expenditure to avoid humiliation or he didn't read the report. And honestly, I don't know which infraction is worse. Either way he doesn't look very good. All of a sudden, somebody's becoming vulnerable on the election front.
About this furniture deal I am going to simply say that I hope that we are getting some decent bang for the buck. Before we start hyperventilating about the expenditures in furniture, let's understand that we need businesses here. To attract those businesses, we have to have a nice front door. City Hall is our front door and whether we like it or not, we need to create a good impression. We need look fresh and ready to do business. Besides, we need everything to look as shiny and new inside as well as outside. And most importantly, we need to look good so we can attract some big fish.
The last opportunity we blew was the Maple Leaf pork processing plant deal and that didn't end good. You almost have to wonder why we bother trying to get businesses here when there are so many people trying to turn away such opportunities. And it doesn't matter if such tinkering is being done in earnest or if there are anti-amalgamation groups sabotaging such opportunities. We really need to get our acts together otherwise amalgamated or not, nobody will ever want to deal with any of us.
So having established that we do need new furniture, but the real question here is why are we paying out 2.4 million dollars over three years for it? And why is a contract like this coming into place in an election year? What is the penalty if it turns out that this contract is one we never should have signed in the first place? It seems to me that Mr. Powers is being rather ingenuous that he will be re-elected and, for that reason, he has a lot of explaining to do.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Rebuilding Downtown
I am old enough to remember Robinson's, the way Jackson Square was, Eaton's and even that Japan Camera Center at front of Jackson Square. I even remember when Woolworth's was where the Path Employment Center is and I also remember Kresge's. What about those trolley bus wires? Up to the late 80's, downtown Hamilton was the place to be!
There was even a lot excitement when the Hamilton Eaton Centre was built. That's where I met former Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander. He was rather impressed that I remembered who he was. But I digress. I could go on dropping names, but I'll do that every once in a while in the occasional entry. All in good time...
Look at it now. There really isn't much there anymore. A lot of what was once there is now parking lots. The arguments on what to do with Gore Park go on and don't seem to stop. The Standard Life Center was once a beautiful spot, more brilliant than it is now. The Rink in the Square was a great idea, but now that's gone too. Buildings are slowly crumbling. It's still debatable on whether or not Lister Block can be restored. Then there are the old theatres. The old Century theatre is now demolished after it was found to be a danger to anyone inside and around it. The excitement left with the 80's.
So what happened? Back then, we had lots of moxy. Copps Colliseum, the Sheraton Hamilton, the Hamilton Convention Center, the Ellen Fairclough building and even the Standard Life Center was built. Then Eaton's went under and so did Sam the Record Man. Stelco became a shadow of its former self. Robinson's went under and got bought out by the Hudson's Bay Company. Woolworth's focussed on specialty stores and took the Woolworth name off the map. And as for Kresge's, they went away too. The Zeller's store is now a parking lot. The site of the Robinson's store is now a parking lot. Delta Bingo took the Kresge's site. And here we are now, left with only memories of what was and what could have been.
The problems that exist downtown are the result of neglect, lack of imagination, apathy and even greed. Anybody that wants to put something new, say at King and James, would have to buy all the property and deal with several different owners, to have one nix the deal because that person thought he or she could get more money out of it. So in the end, we all lose because of those who would rather sit on their property and basically extort those who want to do good things.
As the result, there's a lot of property that have been neglected for far too long while someone else is busy trying to see what he or she can get out of it. Out of frustration, it becomes a parking lot or it becomes a variety store or smoke shop. So what would a business say about seeing downtown the way it is? They'd probably want to put their offices in Ancaster, further depleating the downtown core. And don't get me wrong on this. I am not condemning the business owners. They're the ones who pay the rent on whatever is left of the building they reside.
And then another problem is about to come up. What happens when the renovations at City Hall are done? What is to become of the Hamilton (Eaton) City Centre? It currently has the worst vacancy rate among the other malls.
The Hamilton Eaton Centre (as it was), was beautiful when it opened. It was the fall of 1990 and there was a lot of excitement about it. The decor was bright and it sort of made Jackson Square look plain. And the stores that were there were high-end, but not out of reach like a Holt-Refrew or some outlandish boutique. But the problem was that we went through a really bad recession and over the next few years, they would slowly leave the mall. If you think the condition of downtown was sad, imagine that mall, almost 75% vacant.
Downtown as it is, has so many eyesores that it will be a great challenge to rebuild it all. But we have to get it done. In case anyone forgot, our city will be the home of a major Pan-Am games venue and the waterfront location, where the Rheem plant lies shuttered up, seems to be the place where that stadium will be. The A Line will be brought to the forefront in that initiative, running from the waterfront to the airport. It's not going to the waterfront now, but it will be once that stadium is built.
Up to now, our attitude has been "let's go to Limeridge" or "let's go to Ancaster". Changing that attitude needs to be a starting point. Everybody who has reminisced about the way downtown used to be are clamouring for it. They are crying in unison "give me something to come downtown for." We need to ask ourselves some tough questions if we really want our downtown core to be more people friendly.
Are we content with a bingo hall on our main artery? Are we content with the look of downtown along King Street between John and Bay? How many buildings need to be rebuilt and which ones have no hope for restoration? So Gore Park becomes pedestrian friendly. Then what? There's still lots to do. What about the parking lots on prime land? James Street has a hole in it in between the Commerce Place and the RBC building. What about that parking lot at King William and James? What about rebuilding James Street? We need something that we can be proud of. We need beautiful buildings, not parking lots. And we need to be building something downtown every year. While downtown festers, Toronto is still building condos and other buildings. So what do we need to do?
We need to hold property owners accountable for their actions and inactions alike in the downtown core, because the decisions they make will have an effect on others in the downtown core. And let's put the onus on where it belongs. The city councils and regional councils, entrenched in their turf wars and amalgamation battles, failed the downtown core miserably, by not paying any attention to it over the last 15 years.
We need to have more discussions on what we expect downtown to be and how we can make it happen.
There was even a lot excitement when the Hamilton Eaton Centre was built. That's where I met former Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander. He was rather impressed that I remembered who he was. But I digress. I could go on dropping names, but I'll do that every once in a while in the occasional entry. All in good time...
Look at it now. There really isn't much there anymore. A lot of what was once there is now parking lots. The arguments on what to do with Gore Park go on and don't seem to stop. The Standard Life Center was once a beautiful spot, more brilliant than it is now. The Rink in the Square was a great idea, but now that's gone too. Buildings are slowly crumbling. It's still debatable on whether or not Lister Block can be restored. Then there are the old theatres. The old Century theatre is now demolished after it was found to be a danger to anyone inside and around it. The excitement left with the 80's.
So what happened? Back then, we had lots of moxy. Copps Colliseum, the Sheraton Hamilton, the Hamilton Convention Center, the Ellen Fairclough building and even the Standard Life Center was built. Then Eaton's went under and so did Sam the Record Man. Stelco became a shadow of its former self. Robinson's went under and got bought out by the Hudson's Bay Company. Woolworth's focussed on specialty stores and took the Woolworth name off the map. And as for Kresge's, they went away too. The Zeller's store is now a parking lot. The site of the Robinson's store is now a parking lot. Delta Bingo took the Kresge's site. And here we are now, left with only memories of what was and what could have been.
The problems that exist downtown are the result of neglect, lack of imagination, apathy and even greed. Anybody that wants to put something new, say at King and James, would have to buy all the property and deal with several different owners, to have one nix the deal because that person thought he or she could get more money out of it. So in the end, we all lose because of those who would rather sit on their property and basically extort those who want to do good things.
As the result, there's a lot of property that have been neglected for far too long while someone else is busy trying to see what he or she can get out of it. Out of frustration, it becomes a parking lot or it becomes a variety store or smoke shop. So what would a business say about seeing downtown the way it is? They'd probably want to put their offices in Ancaster, further depleating the downtown core. And don't get me wrong on this. I am not condemning the business owners. They're the ones who pay the rent on whatever is left of the building they reside.
And then another problem is about to come up. What happens when the renovations at City Hall are done? What is to become of the Hamilton (Eaton) City Centre? It currently has the worst vacancy rate among the other malls.
The Hamilton Eaton Centre (as it was), was beautiful when it opened. It was the fall of 1990 and there was a lot of excitement about it. The decor was bright and it sort of made Jackson Square look plain. And the stores that were there were high-end, but not out of reach like a Holt-Refrew or some outlandish boutique. But the problem was that we went through a really bad recession and over the next few years, they would slowly leave the mall. If you think the condition of downtown was sad, imagine that mall, almost 75% vacant.
Downtown as it is, has so many eyesores that it will be a great challenge to rebuild it all. But we have to get it done. In case anyone forgot, our city will be the home of a major Pan-Am games venue and the waterfront location, where the Rheem plant lies shuttered up, seems to be the place where that stadium will be. The A Line will be brought to the forefront in that initiative, running from the waterfront to the airport. It's not going to the waterfront now, but it will be once that stadium is built.
Up to now, our attitude has been "let's go to Limeridge" or "let's go to Ancaster". Changing that attitude needs to be a starting point. Everybody who has reminisced about the way downtown used to be are clamouring for it. They are crying in unison "give me something to come downtown for." We need to ask ourselves some tough questions if we really want our downtown core to be more people friendly.
Are we content with a bingo hall on our main artery? Are we content with the look of downtown along King Street between John and Bay? How many buildings need to be rebuilt and which ones have no hope for restoration? So Gore Park becomes pedestrian friendly. Then what? There's still lots to do. What about the parking lots on prime land? James Street has a hole in it in between the Commerce Place and the RBC building. What about that parking lot at King William and James? What about rebuilding James Street? We need something that we can be proud of. We need beautiful buildings, not parking lots. And we need to be building something downtown every year. While downtown festers, Toronto is still building condos and other buildings. So what do we need to do?
We need to hold property owners accountable for their actions and inactions alike in the downtown core, because the decisions they make will have an effect on others in the downtown core. And let's put the onus on where it belongs. The city councils and regional councils, entrenched in their turf wars and amalgamation battles, failed the downtown core miserably, by not paying any attention to it over the last 15 years.
We need to have more discussions on what we expect downtown to be and how we can make it happen.
Monday, February 1, 2010
A Tale of Flamborough
As Bob Runciman takes his seat in the Senate, I am reminded of an interesting story about Flamborough's resistance to the amalgamation with the City of Hamilton. It has more to do with a former colleague in the Ontario Legislature, when they were in power.
When Harris called the election and won his second majority in 1999, he tapped a Flamborough lawyer by the name of Toni Skarica to join him, with the promise that Flamborough would not be amalgamated as part of the city of Hamilton. First there was the suggestion by Toni Skarica that the regional municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth be dissolved and that the cities and towns (Hamilton, Stoney Creek, Dundas, Flamborough, Ancaster and Glanbrook) be separate and distinct municipalities. Looks good on paper, right? Well there was a little problem.
You see, if the province accepted, there would be an uproar of epic proportions from the cities and towns in Metropolitan Toronto, who were just as peeved as the folks in Flamborough were (and possibly are still to this day). They would easily be labeled as hypocrites for having applied different princples upon other groups. It was the last thing they needed. To say the least, there was a firestorm brewing.
Then one cabinet minister suggested that Flamborough could be divided and shared among the bordering regions and counties. And for about two weeks, it falsely buoyed the hopes for Flamborough. But then, as it normally happened in Mike Harris's government at that time, the Premier's Office boomed down from above that such notions would be discouraged vigorously on the first sign of it. So there is was, game over for Flamborough and their aspirations.
But the citizens of Flamborough continue to hope that they will one day realize that dream of one day becoming their own municipality. Such conviction should be respected, but not toyed with or pandered. I am actually rather disappointed that politicians are still cruelly toying with them. I respect their feelings, but if I want to be mayor, I have to understand what I promise and I need to ensure that the promises I make are ones that I can keep. Here's what I have to say about it.
We can go on being sore about how you were wronged (and you were so dishonestly wronged), or just make the best of it and work together in solving the city's problems. The taxation situation, I can understand, but we need the money. And there is another way to get more of it. We need businesses to come and pay some of those taxes for you. But I will get more into the property tax issues in a later post.
Let's just say that people in Flamborough do have a point and to help reduce the property tax burden on them, we need businesses to move or build here. So the city needs to mobilize and work harder to get businesses to come to Hamilton, create more jobs and get more tax money from these businesses. We do love you Flamborough and we really want you to be a part of our family, because in the end, all that we have is each other and let's face it. We know each other much better than those cretins in Burlington know you. Familiarity may breed contempt, but at least you have a good idea of what to expect. Better the devil you know, et cetera.
When Harris called the election and won his second majority in 1999, he tapped a Flamborough lawyer by the name of Toni Skarica to join him, with the promise that Flamborough would not be amalgamated as part of the city of Hamilton. First there was the suggestion by Toni Skarica that the regional municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth be dissolved and that the cities and towns (Hamilton, Stoney Creek, Dundas, Flamborough, Ancaster and Glanbrook) be separate and distinct municipalities. Looks good on paper, right? Well there was a little problem.
You see, if the province accepted, there would be an uproar of epic proportions from the cities and towns in Metropolitan Toronto, who were just as peeved as the folks in Flamborough were (and possibly are still to this day). They would easily be labeled as hypocrites for having applied different princples upon other groups. It was the last thing they needed. To say the least, there was a firestorm brewing.
Then one cabinet minister suggested that Flamborough could be divided and shared among the bordering regions and counties. And for about two weeks, it falsely buoyed the hopes for Flamborough. But then, as it normally happened in Mike Harris's government at that time, the Premier's Office boomed down from above that such notions would be discouraged vigorously on the first sign of it. So there is was, game over for Flamborough and their aspirations.
But the citizens of Flamborough continue to hope that they will one day realize that dream of one day becoming their own municipality. Such conviction should be respected, but not toyed with or pandered. I am actually rather disappointed that politicians are still cruelly toying with them. I respect their feelings, but if I want to be mayor, I have to understand what I promise and I need to ensure that the promises I make are ones that I can keep. Here's what I have to say about it.
We can go on being sore about how you were wronged (and you were so dishonestly wronged), or just make the best of it and work together in solving the city's problems. The taxation situation, I can understand, but we need the money. And there is another way to get more of it. We need businesses to come and pay some of those taxes for you. But I will get more into the property tax issues in a later post.
Let's just say that people in Flamborough do have a point and to help reduce the property tax burden on them, we need businesses to move or build here. So the city needs to mobilize and work harder to get businesses to come to Hamilton, create more jobs and get more tax money from these businesses. We do love you Flamborough and we really want you to be a part of our family, because in the end, all that we have is each other and let's face it. We know each other much better than those cretins in Burlington know you. Familiarity may breed contempt, but at least you have a good idea of what to expect. Better the devil you know, et cetera.
Somebody Stop Me!
I am sitting at my desk wondering if I have lost my mind. After all, what in my right mind thinks I should even take a run for the job, especially when I'm virtually an unknown?
The city of Hamilton once again needs new leadership that will last a decade or two. Unfortunately, the last two mayors and the current one haven't shown much inspiration either. The fact is that the city needs more than a mayor. It needs more than a leader. Our city needs a champion that will speak up for the city.
The city of Hamilton once again needs new leadership that will last a decade or two. Unfortunately, the last two mayors and the current one haven't shown much inspiration either. The fact is that the city needs more than a mayor. It needs more than a leader. Our city needs a champion that will speak up for the city.
We also need a city council that works together. We need a city council that will look beyond regional interests and start looking for what's best for the city as a whole and realize that everyone needs to make some sort of sacrifice. We need the city councillors in the suburbs to come to terms with the fact that they are now a part of the city and have been for almost a decade and try to be agents for the betterment of the city as a whole as well. We can no longer look back. We must go forward.
But probably the biggest problem of late has been the lack of quality people running for the job. After all, how many cities have a guy who is the pastor of a "church" and uses it as a reason to openly smoke pot anyway? (Hope you're enjoying your read, Mr. Baldassaro)
So here I am, pondering a run for the mayoralty. I don't see anyone up for the task and the only person who has been tapped can't even run because of her place of residency.
So why the blog you ask? I owe my inspiration for this blog to none other than Garth Turner. I enjoyed his daily diary, discussing the issues of the day. Unfortunately, he irritated some people in the process and got booted out of his own party; at least the one who removed the "progressive" label from its name after almost a half a century of carrying it. (R.I.P. John Diefenbaker) But I digress...
So here's the plan for me now... I want to know who thinks I should take a run at this and how much support I would get if I did. I will need a campaign manager, a campaign accountant and possibly a campaign consultant. Let's be perfectly clear on this. If I am going to take a run for this, I am not in it to lose.
But one thing is for sure. The next mayor will need to remove "the guy who waves to everybody at those parades" label to get any kind of credibility. He needs to be visible and sell this city as a place to do business and work, and not just as a place to live in and go to work in Toronto. The mayor needs a vision of Hamilton as more than an industrial city. The city needs to reinvent itself, having lost a big chunk of the steel industry. It needs sustainable high-tech industries that could compete with the greatest of them. That begins with a vision. And right now, I'm the only guy with one.
Please, somebody stop me!
Please, somebody stop me!
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