Councillors Pay Freeze An Opportunity To Show Leadership

by John Laforet
posted on January 23rd, 2010 at 09:00:38 am

Monday will present an opportunity to watch the degree of self interest on Council up close and personal. Councillor Walker has moved a motion to freeze the salaries of his colleagues at the 2009 rate of $99,153 (up from $2,348 from 2008, as members of Council failed to vote to freeze their salaries as a whole last year). Walker’s motion is the right thing to do at a time like this, and probably doesn’t go far enough considering the City is calling for 5% cuts to all budgets across the board. I think it would be reasonable for Councillors to shave 5% off their salaries as a demonstration of goodwill and commitment to do their part to help the City solve the financial crunch that is the result of their spending habits in the first place.

In 2008 when Councillor Walker tried to freeze salaries for 2008, the following members of Council voted to prevent his motion from being debated by Council, protecting their raises.

They were: Paul Ainslie (Ward 43); Brian Ashton (Ward 36); Sandra Bussin (Ward 32); Shelley Carroll (Ward 33); Raymond Cho (Ward 42); Janet Davis (Ward 31); Glenn De Baeremaeker (Ward 38); Michael Del Grande (Ward 39); Frank Di Giorgio (Ward 12); John Filion (Ward 23); Paula Fletcher (Ward 30); Adam Giambrone (Ward 18); Suzan Hall (Ward 1); Adrian Heaps (Ward 35); Norm Kelly (Ward 40); Gloria Lindsay Luby (Ward 4); Giorgio Mammoliti (Ward 7); Pam McConnell (Ward 28); Joe Mihevc (Ward 21); Mayor David Miller; Howard Moscoe (Ward 15); Joe Pantalone (Ward 19); John Parker (Ward 26); Gord Perks (Ward 14); Anthony Perruzza (Ward 8); Kyle Rae (Ward 27); Bill Saundercook (Ward 13); David Shiner (Ward 24); Karen Stintz (Ward 16); Adam Vaughan (Ward 20).

Being an election year, it will be interesting to watch the footwork undertaken this time around. With a $500 million dollar deficit asking Councillors to freeze their salaries in my opinion doesn’t go far enough and is beyond reasonable. I personally would be more inclined, as I suggested earlier, to see Councillors shave 5% off of their salaries, their staff and office budgets for a total savings of nearly $900,000 ($895,619.56). It would be a painless start to filling the giant hole our Council has created and will no doubt expect us to fill with tax increases, user fee hikes and service cuts. While they are at it, they could also cut out the catering of their meetings, for a savings in the $150,000 range. People making far less either brown bag it or buy their lunch at work and it is reasonable to expect in the 90 minutes they have mid day on days Council is in session that they too could source their own lunch.

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Let’s Start the 5% Cuts at City Hall with Councillor’s Salaries, Office Budgets and Political Staff

by John Laforet
posted on October 26th, 2009 at 22:52:33 pm

I have said repeatedly that spending at City Hall has been both out of control and irresponsible. I am not ideologically opposed to taxes or spending, but think each need to have a clear purpose that they are meeting.

The last two councils have increased taxes and spending at an totally unsustainable way and have relied on the Province for annual bailouts. I don’t dispute the Ctiy’s claim that the Province has failed to upload areas of provincial responsibility, but if one looks at how this council has responded to financial pressure – it can hardly be seen as an example of difficult leadership or tough decision making.

I don’t believe each department can or should be cut an arbitrary 5% this year and next. Doing so will hurt good and meaningful programs while leaving wasteful, misguided or otherwise unnecessary programs in 90 to 95% in place.

The annual budget has increased 1.5 billion under David Miller’s leadership. There is undoubtedly an opportunity to dig through all of this new spending and find ineffectively deployed resources. There is an opportunity to look at non core areas of spending and find significant cuts to ineffective spending while preserving program funding for well functioning and necessary resource deployment.

But before this Council attempts another ‘do as we say not as we do’ like they did with the unions during the negoiation that led to the longest strike in our City’s history – they ought to look at their own offices first.

They should cut 5% of their 53 100 office budgets, this year and next. They should cut 5% of their 200 000 staff budgets this year and next. And above all they should cut their own salaries 5% this year and next. They could also cut out the catered council meetings, the free coffee, the free zoo, golf, parking and metro passes they give themselves. While they are at it, they could cancel the city boxes at the Rogers Centre and the Air Canada Centre.

None of this spending does anything but stroke the egos of a bunch of ward bosses who find importance through these perks. Gutting these perks, and cutting back Councillor salaries, political staff salaries and councillor’s office budgets would also help them and their staff understand how difficult the current economic crisis is for many Toronto families. Cuts to their own office resources would also allow them to understand how their cuts to real programming impact the civil service as they deploy services to residents.

It seems to me only fair that these guys start with any cuts closest to themsevles and work out toward residents – who pay more than ever and are receiving less than before for it.

Who is with me?