Eisenberger’s one blunder on the LRT file

Failed to nail down council’s unequivocal support

With the election just days away, it’s pretty clear that Fred Eisenberger’s re-election campaign rests more upon his past record as mayor than a platform of new ideas.

That was explicitly spelled out in Eisenberger’s four-page insert in last Saturday’s Spectator which devoted more space to his (and council’s) accomplishments in the last term than fresh intentions.

His message to voters was stick with me and stay the course of growing a diverse economy, fighting poverty, developing municipal assets, and building the provincially-funded light rail transit line.

All in all, it’s a tolerably good record to run on. Eisenberger may not have brought much personal pizzazz to his role as mayor. And questions about how truly collaborative he is with members of council remain. But he is a reasonable, likable, accessible and forward-looking politician who, if somewhat stubborn, is fiscally buttoned down and socially compassionate.

Most of his mistakes have tended to be minor, suggesting inattention or offhand lapses in judgment. Buying marijuana stocks was not a smart political move. Neither was failing to support a ward boundary appeal to protect rural interests.

Still, if Eisenberger has made one major strategic blunder, it is, ironically enough, on the LRT file, his signature — if still fiercely disputed — achievement as mayor.

Eisenberger’s failure to nail down council’s unequivocal support for the $1-billion project immediately after the Wynne government announced funding in May, 2015, is the root cause of why uncertainty continues to dog the future of the 14-km line.

Hindsight is, of course, radiantly clear. But if Eisenberger, in the first exhilarating flush of the provincial announcement, had formulated a motion setting out council’s categorical and unconditional commitment to the project, there’s little doubt he would easily have secured majority support. After all, how do you instantly turn your back on a transit/ infrastructure jackpot which you’ve appealed and applied for?

By not seizing and capitalizing on that heady moment, Eisenberger’s inaction allowed doubts and dissent to swell and spread. The last three years have seen a startling erosion of council support which, coupled with the city’s failure to decisively boost community backing, continues to cast misgivings over the biggest, most transformative and most disruptive infrastructure project in Hamilton’s history.

Politically, the project has incrementally limped along with grudging agreement. But it now appears to be approaching its final crossroads thanks to Premier Doug Ford’s election promise that Hamilton can use the $1 billion for other transit and infrastructure projects if the new council elected Oct. 22 rejects LRT.

Suddenly, if the Ford government is to be believed, it’s no longer about turning your back on $1 billion. It’s about how you spend it.

Make no mistake, LRT is Eisenberger’s love child. Planning for it dates back to his first term in office (2006-2010), but he played a crucial role in securing provincial support shortly after he was elected in 2014.

Back then he ran for mayor promising to create a citizens’ panel to study all rapid transit options. But once elected he sprinted to Queen’s Park to successfully pitch LRT in private meetings with Wynne and the transportation minister.

In his defence, Eisenberger correctly noted he was acting on a standing council policy that was reconfirmed prior to the $1-billion announcement. But as Coun. Terry Whitehead contended, Eisenberger’s unilateral action derailed his own transit panel promise, undercut the LRT versus BRT debate, and initially boxed council in with a $1 billion bonanza.

As I’ve said before, Eisenberger’s meeting with Wynne was a brilliant coup de main. But he should have taken guidance from the samurai warriors of old and tightened his helmet cords after victory. By not quickly ramming home a precise and definitive followup commitment from council, the community has been writhing in limbo for three years.

Mayoral adversary Vito Sgro calls this election a referendum on LRT. That remains to be seen. But whether Eisenberger is re-elected or not, the final LRT battle is just over the horizon.