Assessing city council members before elections
On Oct. 22, across Ontario folks will cast ballots in municipal elections.
What occurred in Montreal on Nov. 5 could happen almost anywhere. Well known and regarded incumbent Denis Coderre was soundly defeated in Montreal’s mayoralty race by the relatively unknown Valerie Plante.
Who will run for mayor in Windsor is a topic for another day, but here is a review of the 10 current council members.
Ward 1 is represented by Fred Francis, a chap with plenty of analytical talent. He is a strong member of council. He does his homework and rarely avoids making well-informed decisions. He relates very well to constituents as he’s very much a people person. He is a solid asset.
Ward 2 is fortunate to have a quiet but dedicated representative in John Elliott. He rarely gains headlines, but his work ethic for his community is exemplary. He has brought to council their immense concerns over the machinations of the Ambassador Bridge Company. He might be council’s closest tie to “salt of the earth” — a real community person.
Ward 3 has a sort of a bull-in-the-chinashop councillor in Rino Bortolin. While most outspoken in respect to downtown Windsor, he has a tendency to dramatize and overstate. He has not yet matured politically and learned the finesse of deliberative public comment. That he has had an inclination to a bit of hyperbole now and then should not be a serious failing.
Ward 4 has the bicycle man, Chris Holt. He seems to be a one-theme councillor. Holt is opposed to the mega-hospital location, but that is only the tip of his almost universal negative view of many civic issues. He might fancy himself as a real opposition member of council, but all too frequently he sounds just plain bitter.
Ward 5’s Ed Sleiman is certainly the most delightful member of council. He is probably the best constituent representative. Despite a bit of a hearing problem and his predilection for not seeking media attention, he is astute and appears to give much more thought to his council role than some others. He is the proverbial still water running deep.
Ward 6 has an absolute gem in Jo-Anne Gignac. She excels on any council performance measure one might apply, from ward representation to critical assessment of administration to dealing with delegations before council. She is a clever and formidable presence.
Ward 7 has one of the better academically qualified council members, Irek Kusmierczyk. He is also one of the closet opposition liberals on council. In my opinion, Kusmierczyk suffers from that often disdainful attitude extremely intelligent people posture in discussing minor issues. That disdain can manifest itself in terse dealings with other council members, senior administrators and perhaps even constituents. He might really be unhappy on council.
Ward 8’s often irascible Bill Marra was a candidate for mayor and may still harbour mayoralty inclinations, although common sense suggests that he would be better advised to stick with council. The difficulty with Marra is simply that one never knows where he will come down on hot-button issues, although he tends to be associated with the opposition contingent in the all-too-predictable 6-4 council split.
Ward 9 is represented by the venerable Hilary Payne. He has a sterling reputation for frugality. That, combined with his past experience as a senior city manager, makes him a formidable and often rigorous — some might say cynical (not me) — appraiser of almost any proposal before council. Payne is a deep thinker and a real asset on council, but he will be under pressure next election from the trendy young NDP community.
Finally, there is Ward 10’s Paul Borelli. He has been on the wrong or unpopular side of several issues and has found himself under attack now and then on social media sites. Although he is vulnerable if he chooses to run again, his growing political maturity make him a viable candidate for re-election. A little more thought before speaking would help.
Payne is a formidable and often rigorous appraiser of almost any proposal.