Councillors go public to lobby for wish lists
Politicians make cases for budget requests via social media, websites
From half-improved parks to crumbling streets, from poorly lit alleys to long-envisioned community centres — these are among the dozens of needs worth tens of millions that city councillors are lobbying to have included in the $10-million 2018 enhanced capital budget.
In this annual top-up to the city’s $643-million, six-year capital budget, councillors submit to Mayor Drew Dilkens a list of projects they believe are vitally important for their wards, but don’t make the cut on the city’s overall city list of priorities.
This year, the lobbying has become more visible than ever, with three councillors — who in previous years have fared poorly, receiving virtually zero one year and less than the average last year — taking their cases to the public with postings on social media and their websites.
“Interesting strategy, I have noticed,” Ward 1 Coun. Fred Francis said of the postings by councillors Chris Holt, Rino Bortolin and Irek Kusmierczyk, three of the four councillors (along with Bill Marra) who sometimes end up on the wrong side of 7-4 votes on controversial issues at council.
“In the four years I’ve been here, I’ve never seen it to this extent,” said Francis, who prefers to not go public with his list of “asks” because he knows he won’t get everything and he doesn’t want residents to get their hopes up.
“I’d rather deliver on a project than promise to deliver on a project and not get it,” he said Tuesday.
The enhanced capital budget is part of budget deliberations happening Monday and Tuesday. Dilkens, who in previous budget years presented a final recommended list of items for council to approve, couldn’t be reached for comment on Tuesday.
The councillors who are posting say this isn’t a co-ordinated effort. Ward 4’s Holt, who made similar posts last year, said he knows not all of the seven projects he lists totalling $3.7 million will be chosen.
“Oh no, oh no,” he said, explaining he presented a “smorgasbord” of projects with varied costs to the mayor to give him lots of options as he deliberates which projects to choose.
After presenting the list to Dilkens, he posted it publicly with the hope constituents will read it and then lobby for the projects they believe are important — calling the mayor and other councillors and perhaps appearing as delegations next week.
In an earlier budget year when he and other councillors received almost nothing, they heard the explanation that they simply weren’t effective councillors, Holt said.
“Well, I’m trying to prove I’m an effective councillor.”
His list includes $2.4 million to complete the second phase of streetscaping along Erie Street; $69,000 for a pedestrian crosswalk at the very busy Wyandotte Street East/Chilver Road intersection; $460,000 to complete redevelopment of Stodgell Park; several road projects; $158,000 to improve the lighting for pedestrians on Ottawa Street; and $250,000 for an alley maintenance program.
Other councillors, like Ward 9’s Hilary Payne, are focused on a single project. Payne is seeking $1.8 million for a complete reconstruction of two blocks of residential Byng Road.
“They need improvement really badly,” he said.
Coun. John Elliott said his Ward 2 fared well last year when it received $1.84 million for several important projects, including the roundabout on Sandwich Street. So this year he’s making just one “top ask,” $1.4 million for the reconstruction of crumbling College Avenue, east of Campbell Street.
Marra’s big ask is $600,000 for the design and engineering work required for a future $6.2-million expansion at Fontainebleau library for a long-needed community and recreation centre. He has several other requests for money to start the engineering and design work for road projects — a strategy he’s found to be an effective way to get the ball rolling on needed projects.
Kusmierczyk posted on his website his priority list of eight projects worth $2.6 million. His two highest priority projects are for busy Banwell Road, including $900,000 for design engineering to widen and improve the road from Tecumseh Road to Mulberry Drive, and street lighting worth $70,000. It’s just the beginning of major improvements to Banwell and construction of an overpass at E.C. Row that will end up costing $50 million many years down the road.
His Ward 7 received the least of any ward last year — $400,000 — after receiving nothing the year before. He said he posted his list this year as part of his philosophy of transparency and accountability.
“This is part of the process,” he said. “A lot of these items are things I hear from residents when they call or email, or when meeting them face to face.”
In Ward 10, Coun. Paul Borrelli is submitting a list of four road projects on Northwood Street, Lillian Avenue, Randolph Avenue and LaBelle Street, with a total cost to the city of $3.8 million.
“I don’t know what I’m going to get, if anything, but I have four items that need a lot of attention,” he said.
Coun. Rino Bortolin lists eight projects worth $2.5 million, including five road projects, $325,000 for completing the redevelopment of Wigle Park, and $500,000 for his top priority, a fund to improve lighting, safety and upkeep of alleys in the core. Last year, his ward received the third least, $625,000, and nothing the year before. He said in the previous two years, he, Holt, Kusmierczyk and Marra received about $2 million of the $20 million given out.
“It’s been disproportionate and it’s been obvious, so I’m hoping this year we play catch-up and level the playing field,” Bortolin said.