THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM
Jarvis: Voters elect ‘keeper’ in city’s Ward 10
Bless the dogged voters of Ward 10. The third time really is a charm.
Eight years ago, they elected Al Maghnieh and got a credit card scandal. Four years ago, they elected Paul Borrelli and got broken promises and chagrin every time he put his foot in his mouth. Finally, last October, Ward 10 elected a keeper — Jim Morrison. The municipal election was remarkable for the number of young candidates. It was also remarkable for the lack of female and visible-minority candidates. But who’s emerging as one to watch? Pardon me, but an old(er) white guy — a retired banker, no less.
It was the new council’s fourth meeting, in February, and — bam! — Morrison requested a report on hiring an auditor general, plunging councillors back into a debate that had dogged three previous terms, polarizing politicians and undermining public trust.
City auditor PricewaterhouseCoopers was presenting its quarterly report and, “I felt it was a big enough issue on my platform that I shouldn’t really wait,” he said.
Some people are “looking for something that probably isn’t there,” he said. But this isn’t a “witch hunt,” he said. The city has sound administrators, and PwC does a satisfactory job in the scope it’s given.
But an auditor general would provide more oversight, value and savings, he believes. And he believes this issue, an election issue yet again, needs to be resolved. He’s not advocating a new, big office that spends millions of dollars. One auditor general could direct the work of a firm like PwC.
A month later, Morrison caught something that the rest of council — and the media — missed. Former councillor Hilary Payne and Borrelli spent almost $7,100 for a conference in Texas — two days after they lost the election. It was the most expensive conference charged by councillors last year, and their terms expired five weeks later. “Let’s face it — I don’t think we got any value out of that,” Morrison said.
He then made a successful motion forbidding councillors from committing to conferences after elections. The timing had probably been inadvertent, he said, “but somebody could make the same mistake in four years.” He also requested a report on how councillors attending conferences can best report what they learned, so all of council can benefit. Coun. Chris Holt made a similar motion last term. It was defeated. This one passed — a testament to a new and different council.
The same month, Morrison also presented a petition by a resident with more than 9,000 signatures to save the 50 acres of South Cameron Woodlot that could be developed.
There were warnings about cost and legal battles. But Morrison sees it differently. He understands that this woodlot has resonated with residents. He’s pointed out that a top priority in council’s strategic plan is increasing tree cover.
“We have to ask, how important is it to the city, to residents?” he said.
“Do we think it’s worth fighting for, paying for? This is right in the heart of the city. It’s probably the last little bit we can protect. If we don’t try to protect it, it will be gone.”
He also called for the city to update its Official Plan, which dates back to 2000 and still doesn’t show another 100 acres of protected wetland that’s part of the South Cameron Woodlot. The trickiest and most impressive decision came two weeks ago.
No, it wasn’t fluoridating water or permitting pot stores. It was approving a pedestrian crossover at Labelle Street and Northway Avenue, near Bellewood Public School, and sidewalks on Labelle and Northway leading to the crossover.
People supported the crossover, but every resident on Labelle opposed sidewalks. They would lose part of their driveways and front lawns. Morrison was up against the not-in-my-backyard argument. But he didn’t fall for it. What’s the point of a crossover without sidewalks?
He could have taken the easy way out. He could have sided with the residents, knowing that most of the rest of council would approve sidewalks. But he didn’t do that, either. He not only supported sidewalks, he made the motion to approve them. He’d seen a parent holding a child’s hand, waiting to rush through traffic to the school.
“The safety of the children trumped everything,” he said. It goes beyond Bellewood, he added.
“We need more sidewalks if we’re going to make this a walkable neighbourhood,” he said. This is how it’s done. “Sometimes you have to make tough decisions,” he said. “I felt good making a good tough decision.”