Absent any major issues or controversies in Ward 13, the battle in this ward may be an uphill battle against a well-established candidate like Saundercook. There is however the case of day nurseries being banned in High Park after Councillor Saundercook's request to Council. Will this moratorium bring out the stroller moms to the polls to kick out the incumbent?
He voted in favour of a raise for 2010, in favour of taxpayers covering Sandra Bussin's legal costs, abstained from the vote on the Jarvis St bike lanes and for the pro-union deal ending the garbage strike in 2009.
Councillor Saundercook will be facing off against four other candidates: Sarah Doucette, Nick Pavlov, Jackelyn Van Altenberg and Redmond Weissenberger.
Mr Weissenberger took the opportunity to answer to my questions. He is an industrial designer living in Ward 13 with his young family.
1. Why are you running to become City Councillor of Ward 13?
I believe that Toronto, and the residents of Ward 13 deserve better than the council that we have. My initial reason for running was frustration with the delivery of city services and non-responsiveness from the incumbent to the needs of the community.
2. What makes you stand out among the other candidates?
I am running on a campaign of change. The incumbent, a career civil servant, has been in city politics for 25 years and represents the old guard at City Hall. He has consistently voted in favour of tax increases and in favour of the failed policies resulting in a bloated debt and inefficient city government. Sarah Doucette represents the NDP vote, which in no way is a move in the right direction. I am not affiliated with any political party and am running on the platform of (1) responsiveness; (2) fiscal responsibility; and (3) more value for money from city government.
3. Councillor Saundercook has been around for 25 years. Absent any major controversy why not vote for him in for another four years?
I disagree with the premise of the question: There has been major controversy. After residents suffered through a summer of pain with a garbage strike, they reasonably expected the deal with the unions would have been responsible. Instead, we gave away yet another 6% increase in salaries to the union, and they got to keep their controversial bankable sick days which is unknown in the private sector. 21 city councillors voted for this garbage deal, and 17 voted against it. Saundercook voted in favour of the deal, and he has to take responsibility for it.
Moreover, there is a general perception in the community that change is needed, and a city councillor needs to be elected who actually responds to residents. His website laid dormant for years (until the election, of course), his newsletters were few and far between (until the election), and the message I am getting on the doorsteps in the community is that “Saundercook doesn’t care”.
4. Do you agree with Councillor Saundercook’s reasoning for the daycare moratorium on High Park Ave?
No, I do not. We need more daycare in this ward, not less. But beyond that, the handling of this issue demonstrates exactly the problem with the city. Staff were looking at this for a year and they couldn’t come up with a recommendation? They need another year to figure out the issue? Why does City Council find that level of service acceptable? Saundercook just shrugs and says “Well, the union employees need more time, too bad for kids in the ward.” This would never be acceptable to me as city councillor. Finally, Saundercook has done nothing whatsoever to address the pressing need for quality daycare in our Ward, and across the city.
5. Tell me about the biggest challenge of running against a well-established incumbent.
Incumbents have resources and nothing but time on their hands to campaign, which is a huge advantage. On the other hand, Saundercook in this election has a lot to answer for, and that may well be his biggest challenge.
6. What are the greatest issues facing Toronto as a whole?
(a) Toronto’s finances are a mess. Its $3 billion debt and $400 million structural deficit, incurred as a result of the type of failed policies advanced by the Saundercook-Miller regime, are crippling the city. We have to get spending under control, and never ending tax increases of the type imposed by Saundercook and supported by the NDP, are not the answer. (b) Toronto is on the right track in so many ways in urban development, but this is in spite of city council, not because of it. Toronto needs intelligent decisions to be made at city hall, as opposed to the usual knee-jerk sign off on anything that has a big price ticket. (3) Toronto needs more value for money in terms of service delivery.
Thanks and good luck on October 25th!
You can find more on Mr Weissenberger at http://www.voteredmond.ca/index.html
No comments:
Post a Comment