A Vote Of Gratitude To David Soknacki

The tradegy is that the good ones, this includes un-elected people, choose to leave and when you look at those who have left over the last three years it makes you wonder why........the only bigger tragedy is that the taxpayers of Toronto allow incompotent and self serving individuals to remain.

A true public servant
David Soknacki, the city's former budget chief, leaves politics behind
By Sue-Ann Levy

On the first of December -- the day his life as a municipal politician officially ends -- David Soknacki will get up at 5:45 a.m. as usual and head to his Markham spice business.

With one less demanding job on his plate, the 52-year-old self-professed workaholic -- who has spent 10 years in municipal politics and the last three as the city's budget chief -- has no intention of slacking off even though he chose not to run for council again.

"My family said as long as I don't spend it (my free time) at home, we're okay," he says with a laugh.

He plans to devote the 70 hours he normally works per week to the spice business he started 20 years ago which now sells to companies in 30 countries.

He has a few other irons in the fire as well -- public projects or appointments. But he's quick to add that any of those jobs would be done on a strictly volunteer basis. "I wouldn't be paid, no, no ... public service is public service," he says.

If there's one thing that will stick in his colleagues' minds about Soknacki, it was how seriously he took the role of public servant.

Like Coun. Case Ootes, there were many times I thought the budget chief could have been tougher on Mayor David Miller and his money-challenged minions -- that he spent far too much time trying to strike a compromise when he could have pushed harder to exact savings from the budget.

But no one could fault him for his dedication to the job.

"There were times I wanted to shake him," says Ootes. "Still he had all the best of intentions ... he was a true public servant who gives selflessly."

Coun. Doug Holyday says the city has lost a good budget chief who tried his best to cut costs when he could. "Someone like myself would have been knocking heads with David Miller for the entire three years," he said.

Still working hard

Deputy city manager and CFO Joe Pennachetti says Soknacki was the "most professional" budget chief he's ever dealt with and it will be "very difficult" to replace him. Even late last week Soknacki was still phoning the CFO for clarification on budget items. "He's working right to the end," says Pennachetti.

Soknacki's still keen to offer advice when asked.

He says the next budget chief -- and the name being bandied about City Hall belongs to one of the mayor's allies , Shelley Carroll -- should have "lots of patience" and keep an "eye on the big picture."

He feels the make-up of the committee itself should not just balance the different areas of the city, gender and political leanings but different interests (i.e., transit vs. low tax vs. environmental interests). In other words, the committee shouldn't just be stacked with those in the Miller camp.

Soknacki concedes that Miller's opponent, Jane Pitfield, would have taken a different approach to containing costs and would have looked at alternative service delivery to make the CUPE unions more efficient. But he's far more optimistic than me that a solid left-of-centre council will be able to keep a lid on spending and be able to contain the city's steadily rising debt.

"I can't see council agreeing to go from an AA (city) credit rating to a Triple C, I can't see the mayor facing the electorate and going from a 3% tax increase to a 9% increase," he said. "I don't see unrestrained spending in the future."

'Not going to happen'

Nevertheless, Soknacki thinks Miller is dreaming if he expects one-cent of the PST or GST. "It's not going to happen anytime soon ... maybe not even in our lifetimes." He says the city would stand a better chance of getting the province to gradually take back the social housing and Ontario Works programs at an annual cost of $700 million.

Asked if he has future political ambitions -- at the provincial or federal levels or as the next mayor -- Soknacki says he has no idea.

"Right now I've had my fill... I've enjoyed it ... it's been fun and satisfying" he said. " I like to think I've done a reasonable job but I recognize it's time to move on."