The Strings Run Back To The Mayor's Office

And while I am willing to wait and see how things work out it is obvious from the last three years that the mayor pulls the strings in the council chamber.....

February 4, 2007
Can Bussin rule the house?
Less babbling, thinner agendas and a speaker to run the show are all part of council's new rules
By Sue-Ann Levy

City council meets for the first time tomorrow with eight new faces, a new speaker, new meeting times, a fresh set of procedural rules and a newly empowered mayor at the helm.

But it's anybody's guess whether these changes will enhance decision-making or bring a sense of refinement to proceedings that have more often than not bordered on a three-ring circus.

No expense has been spared on the new council meeting rules and committee reports which are supposed to be written in "plain language" -- some $4.5 million to be exact.

The most obvious change is an agenda which is about 25% the thickness of the previous ones. That's because they only contain recommendations from the committee meetings, not the original reports, says Peter Fay, a director in the City Clerk's office.

This term councillors will meet in the evening from 7:30 to 10 p.m., after a 1 1/2 hour dinner break -- an idea many councillors think is a recipe for disaster. The evening part of the meeting will not be broadcast on Rogers Cable 10.

Councillors won't be permitted to spend as much time babbling on about an item or questioning their colleagues, which is a good thing. But the approach to attendance won't change. It will only be taken officially when there is a quorum call or a recorded vote -- leaving councillors to wander in and out of the council chamber shmoozing whenever the mood strikes them.

Council's first speaker Sandra Bussin -- who will be henceforth known as Madame Speaker -- is leaving nothing to chance. She held a mock council meeting last Friday afternoon with the clerks office to go over the procedural rules. She says she's there to "provide continuity" on rulings but unlike speakers at the provincial or federal levels, she'll be able to speak to and vote on issues.

Bussin says she doesn't intend to engage in too many debates to provide a "sense of neutrality" and allow her to better manage council.

But Coun. Case Ootes, who ably chaired many meetings during the Mel Lastman era, is skeptical Bussin will be impartial in her rulings.

"I don't have a lot of faith in the way the council meetings might be run because their (the NDP) track record is terrible," he said. "The mayor and his designates have used the rules to their own advantage ... it remains to be seen whether that will change or not."

Bussin counters that a number of councillors on all sides of the political spectrum went to the mayor to suggest she become speaker -- a move she took as a signal that she "did appear to be treating members equally and fairly.

"I do my level best to be as fair as possible... every person has their own limitations ... I'm not God," she said.

Asked how she plans to keep the antics of some councillors in check, Bussin said she's asked for changes in how the microphones work so councillors can't turn them on whenever they feel like it.

She won't talk about other tactics. "Like a parent or teacher, you've got to keep some of your tricks of discipline under wraps," she said.

Deputy mayor Joe Pantalone insists the rules are stricter -- that a Council member can be "kicked out" of the chamber if he or she doesn't behave properly. That would include the use of "unparliamentary" language or if the councillor verbally assaulted a colleague. He added that "one lives by hope" that they'll all behave better this term.

However Coun. Doug Holyday says he'll be "amazed" if the speaker improves council decorum. He believes the new procedures won't allow most issues a "full airing" -- that decisions are essentially being made by the executive committee and the mayor.

Coun. Rob Ford, who came under fire last term more than once for his outbursts, says the new rules won't make him change who he is.

"I'm Rob Ford ... I might try to smooth out my edges a bit but if they (my colleagues) want to attack me, I'm going to fight back. I'm not going to take a back seat to any of these people."

sue-ann.levy@tor.sunpub.com