"Let Them Eat Cake" Attitude Of Comrade Miller

Who showed up at the meeting and who didn't says volumes about the Mayor's attitude about voters.....

Here's Joe, where'd Miller go?
By SUE-ANN LEVY

The King of Denial was conspicuously absent at last Monday night's first public consultation on the new taxes -- sorry, I mean revenue tools -- he has the power to create under the City of Toronto Act.

Not one of Mayor David Miller's tools -- oops, I mean cheerleaders -- from his staff or on his handpicked executive committee were at Harbourfront Centre, either, to hear from a crowd that wasn't at all in the mood to buy the slick, canned city sales job as to why these controversial new taxes are necessary.

Budget chief Shelley Carroll stayed for just the first hour before scurrying off to a pre-booked TV talk show to discuss the city's new Street Furniture program.

The room contained no equipment -- not even a proper table and chairs -- for the many media types who turned up to cover the event, budgeted at $8,000.

Compare that to the $80,000 budgeted for the April 29 Climate Change Forum, which Miller found time to work into his busy, busy schedule (of photo ops.)

Contrast that to last Thursday's splashy press conference in a Hilton Hotel meeting room at which His Blondness appeared with a dozen other mayors from across Canada to announce that his $150,000 GST-grab campaign has caught on like wildlife (like heck it has.)

The city's ad for the public consultations on the roster of taxes may claim that "Toronto thrives" on the public's "great ideas." But clearly Miller and his minions only "thrive" on ideas that suit their view of the world.

As has been the mayor's style, when there's any hint of controversy or opposition, Miller runs for cover. That's hardly leadership. It's called cowardice.

So it was left to CFO Joe Pennachetti to fend off criticism from the crowd of 100 -- when in fact these taxes are ultimately a political, not a staff decision. And a very controversial decision at that.

Miller and Co. were not in the room Monday night to hear Canadian Federation of Independent Business CEO Catherine Swift contend that "business is at their wits end" and are fleeing the city in droves because they're overtaxed. (Miller, who has ignored the CFIB's repeated requests to meet with him, would not want to hear that!)

The councillors weren't there to hear retired Ryerson professor David Harvey criticize their exorbitant salaries and expense accounts. "It rankles me that they feel they're entitled to it," he said.

They didn't hear retired chartered accountant Russell Oliver knock them for refusing to get the city's house in order. "It is an infuriating attitude," he said. "The presumption is you're going to do it (introduce new taxes) and we're going to suck it up."

They weren't there to see the crowd bristle when asked which revenue tools they'd pick to help accomplish city building initiatives. City resident Tony Dickins, who ran for council last year and lost, asked the crowd who wanted new taxes. Four lone hands went up.

Rod Evans, president of the Ontario Restaurant, Hotel and Motel Association, said the question was borderline insulting. "It's outrageous you would have this meeting to ask us how you'd like to tax us more," he said.

Given the heated opposition of last Monday, I figured Miller would make an effort to turn up at consultations slated for next Tuesday or Thursday.

He was speaking to business leaders in Sarnia yesterday. But his spokesman Stuart Green told me the mayor will be away in New York at a climate change conference next week. He won't attend the final session on May 23, either.

Green went on to say they'd hoped to have "mature, high level discussion" about the revenue tools between the public and city staff. But clearly some -- like the Canadian Taxpayers' Federation, the CFIB and other special interest groups -- chose to hijack Monday night's meeting, he said.

Kevin Gaudet, Ontario director of the CTF , challenged the mayor to attend the rest of the public forums.

"I think he would find an awful lot of people agree with the 'no new taxes mantra,' " he said, adding that it is not simply a fringe right-wing view as the mayor suggested this week.

"This is the mayor's agenda ... the mayor should be at these sessions."