Strike-vote no-shows shirked their duties
Councillor Pam McConnell flew in to represent her Ward 28 Toronto Centre-Rosedale constituents from her Florida vacation Friday to cast her "yes" vote on ending the strike.
Where were Gloria Lindsay Luby (Ward 4, Etobicoke Centre), Kyle Rae (Ward 27, Toronto Centre-Rosedale), Giorgio Mammoliti (Ward 7, York West), John Filion (Ward 23, Willowdale) and Howard Moscoe (Ward 15, Eglinton-Lawrence)?
They were marked absent from the most important vote of Mayor David Miller's tenure! Without an appropriate excuse, this is highly disrespectful to both the constituents and democracy itself.
What are they for?
If you are one of the tens of thousands of Torontonians not represented Friday and want to hold them to account, call them today: Mammoliti's number is 416-395-6401, Filion's 416-395-6411, Rae's 416-392-7903, Lindsay Luby's 416-392-1369 and Moscoe's 416-392-4027.
Perhaps ask them what it is they think they do for a living?
Meanwhile, Ward 39 Councillor Mike Del Grande made an excellent point yesterday.
"We need an accounting of all the costs and all the savings of this strike."
TRANSPARENCY
And that includes how much money was spent on workers' "double- and even triple-time" this weekend. He will put forward a motion this week. As the only known chartered accountant on council -- one who isn't on any of the committees where such a skill could prove useful -- Del Grande is looking for transparency.
He, too, wants to know if, and how much, McConnell's plane ticket cost the taxpayer, why unionized workers were clearing garbage at a slower pace by hand instead of by machine and just how the city is going to cover next year's $700-million budget shortfall? Now you know why the socialists don't want the accountant around!
Del Grande is also curious about the silent six and agrees that when you're the boss of an organization, and when you're talking about tens of millions of dollars to be added to the taxpayers' bill, you had better have a good excuse for being absent.
For me, having a booked vacation during a month council doesn't normally meet doesn't cut it because elected public service requires sacrifice and being around when the chips are down and decisions difficult. When the city is on strike, the management doesn't get holidays!
NO EXCUSE
A so-called conflict-of-interest is also an unacceptable absentee excuse since such conflicts are recorded and the member is still at council taking notes for the constituents.
Who knows how this 21-17 vote could have come out!
Other than Cesar Palacio, who did have a personal tragedy, unless there's a justified reason, I believe the five should immediately resign! What vote in the future could possibly be more important?
True, there were some surprising votes -- Councillor Norm Kelly broke ranks with the Miller inside club and voted against settling. Councillor Doug Holyday shocked the opposition he helped lead to vote with the mayor. There are some on the left who feel betrayed by Kelly and others on the right angered by Holyday, who they say pulled the same stunt on the TTC essential-service debate.
But both showed up and voted. There are six elected representatives who didn't bother!
1 comment:
Its a very essential quality for any of the charted accountant that is transparency because it is beneficiary to client as well as charted accountant for its general accounting services
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