The Election Should Be About Specifics Not Issues..

...and I would add my favorites;

* reduce the number of councilors
*term limits
* recall legislation
* zero base budgeting
* consequences of not meeting budget; ie: termination.

Our issue with Toronto's 2010 election

By SUN MEDIA Elections have a tendency to go off the rails when it comes to the issues.

My top 10 election issues

By SUE-ANN LEVY, TORONTO SUN

There's no doubt 2010 is a critical year for Toronto.

With the city's books a mess, its long-term debt verging on $3 billion, the reserve funds near bone dry and a bailout unlikely, October's election should be a tipping point.

Yet I sense a real disconnect among the voting populace from their city government. Maybe it was the 39-day civic strike or the idea that they're paying much more with little to show for it. But voters are fed up and they feel powerless.

This election should not be about which candidate has the nicest hair or the biggest broom. If the mayoralty candidates -- and would-be councillors -- want to engage voters, they'd better be prepared to articulate the real issues facing this city.

Here are the Top 10 Issues I feel should be front and centre in 2010:

- MONEY: Or the lack of it is the No. 1 issue. Officials have got to start thinking creatively about how to finance the city's huge infrastructure needs through more private/public financing or selling off whole parts of businesses (Enwave or even the TTC) to the private sector. The mayor's 40-year debt scheme should be revisited. There is plenty of fat at City Hall. I would hive off entire programs the city can no longer afford starting with the mayor's Environment Office.

- BACK TO BASICS: The city is in far too many businesses it shouldn't be while our roads, bridges and watermains crumble right out from under us. City Hall can no longer afford to fund everything. It's time for our officials to start talking priorities.

- TRANSIT: The TTC is not at all equipped to manage a huge project like Transit City. I am not assured by the contentions that lessons have been learned from the $100-million-plus St. Clair right-of-way fiasco and am concerned the same problems will be repeated. Talk must centre on tendering out the work to the private sector and to possibly having Metrolinx manage the project.

- THE WAR ON CARS: Another look should be taken at the scheme to add bike lanes on Jarvis St. Taking out the middle lane is a recipe for traffic chaos. Officials should be prepared to defend each new bike lane proposal as one that can safely accommodate all users of the road.

- GARBAGE: Is the plan to get to a 70% diversion rate by 2012 -- at any cost -- a realistic one? I think not. Should incineration technology be revisited? After all, it is being used all over Europe.

- CLEANING UP THE CITY: I don't mean with David Miller's broom. Despite the clumsy new street furniture and the automation of the litter-picking function, too many streets are still strewn with garbage. Why is it so difficult to get the city to clean up its act?

- MAKING THE CITY MORE BUSINESS-FRIENDLY: Businesses and jobs have left the GTA in droves. Small businesses have encountered more red tape and more bylaws than ever under the City of Toronto Act. How can that trend be reversed?

- MANAGING CITY HALL: City Hall has become a growth industry under Miller's watch. There are too many employees doing too little, making wages far exceeding those in the private sector. Entire fiefdoms have emerged to tackle all of Miller's pet issues. I want to hear what the candidates have to say about outsourcing and making the powerful unions bid competitively for city services like garbage pickup and parks maintenance.

- TACKLING AGGRESSIVE PANHANDLERS AND GRAFFITI: The current regime has failed miserably on both fronts and more petty crimes have resulted. Some tough love is required.

- HOMELESS MONEY PIT: Is the city's current emphasis on bricks and mortar -- not-so -affordable housing projects that are consistently over-budget -- the right way to go? I'm not convinced.

SUE-ANN.LEVY@SUNMEDIA.CA