Come On Guys If The Rules Say You Pay You Pay

But at the same time you wonder why this has become an issue at this time. Possibly because the mainstream media and the public have indicated that they support the penny pinching of Ford and are annoyed by the perks of city councilors. And it is no surprise that Mammoliti if one of this influential group along with Mihevic and the mayor pulling their chains.....


Thrifty duo must pay rent
Ford, Holyday must cough up $1,123 for office space
By ZEN RURYK, CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF

An influential group of city councillors took two penny-pinching peers to task yesterday, ordering that each of their office budgets be billed $1,123 in rent for space at the Etobicoke civic centre.

Councillors Rob Ford and Doug Holyday -- who spent less of their $53,100 office budgets than other councillors last year -- have refused to pay city-issued invoices for the use of space at the centre in 2006.

According to city policy, councillors can use their annual office budgets to rent constituency offices. They are charged by the city if they set up shop at a civic centre.

Ford and Holyday have argued rental charges for offices at the civic centre are unwarranted in their cases.

But the city's executive committee yesterday disagreed, ordering that each of their office budgets be billed $1,123.

Committee members also asked the city's integrity commissioner and auditor general to look into violations of city policies which prohibit a councillor from using his own money to pay for office expenditures.

Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti, who raised the rent issue, said that while some councillors adhere to policies regarding office budget expenditures, others choose to go through the "back door" and take advantage of loopholes.

"The reason I'm doing it is because these two are very quick to stand on their feet and talk about fiscal responsibility, and at the same time use constituency offices -- the same as I do or the same as anyone does and have to pay rent for -- free of charge," he said.

Mammoliti said while speaking on the radio, Ford has harshly criticized fellow councillors, referring to them as "frauds and all of us are individuals that abuse the system."

He said he's sick of hearing such things when most councillors adhere to city policies.

Ford, who did not bill anything to his office budget in 2006, said he has never used the space in question at the civic centre as a constituency office, adding the building isn't even located in the area he represents -- Etobicoke North (Ward 2 ).

"It's comical. I don't know what to say. It's so far-fetched, it's absolutely ludicrous," Ford said.

He spends up to $1,000 of his own money each year on such things as stamps and printing cartridges, he said.

Holyday, who was unavailable for comment, has dismissed calls that he uses his office budget to pay for the space as "silly politicking."