Smoke & Mirrors Put Away Until Next Time

Comrade Miller needs to protect his ass and justify his dismal performance......

If only irony were taxable

If fiscal discussions were physical comedy, events in city finance would be the setup for a pratfall.

Playing the part of the banana peel would be taxes, or as the city prefers, "revenue tools."

Fact is, council locked people out of the budget process, declared a $70 million shortfall, then invited them to a series of meetings to ask how they felt about taxes. Any guesses how that ended?

Consultations are often an uncomfortable reminder that there's nothing inherently democratic about democracy per se. The recent public consultations on how to administer new tax powers granted by the City Of Toronto Act proved that democracy, without a transparent bureaucracy and an educated citizenry, rarely survives encounters with large groups of people.

If only irony were taxable.

You had to feel sorry for Chief Financial Officer Joe Pennachetti at the Harbourfront meeting May 7. Most came to rail against price tags on political projects; the only rejoinder Pennachetti could offer was "That was a council decision."

Shelley Carroll, budget chief, and Denzil Minnan-Wong, gadfly, were also in attendance. Carroll ducked out after 45 minutes, though her staff stayed for the rest.

North York resident and council contender Tony Dickins led the tax revolt. "It's presumed that we want new taxes,'' he shouted before demanding a vote on the matter. Insert vociferous boos.

"The perks!'' cried one woman, to applause. "You're doing the perks!'' Pennachetti's sleeping with Councillor Perks? No councillors are getting passes to the zoo and city-owned golf courses. Just think of the dozens in lost revenue. One bloke asked why councillors got new printers. Another questioned the coffee makers. Indeed. Why give them offices?

When someone started shouting about the cost of the Green Lane landfill (a deal, to be fair, parachuted in by the mayor), the optimist in me entertained the fantasy that this was all a burgeoning simple-living movement: "We'll reduce our waste! We'll drive less so road maintenance costs less!" Did I say optimist? I meant lunatic.

By the third meeting at the North York Civic Centre on May 17, both sides are more organized there are photocopies of the mayor's face and postcards reading, "Where's the mayor?'' Conservative leader John Tory is here, and the room is stacked like it's his riding office. The city has brought in public consultation staff to shield financial staff. There's ample question time.

One resident who says he's a consultant offers that he's brought in to do financial "sniff tests'' by his private-sector clients, and he's displeased with a similar test of the city's finances.

"When are you going to get off the hobby horse of 'the province owes us a living, the federal government owes us a living?'"