,,,,Attack, Attack

Miller time? Pass the Pepto

Mayor's state of the city address a spin-fest, but business crowd is too polite to heckle

By SUE-ANN LEVY

For all the happy talk oozing from Mayor David Miller to Toronto's business community late last week, you'd think his regime was on the verge of turning this city into Utopia -- and not the Dystopian environment I've witnessed at Socialist Silly Hall.

You'd think His Blondness actually had a vision for the city during these recessionary times instead of choosing to spend, spend, spend more on pet projects and unionized workers; tax, tax, tax the city's beleaguered homeowners, drivers and garbage bin users and bleeding more reserve funds dry -- leaving the city in a highly unsustainable financial position next year.

You'd think he actually valued Toronto's small and large business leaders in Toronto instead of selectively courting only the academics who speak in the same elitist tongues as him about the "creative class" and the very deep-pocketed developers (he once insisted had close ties with his predecessor Mel Lastman) by giving them a two-year fee freeze.

In fact, as he laughingly told the media after his lengthy speech to a crowd of 300 very polite business people at the annual Board of Trade luncheon, he tried to "speak to the partnership" that exists between the city and the business community and how they'll work together to ensure the city succeeds.

Huh? Partnership, what partnership? It's do as I say or you're on King David's black list. And he does have a long memory -- when it suits him.

From all his braggadocio that day, you'd think Miller actually had a warm and fuzzy relationship with the Board of Trade, conveniently forgetting that at an executive committee meeting two weeks ago he rudely dumped on president and CEO Carol Wilding for daring not to kiss the ground on which he walks for (slowly) decreasing the tax rate for businesses.

COUNCIL RAISES INTACT

You'd think he actually felt sorry for -- as he put it -- the people who have "lost their jobs or had their work hours cut back" conveniently forgetting how he slapped all of them in the face last week by making sure his greedy lapdogs get to keep their 2.4% raises and their $53,100 expense accounts this year.

"As mayor, I believe strongly we have a larger responsibility to do everything possible to see that nobody gets left behind," he told the crowd. "That means no individual, no family and no business that requires the services of their city government will be ignored."

Geez, please hand me the Pepto-Bismol.

Indeed, Miller was in full spin mode that day.

He told the crowd he responded to the looming recession last December by announcing a number of "pre-emptive initiatives" to help individuals and families -- freezes on TTC fares and on garbage fees. He also said (insert drumroll here) the city's 4% residential tax hike this year is "lower than most GTA towns and cities."

Excuse me for daring to question Miller, but we can hardly consider the property tax hike in isolation given all the other creative ways he's raided our pockets.

As for the new garbage tax, it just kicked in on Nov. 1, 2008. It would have been beyond nervy for even Miller to announce an increase in the 2009 budget.

Miller also boasted Toronto currently has "more cranes than Chicago, Boston, Houston, L.A. and Calgary combined" thanks to his development fee freeze.

But when asked how he knew our cranes outnumbered the other cities, he claimed it was based on information from the city's economic development department. Typically, he had no figures to back up his contentions.

But here's the real nosestretcher. King David claimed that all of his regime's hard work is "getting noticed" -- with Toronto ranked "near the top" of numerous worldwide studies as a "safe, liveable and culturally diverse big city."

DILAPIDATED SIDEWALKS

World class city, my foot. To be honest, I was embarrassed to walk along Queen St. with my partner's cousins who were visiting from Tel Aviv last week. We couldn't move a metre without noticing cracks in the dilapidated sidewalks, huge potholes and ruts beside the streetcar tracks.

As for the crowd who attended last week's luncheon, notice how I described them as polite during the mayor's speech and equally professional in their questioning afterwards.

I only wish the mayor and his minions could behave as professionally as the audience -- some of whom were no doubt left wincing as I was with all of the mayor's happy talk.

SUE-ANN.LEVY@SUNMEDIA.CA