Ford wins on key appointments
[attach]3125[/attach]Mayor Rob Ford got a key win today at city hall as the councillors he’s hand-picked for key committees were approved by council.
But the 39-6 decision to endorse the slate with some [url=https://streeter.ca/small-changes-made-to-rob-fords-committee-choices.html]minor amendments[/url] did not come easily.
Some complained none of the 12 councillors Toronto-East York community council area were appointed to serve on key committees including the executive, TTC, budget, police services board or Toronto Community Housing.
The make-up of the mayor’s 13 member Executive, for example, includes five Scarborough reps, three from North York, three from Etobicoke and two from York. Of the nine councillors on the TTC, none represent downtown.
Several politicians argued that these committees and other boards should include not just different ideologies but a geographical representation from all corners of the city.
“There are practical issues about how to make the city functional that require input from people (politicians) from different corners of the city,” Councillor Adam Vaughan told the media this afternoon. “Because different corners of the city are built differently.
“There is no ideological argument about which time of day you pick garbage, but there are practical reasons why you pick it up in Kensington (Market) and not at a certain time in Scarborough,” he added. “If you don’t have a cross section of people weighing in on city wide issues you lose that intelligence.”
Beaches-East York Councillor Janet Davis also pointed out that today’s appointments not only lack geographical balance, but also gender balance as none of the mayor’s picks to chair seven key committees is a woman.
Councillor Michael Thompson, the new chair of the economic development committee, argued the mayor tried to please councillors with their first and second picks for appointments.
“It’s a new day … but that doesn’t mean everyone gets what they want. That’s not how the world works,” the Scarborough councillor said during the debate today.
Here are some of the Ford’s key appointments that were approved today:
Standing Committee Chairs:
Public Works and Infrastructure — Denzil Minnan-Wong (Ward 34, Don Valley East)
Licensing and Standards — Cesar Palacio (Ward 17, Davenport)
Planning and Growth Management — Peter Milczyn (Ward 5, Etobicoke-Lakeshore)
Government Management — Paul Ainslie (Ward 43, Scarborough East)
Parks and Environment — Norm Kelly (Ward 40, Scarborough-Agincourt)
Economic Development — Michael Thompson (Ward 37, Scarborough Centre)
Community Development and Recreation — Giorgio Mammoliti (Ward 7, York West)
At-large members of the Executive Committee:
Jaye Robinson (Ward 25, Don Valley West), Michelle Berardinetti (Ward 35, Scarborough Southwest), David Shiner (Ward 23, Willowdale) and Mike Del Grande (Ward 39, Scarborough-Agincourt). Deputy Mayor and chair of the Striking Committee — Doug Holyday (Ward 3, Etobicoke Centre).
To find out what committees, agencies, boards and commissions each councillor asked to be on, [url=http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2011/st/bgrd/backgroundfile-34104.pdf]click here[/url]. And to find out what the Striking Committee recommended based on Ford’s picks, [url=http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2011/st/bgrd/backgroundfile-34188.pdf]click here[/url].
