We need public spaces in Bloor West Village

[attach]3011[/attach]It’s often been said that in politics the fun is in the chase, not necessarily with the catch.

Translated: running for public office gets the adrenalin pumping, but once elected the thankless grunt work begins in earnest.

Effective Dec. 1, when she takes her seat as the new councillor for Ward 13, [url=http://www.mytowncrier.ca/saundercook-defeated-in-ward-13.html]Sarah Doucette[/url] will put that theory to the test.

Contrary to the view of too many voters — and the media that fuels the views — most politicians aren’t layabouts.

The rhythm of their work resembles a merry-go-round of meetings, punctuated by tending to the needs of residents who, every four years, pass judgment on them at the ballot box.

This is especially true with municipal politicians who, besides tending to their political backyard in the form of potholes and speed bumps, must also (ideally) give muscle to city-wide issues by participating on committees that oversee everything from the TTC to sewage disposal, libraries and our parks and arenas, among other departments.

As she ponders all of that, Doucette should consider what her legacy might look like when the day eventually arrives where she either retires or finds herself tossed overboard by voters who fancy an alternate candidate.

Legacy? She’s barely been in office 24 hours and now we add “legacy” to her agenda? Yes. Why not? As Doucette will quickly learn, achievements in local government can grind forward at a glacial pace and it’s never too early to begin work on a signature issue that will likely take years to reach fruition.

In Ward 13, Doucette could do worse than make public spaces her priority. Developers will come and go, our roads will always need winter plowing and it’s inevitable that every week some folks will miss having their garbage picked up.

But creating public spaces is a gift that keeps giving, decade after decade.

Don’t confuse public spaces with green spaces, of which Ward 13 has an abundance: High Park, the Humber River Valley, Rennie Park, assorted neighbourhood parkettes and the western waterfront (if they ever get around to making it people-friendly).

The kind of public space that Ward 13 lacks is the kind that’s built with bricks-and-mortar. Swansea, with its historic town hall and multi-purpose community centre, is the local exception.

But look elsewhere in this part of west Toronto and one’s hard pressed to identify anything that resembles the kind of place where people gather under one roof (church basements, excepted). A wonderful opportunity was missed to provide this sort of public space a few years back when Runnymede library was given a nip-and-tuck but not the face lift that should have included a community centre.

Opportunities to fix this shortfall may present themselves under Doucette’s watch. How much longer the Runnymede Road fire station remains active is an open question. It could be renovated to accommodate community space.

Then there’s the big enchilada: the Turner and Porter funeral home property that stretches from Windermere Avenue to Willard Avenue along Bloor Street. Before the property falls into the clutches of the development industry and its plans for – wait! – another condo project, there should be a full public debate on the merits of transforming this site into a public square and community centre.

Regrettably, public spaces are scarce in Toronto. Doucette could help change that, starting in Bloor West Village.