This past year, residents like you formed the largest spontaneous grassroots movement in recent memory – the Burlington Save Our Waterfront campaign. More than 2000 people from across the city joined the campaign to ask city council to rethink their plans to put highrise buildings on our waterfront East of Brant.
Challenges cut across issues
But those of us involved in Save Our Waterfront quickly realized the challenges we faced getting councillors to listen and respond to our concerns are not unique to our campaign. Citizens like you from across the city have faced these same challenges when you’ve spoken out on an issue in your own neighborhood, whether it’s the loss of greenspace to development, a stadium being built in your backyard, increased traffic on your street, or a highrise going up across the street.
Change needed
You’ve often learned about issues in your neighborhood far too late in the process to meaningfully influence change. But when you faithfully attend a community meeting to voice your concerns, you’re told nothing can be done, or worse, you’re accused of being a narrow-mind NIMBY or over-wrought fear-monger.
Those of us who have advocated for our community have all been there. These are just some of the systemic problems at City Hall, and unless there is change, we’ll continue to be thwarted when we ask for meaningful public input on issues in our city before decisions are made.
What must change, and how we can do it
You’ve been asking for better public engagement and accountability on decision-making, better protection for our downtown and waterfront, and better control on spending. You’re concerned about the impact of population growth on our city, and the pressures to develop in ways that threaten the unique character of our city. You’re worried about increased traffic, and increased taxes. You care about our city and want to be involved, but you’ve got a day job, and often a night job, as a parent or caregiver.
You’ve been asking for regular, brief and easy to understand communications that let you know what’s happening and how you can shape decisions before they’re set in stone. You’ve been asking for a commitment to your vision to protect the character of our community as our population grows. You’ve been asking for strong leadership to set strategic priorities and keep spending in line so we’re not at the mercy of development dollars to keep us afloat.
In 2010, you have an opportunity to vote for the change you’ve been asking for, by supporting the movement to elect Marianne Meed Ward for Ward 2 City/Regional Councillor.
My commitment to you is to put my passion for this community, and my experience in communications, business management and strategic governance to work for better public engagement and accountability on decision-making, better protection for our downtown and waterfront, and better control on spending.
As the campaign progress in the weeks leading up to the Oct. 25 vote, watch this space for more specifics on how we can achieve these goals. It starts now – leave a comment about what you’d like to see at City Hall, and how you think we can make it happen – together.
One Comment
Good policies, Marianne.
I founded the Halton Taxpayers Coalition in 1991 when tax increases were in double digits. Neil Howie is now in process of re-founding it.
One – only one – of my hoped-for policies always has been to run-down our debt.
There is absolutely no reason we must always have debt. Debt is for big, non-recurring expenses (like a house in the case of a family). But with a City, if it isn’t the pier, it’s the arts centre; if it isn’t the arts centre it’s the N.E. library-rec centre; if it isn’t that it’s something else. EVERY CITY ALWAYS HAS BIG CAPITAL PROJECTS. Neither you nor I knows what the biggie will be in 2025; all we know is THAT THERE WILL BE ONE.
Hazel McCallion says: If we don’t have the money, we don’t buy it.
The secret is sinking funding, supported by present-value accounting and budgeting for oncoming life-cycle costs. We don’t do this. The “cost” of the n.e. rec centre was estimated as $25M: the life-cycle present value cost was closer to $36M, which we’re paying now – look at the current budget. Yes, we needed the rec centre; but no, we didn’t need to kid ourselves that the cost would be $25M when it was (and is turning out to be more than) $36M for which we have left succeeding generations to pay.
No, we can’t suddenly pay off our debt. But we CAN set a policy to retire more than we incur, every year, plus adopting sinking-funding for oncoming majors.
Marianne, any candidate who promises to tackle debt, in today’s G20-ambient, will pull in a lot of votes.
I’ll be routing this to Neil Howie and he, I know, is gearing-up for the fall elections.
I’d be interested in your comments.
Best,
F.