Keeping an eye on Council

Thank You

2010-10-26T11:56:00.001-04:00

The election has come and the election has gone. To all I thank you for taking the time out to vote, inform your self and check out my little blog. Also I would like to give congrats to Nancy for winning her second term and for Greg for a good showing out his first time. Londoners are going to have a different council for the next four years and its nice to see that we have a new mayor and hopefully we will be moving in the right direction.

As to what I shall do now that this is over, perhaps I shall keep an eye out on council and continue my blog. Perhaps I shall enjoy not having to do a survey every other day. One thing I will enjoy is that now that the election is over I have more time to spend with my loved ones and perhaps keep my doctor happy by not going out and about all the time.

So here is hoping that at some point we will beat our streak of voter apathy and here is to hoping that we shall keep a closer eye on our elected officials and expect results not just promises.

Thank you again for your support and taking the time out to read.

Bob Howard

Like Sand Through The Hour Glass

2010-10-24T22:24:00.001-04:00

Today marks the day of our 2010 election here in London. It has be an interesting one at that , with many statements, promises and lack there of. By the end of the 25th we will know who will form our council and who will be our mayor. We must make sure that we take full advantage of our ability to vote and ensure that London and Londoners are going to be taken care of properly. To ensure that we have a city that is open for business, that takes care of its students and seniors alike. That does not just promise to spend your tax dollars properly but actually does it. This is not the time for promises or studies or even pilot programs. This is the time for action and results. We have been sorely lacking that for many years and if we do not get out there and vote , we will suffer the same for four more. When London has over 50 thousand people living below the poverty line, where there is one in three children going to school hungry, when our unemployment is at another high, taxes raised and spending going unchecked. This is the legacy that our current council has left us, these are the results of the ineffectiveness of our horse shoe. Pilot programs do nothing to fix these issues, metal trees do nothing to fix these issues and protecting a bridge or a boat do nothing to help us. Enough is enough. We can ill afford another four years with our current council. We can no longer suffer the effects of ineffective government. We must turn to ourselves and our innovation to take London back to the top. Being average is no longer good enough. I expect more from our city and I expect more from our local government. If you feel like I do and want to end this status quo then your choice is clear.

Vote and make a difference. Vote and stop this status quo.

Vote Bob Howard.

And So The Story Goes….

2010-10-22T21:44:00.001-04:00

As we sit here the weekend before the fateful or happy day of October 25th, I am wondering if we can shake off the apathy that plagues us election after election. I have heard our politicians tell us that London ranks in the top ten in a study, that we are tops in another study. Yet, these same politicians tell us that London is on average in regards to voter turn out, property taxes, etc, etc. How can they expect up to believe that we are both tops and average at the same time? We’re are only tops if it benefits what they are saying and when faced with the negative aspect they state that average is great.

Recently we have had unemployment statistics come out and guess what? Yep, it was raised again. Then another study comes out in regards to sewer run off. You got it we’re in top 3 for that. Now a recent study was released in regards to entrepreneurship for business. Sadly yet again we’re ranked way down the list. Not the top ten or even the top 50 out of 100. But 77th out of 100. CFIB Study.

Our current crop of council has shown a complete lack of understanding in regards to the serious issues Londoners are facing daily. They have proven how out of touch they are in regards to the direction London has been heading. We need strong leadership and a council that is devoted to bringing London back to the top of lists that matter. Lower unemployment, lower taxes, lower crime and being open for business for all of Canada and the world for that matter.

We only have one shot at changing directions once every four years and our shot is coming up on Monday. Take the time this weekend and think if the direction London is heading is the direction you want to go. Show what happens to those that fail in performing the deeds of the city. On October 25th help raise the unemployment up by removing the ineffective councillors. Lets make sure that those that do get the job , do the job they are expected to perform.

On October 25th vote Bob Howard. We will get back to work as a city and head into the right direction as a city.

Lions, Tigers and Bears Oh My

2010-10-15T09:41:00.001-04:00

As we come down to the home stretch of this 2010 election the only thing I can hope is that Londoners can overcome their voter apathy and turn out in droves to end this status quo. Too long have we sat back and allowed what is essentially ineffective government control the course London has been on. We have allowed this to happen by sitting back and letting the minority vote in the majority. We have allowed the metal trees, the property tax increases, the wasteful spending and so forth. Even though our elected officials were the ones that enacted these plans and spending, we are as much at fault by not taking advantage of one of our strongest rights. The ability to vote. This is the time that we as a people can shape our home city. We can decide what we want our city to become. But we need to vote in order to make the change.

From the students who live here for three quarters of the year, to the single family dwellers, to the retired seniors in our city. Every one has a right and a need to vote. Just because you only go to school here does not mean that our elected officials do not impact your lifestyle. They decide housing issues, transit, taxes that effect your rent, and of course they ever important employment sector when you graduate or even for the part time job that is needed to make ends meet. For the seniors who the city determines your transit abilities , your rent, your ability to afford your home with year after year of property tax increases, to the infrastructure effecting our sewer and water capabilities to the roads we drive on. For the family units where the city controls the development of new neighbourhoods, shopping centers, property taxes in order to guide your decision in where you live to our essential services police, fire, ambulance and garbage pick up.

We all have a hand to play in this and we are all effected as a city. The statement that my vote doesn’t matter because nothing ever changes is a played out excuse. By not taking an interest in that which effects your life the most is a frightful way of thinking. Our council has shown us their ineffectiveness in regards to making our lives better. We need to show them that we have had enough. I want nothing more than to see London reach the heights it once was at again. Bring property taxes down, stop the wasteful spending, stop the needless bylaws creating a nanny state, focus on the citizens from young to old and treat Londoners for what we are, a city of diverse people who have great capabilities and great dreams.

Unlike Dorothy, we will not wake up and realize that this has all been a bad dream. On October 25th we need to make our own statement and vote.

Vote Bob Howard on October 25th and stop our politicians living in the land of OZ.

The Day the Earth Stood Still

2010-10-13T11:51:00.001-04:00

As we come down the last 12 days of the election promises, speeches, campaigning we are faced with either a tough choice or an easy one.

On October 25th we have to decide either that the status quo as of late has been good for London or it needs to change. Are you content with tax increases every year, wasteful spending, bloated bureaucracy, a council that follows the beat of the minority drum and by law after by law. If you have answered yes to the above questions then your choice is already made and hence it’s an easy one. On the other hand if you have said enough is enough then you are left with multiple choices. An incumbent has always had the upper hand in regards to the elections due to the fact they have name recognition already. The other candidates always have an uphill battle. Now in some wards there may be two other choices or many more as we have seen with this years turn out of candidates. From there we need to extrapolate who would be the better candidate to help guide London to where your personally think we should be heading. Now over the last couple of weeks I have posted my thoughts and ideas on this here blog. I hope you have read them and I hope that I have portrayed my thoughts properly to you.

This election is so important in so many ways. With Board of Control gone and the city trying to get out of an economic recession we need to focus on proper spending, taxes that make sense, job creation and retaining our youth in our city. We need to make sure the London not only gets stronger in the coming years but becomes a leader to other cities. We need to stop the bickering in council chambers, we need leadership and obtainable goals. We need to stop focusing on what is the popular issue of the day and focus on the issues of London as a whole. We need to create a city of neighbourhoods, business and schools. We need to show the students that we support them now and in the future. We need to show our seniors that they can enjoy their twilight years without fear of not affording their homes. We need to show our families that you can raise your kids here in safe parks and educated them in the best schools around. We need to show our investors that London is a place not only for business but for innovation. In order to obtain these realistic goals we need to stop council on their current course of spend spend spend without getting value for our dollar.

On October 25th send a strong message to council. Say enough is enough.

Vote Bob Howard and let’s get to work.

Rogers 13 Debate

2010-10-12T01:06:00.001-04:00

For all those that are interested and are rogers@home subscribers. The following link will take you to the debate held at the Convention Centre.

Ward 6 Candidates

Trick or Treat?

2010-10-12T00:48:00.001-04:00

Tis the month of October and soon two scary days will be upon us. Both require costumes, both require going to peoples houses and asking favours, both expect to get treats. But, only one ends that night and the other lasts for four years.

I believe strongly that a change is needed in city hall, and needed quickly. Too long have we let the status quo go on and with dire consequences at that. We need to get the focus back on London, back on the problems we are facing today and also plan for the future so as not to be in the position we are in now. We need to bring in viable employment opportunities, we need to focus on keeping our youth in this city, we need to focus on not wasting tax payers dollars year after year. We need a council that is like minded in the pursuit of bring London back to being the example other cities follow. We need to listen to the complaints of our citizens, the lack of jobs, the high taxes and lack of leadership. This is what needs to change.

For too long we have allowed our current crop of council play the trick or treat game on us. It’s time to say enough is enough. Sometimes its easier to rebuild then it is to restore. So lets send that message, you had your shot, you had your chance. Sorry but we are not impressed with the results.

On October 25th its time Londoners got the treat instead of getting the trick.

Vote Bob Howard and lets get back to work.

And so the story goes

2010-10-08T14:07:00.001-04:00

As the countdown becomes closer to the deadline of October 25th we are faced with several questions that must be addressed when placing ones vote. Has your current council performed adequately, have they represented the ward properly, have they stayed the course of their promises. This upcoming election sees the Board of Control leaving and councillors taking on new responsibilities in regards to full city issues. As there will now be an executive committee in regards to the budget, not only does your councillor have to have a good grasp on the issues facing the wards, but, they must also have a good grasp on whole city issues. As of late they have let slide the task force deadline in regards to council pay raises, even though the task force was given a deadline in June when the task force was formed. Again this is the way council works, in regards to a major issue they will sooner allow deadlines to slide so as to not facing any bad press before an election. In ward 6 we are facing several issues: traffic problems, student integration, taxes, environmental and infrastructure. In regards to the taxation problem we are told that it is IMPOSSIBLE to have a 0% property tax freeze. Yet, with the cities current 100k club membership we are footing the bill of over $31 million dollars a year in salary and benefits to the current 269 members. We are told that a 0% tax freeze will GUT our essential services. GUT? In order to have a 0% property tax freeze we need to find approx $12 million dollars in savings. As we are paying $31 million in salary to those 269 members have we seen a gutting of our essential services? No, this is nothing more than council members saying don’t look over here focus on the mistruth I’m telling you. This is a common practice of our current members of council they use sleight of hand tricks best suited for a Las Vegas strip magician.

We are a student town, like it or not there are over 25 thousand students in this city at any given time. This amounts to millions of dollars in revenue to our fair city. How do we treat this type of income? By white washing most students in the media and the horseshoe. By portraying them as partying drunkards who do nothing more than destroy neighbourhoods. Bylaw after Bylaw are being enacted in order to curtail their activities, living arrangements, parking and livelihoods. Again here comes the sleight of hand…..Town and Gown committee. The city councils way of saying we respect our students.

We are told that our city is an age friendly city. Yet, as our population ages we are doing very little to bring in the next generation. Be it with viable full time employment opportunities, improving small business practices, business taxation, city taxation, proper transit systems. The list goes on. We can not just be a ‘age friendly’ city if we just allow the city population to stagnate. We need to make sure that 10 years, 20 years from now we are still ‘age friendly’ for the next generation and the generation after. Too long has council suffered from short sightedness in regards to the programs it implements.

On October 25th make sure you don’t fall for another sleight of hand trick. Make sure you realize the issues and what your current elected official has done and what they are promising to do. Remember you can always lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.

Vote Bob Howard and let’s get back to work.

So It Cost How Much Again?

2010-10-07T09:56:00.001-04:00

The above chart is London’s 100k Club. In the last four years we have added almost 200 people to that list at a cost of $31.3 million dollars. When in 2006 we had only 71 on the list at a cost of $8.9 million dollars. An increase of almost $23 million dollars per year just in salary and benefits. To put that in to perspective our esteemed council is telling us in order to have a 0% tax freeze we need to save 90 million dollars over the next four years. Now keep in mind that number is not set in stone and it also includes the water and sewer charges. The odd part is that if the 100k club keeps growing the way it has in the last four years , London is going to have to find a lot more than 90 million dollars. Here’s some other interesting figures to note.

- The LEDC recommended $1 million towards the video game industry project, council though voted to spend $5 million

- The first 32 metal trees came at a cost of approx. $200,000 paid for by the LBDA. Note though that the LBDA is funded by mandatory fees collected from downtown merchants.

- The UFORE tree counting report cost $255,000

- Springbank dam original budget was $4.2 million to be shared by all three levels of government. Last total on the project was $6.8 million dollars a 60% increase. Due to a failed test another $4.5 million to repair, coming up to $11.3 million dollars or almost 170% over budget

- The biotechnology industry forgiven $600,000 in back taxes

- Ambassador London, $2 dollar rent downtown, $100,000 salt dome beautification , even without the beautification the project will cost $342,000 more than originally budgeted, loans to Orchestra London even though it was recommended it was not a good investment, and so forth and so forth

So remember next time your incumbent comes to your door and says vote for me I’ve done a good job so far and I support value for tax dollars, remember what I showed you was just a drop in the bucket.

If your happy with the last four years and reckless spending then stay the course. If you have had enough then vote Bob Howard on October 25th, and let’s get back on track.

Keeping up with the Joneses

2010-10-05T14:15:00.001-04:00

Ever wonder why our esteemed council always looks at other cities to see how they can spend more or claim their worth more? Yet, they never look at them and say….oh so you can save money by doing that, or, wow their citizens seem happy.

Our council has a bad case of the Jones’. Always wanting what the neighbour has but not wanting to put in the hours or the effort to achieve it. As of late they have been talking about a pay increase. So they do what they always do, form a committee to review the situation. Then as always the committee needs more time to what they were tasked to do within a time limit. But we’ll over look that. Then the council will grant them more time so as to avoid an election question if they voted for a raise. By voting for the raise after the election they have four years for the population to forget about it. Now make no mistake they’ll vote a raise now that there is no Board of Control. They’ll come up with reasons such as we have more of a work load now, we have to go to more meetings and committees, sit on more boards, etc etc. First up, raise. Second up, full time pay. Of course if one is working full time then one must have full time staff and support. Per chance will the support staff be made up of the wonderful people who form these citizens groups and committees? The same committees that need more time, more money, more this or that.

Without the Board of Control the city will save over $600,000 over the next four years. What ever shall we do with that money….oh wait we can use it to top up our salaries of the new council. Every time there is an opportunity for restraint or saving the horseshoe passes by. The provincial uploading money for Social Services that is not needed? Oh we spent that next year. If our council can not restrain themselves for their own personal income how can we expect them to restrain for the city budget?

How often have we read the paper and stated they get paid what ? for doing what? and shook our heads. With over 250 100k members on city staff and a spending plan that makes no sense to the regular citizens, how can we allow this to happen for the next four years? Especially when the council members are going to make up the ‘Executive Committee”.

It’s time to realize that the Jones’ worked hard and performed well to have what they have. Perhaps we should expect the same of our council.

October 25th vote Bob Howard and help stop this one upmanship.

The Greatest Show On Earth....or London

2010-10-04T09:47:00.000-04:00

Come one , come all and see sights that will amaze and astound you. Hear tales that will take you to another world, and see people that seem almost other worldly. Or as the locals refer to it….City Hall.
It’s that time of election when the smoke and mirror shows come out in full force. The skills of double speak and sleight of hand becomes almost second nature to these combatants. All this effort for what you may ask? Why another four years of ‘service’ to the population of London. But let us take a trip down memory lane and see what ‘service’ we Londoners have received by these great showmen/women of the three ring on Dufferin Ave.

Now if I was to comment on all at City Hall, I am probably sure I could fill a small novel. So instead I shall focus on my opponent in Ward 6. Now one of the main issues raised was value for taxes. Now the value seems to have many definitions depending on who is using it. Is value saying that a tax freeze is impossible? Is value saying that starting a pilot project green bin program at this time is wise, even though it would add six million dollars to next years budget?, that even though Londoner’s want a tax freeze 71% of councils recorded votes since 2006 have been in favour of increased taxes and spending. Is this the definition of value you remember as a kid? Water and sewer surcharges where the delivery fee is sometimes more than the usage fee? The fact that fair property value assessment seems to be a magical unicorn in this city. Always talked about but never seen. Supporting the water , sewer and infrastructure seems to be a fairly easy statement to make. The trick though is how much do you want to spend of taxpayers money to come up with a support you feel acceptable with.

Continuing to preserve , enhance and protect our trees, parks and pathways also seems like a fairly easy stance to make. How many politicians are going to say burn the parks down, chop down the trees for fire wood? But as always what they don’t mention is that in order to do this we will increase spending without the revenue to back it up. As always to spend money you have to have money. Where does the money come from? They like to use fancy words like uploading funds etc etc. The reality is whether it comes from Federal, Provincial or Municipal it is still OUR tax dollars. We need to have healthy investments in this city in order to have a healthy plan for preservation and enhancement. Or do we just end up with metal trees and tell our kids this is what our parks used to look like. We can ill afford to keep spending when we are not bringing in the revenue. Councils answer? Why of course….RAISE TAXES AGAIN.

Nancy represents Ward 6 which is where the University of Western Ontario calls home. She comments constantly about her Town and Gown committee which is her way of showing support for students. Yet, she wants to enact more bylaws to regulate and govern them. She has rode with local police officers to stop student parties. She wants to hire more by law enforcement officers (again value for taxes?). Essential she is stating that the students are great for the city as long as they are seen and not heard. As long as they stay in their corner and only come out when asked. With the economic down turn enacting a bylaw that restricts room mates makes no fiscal sense. Restricting parking without solution also is a brain scratcher. By not first coming up with solutions to the problems, she feels that the best way to solve them is through aggressive enforcement, regulation and segregation. This solves nothing except sending a strong message, you can come and study but please don’t stay here. Which as history has shown us is very common. We must learn to adjust to modern times, modern students and modern economic fiscal reality. With the cost of tuition going up, the cost of living going up and jobs going down, it becomes harder for students to survive..let alone survive without sharing costs. Becoming a ‘Nanny” state does nothing to help this situation, what it does do is cost more and more to enforce with little to no return on investment. Value for taxes right?

Where is the real talk. Where are the real solutions to real problems? Where? I can tell you where there not. City Council. All this talk about fiscal responsibility with no checks and balances. Talk of an impossible tax freeze without cutting essential services. Yet, they are willing to spend more and more on pilot projects and outside research firms. This election will be one without a board of control, and as we have been told council will form the executive committee and be in place for the four years. With the track record they have do you want them to have that much control over the budget? We need to stop this and get back on track. We need to stop the out of control spending. We need to get council back to reality and quit the three ring circus. In order to do this we need to vote out those that have have become to comfortable with the chair they are in. We need to change the core of our council that has increase spending and taxes with no end in sight.

On October 25th vote Bob Howard and help stop this circus and get us back on track.

The sky is falling

2010-09-18T14:35:00.002-04:00

Is the sky falling? Are we facing anarchy on the streets? No we are just talking about a tax freeze. Most people have been confusing the term freeze with the word cuts. Current council members have been throwing around the total of $90 million dollars as the amount that would need to be found over four years in order to accommodate this tax freeze. But how are they coming up with this number? The current rate of property taxes has been increasing on average of 2-3% per year, now during this time they have been slowly hiding another tax with the increase of water and sewer rates at 7-8% per year. The city of London is a billion dollar corporation and as such it seems that the checks and balances are no longer functioning. We have been told time and again that in order to provide a 0% tax FREEZE that essential services would be cut and people would suffer. It’s hard to believe that we need to accept this fear mongering in order to allow the current council to continue with its current spending practices. $160 thousand for metal trees, another $100 thousand for making a salt dome pretty and so on and so on. Are we to accept that every tax dollar is being spent to it’s best value with spending like this? I would hope not. With everyone dealing with cost increases from hydro, gas, food, etc , we have to make due with less. We still pay our rent, buy our groceries , we just do without the extras if we can not afford them at this time. Yet our city council is saying that it is an impossibility to make do next year with the same amount of money they had this year. This is what they have said for the last ten years no matter what the economy was like. Massive lay offs, plant closings, economic down turns and still the city says no we cannot cut back at all without massive suffering to existing services. Is this an acceptable way of thinking? If it is, then you must be happy with the current conditions of London and the current council. We have reached new highs in unemployment, crime and social service programs. This is the legacy our current council has bequeathed us. Yet we are expected to accept it and move on.
So not only can our city not cutback in spending, they also feel this incredible need to force more regulation down our throats. By law after by law with no rhyme or reason. We shall not have stacked parking, but we cannot park over night. The solution they don’t know , we must come up with one. We have students residing in houses with more than four non related occupants in order to absorb costs. The city’s response? We need a by law to stop that from happening. The solution for the students now? We must figure it out. Too long has our current council been out of touch with the real problems Londoners are facing. They sit back and enjoy their sense of accomplishments by figuring out new pilot projects and bylaws they can place their name to. Or the best is when they feel this constant need to compare us to other cities and look for outside solutions to our local problems. When did we lose track of who we are? When did our council lose track of who they represent? When do we stop this from continuing?
This coming election we have a new situation that we have never faced before. Only one city wide elected representative. From now on our councillors will be sitting on the budget committee and making plans for the city as a whole. These are the same councillors who enact inane bylaw after bylaws, the same councillors that want a pilot project in regards to everything, the same councillors that need outside research firms to come up with local solutions, the same councillors that say a tax freeze is an impossibility. These are the same councillors that say they work full time for us. When is the last time you felt like your city was working for you? Too long we have been working for them. Make a change on October 25th, make a difference. Let’s get this city back on track. Vote Bob Howard Ward 6.

I would walk 1000 miles

2010-08-29T15:14:00.002-04:00

Lets take a look at the past week here in London. The stories I have read have made me shake my head very, very hard. The LTC is asking the City of London for $500,000 for a pilot project involving rerouting the buses off of Dundas Street. The reasoning behind this is to see if they can remove the congestion from the downtown corridor. Yet the congestion from downtown is not buses but people. Moving the buses will do nothing in regards to that. The other issue I have in regards to this is that during the sink hole that hit our core, the buses had to be rerouted anyways. So we already have a timeline in which to look at the effects of the LTC running on King Street and Queen Street , without having to spend $500,000 of taxpayers money. Perhaps they just did not pay any attention during the sink hole to see if there was a positive effect of removing the buses off of Dundas Street. If you recall the only time Dundas and Richmond were uncongested was during the LTC strike. In effect the LTC strike that stopped bringing people to the corridor of downtown resulted in a massive loss of revenue for the stores and restaurants. So, no buses downtown equals bad for business. Moving the buses to King and Queen Street changes nothing in regards to congestion. Why do we need to spend half a million dollars again?

Meanwhile back at the horseshoe. City councillors are again pushing for full-time status, which will be followed by a push for full-time pay. According to a ‘citizens group’ study , Councillors are working an average of 41 hours per week in regards to City business. Now we don’t know who the group is that did the study, nor do we know what it is that Councillors are doing for 41 hours per week. We are just to assume that it is actual work that is of benefit to the citizens of London. Though as past history has shown us its more likely they were coming up with another flavour of the week pilot project. Or another how can we compare London to another city plan.
As the current council will be changing drastically after the upcoming election, would it not be prudent to hold off on any changes in regards to pay until then? As well, do we not think that we should also be able to see proof of what it is we are paying for? In the world outside of City hall employees have to show how much they work per work, as well as show why they deserve a pay increase. It does not matter if the Jones are paying x number of dollars and we are only getting y number of dollars. It is becoming close to facing a council that will want to unionize itself and go into a collective bargaining agreement with the citizens of London. We elect them to perform a specific duty to our city, it is high time to hold them accountable to that which they do. No more free money for no service. We have seen enough of that over the last decade to last us a lifetime. Let’s not be afraid to use the one thing we are all born with yet some ignore. It is called common sense.

Here we go

2010-08-22T12:54:00.001-04:00

The Voice of London took some time to do an interview with me , so be prepared there is a lot to read.

Bob Howard in the Voice of London

Mary Lou Ambrogio's opinions on the upcoming election

As the weeks have gone by the political posturing has come before us in earnest. We have seen article after article of what is suppose to be the next big issue of the day. Is it full time councillors, a full time pay raise, water rates, hydro rates, a 0% tax increase or is it the same old same old…I’m better because I’m an incumbent. We have stopped looking at what they have done with the time they are there. Now they try and distract us not with their record but what they propose they need to do in the future. We know this drill quite well , like the old jokes goes… Son: Dad do all fairy tales start with once upon a time? Dad: No son, some start with…If Elected I promise.

It’s amazing how out of touch our current council is now with the average Londoner. They spend more time back pedalling on something they have proposed then they do moving forward. Let’s face it we need more real common sense talk about the common sense issues. The economy may be turning around but their are still a lot of Londoner’s living pay cheque to paycheque. There is also a large percentage of people who are on EI or social assistance. Yet hydro rates rise, property taxes rise, costs of everything rise. How many of our elected officials are living from their so called mediocre pay cheque to pay cheque from our tax dollars? They tell us that they have so much work on their plates they need to be full time, they need full time pay and as such will need full time support staff. Is this the reason they can’t keep up with what is going on in the city? Is this the reason they don’t listen to our highly paid city staff? Because they are just to tired from having to cram all this full time work in such a small amount of time that they have available? Laughable at best.

Our politicians still take their vacations, still have long weekends, still seem to have lots of time to do websites, blogs, twitter accounts. How can they both be struggling to find the time to do the city’s work, yet, still have more than ample time to do everything else? Stephen Hawkings would be impressed with their ability to warp time.

We need to stop buying into the media’s perception of what is relevant and pay attention to our own common sense. The same voice that says don’t buy that new car this year, you can’t afford it. Instead we get bombarded with the media taking advantage of our short term memory and doing everything to make us forget about the past. Think of their promises and realize their results. Do we need four more years of the same? This time without a Board of Control. Council will be our budget chiefs…..scarier than any Hollywood movie. If you think we had a lot of pilot programs, outsourced studies before be prepared to see a nice rise in the next four years if our current political horse shoe is elected again.

We survive and thrive by using common sense in our lives, should we not expect the same from our politicians?

I felt the Earth Move

2010-06-23T23:28:00.001-04:00

Well all the doomsayers were out in force today. The major earthquake that ravished the landscape hit London at 1:43 pm. Cars were upended and dogs howled at the moon. But the true earthquake was at London’s City Hall where our mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best went toe to toe with one of the last ever Board of Control members Bud Polhill. The cause of the ruckus you ask? Why it was over spending some money doing renovations. Now I’m not talking A&E home renovations, I’m talking 1.5 million dollars to make our council room ‘modern’. What do you think it would cost to make our council modern….hmm. The bone that was being picked on was why spend the money now if your planning on not staying in the current building. Some say that building a new city hall is way to costly at this moment and the renovations are way over due. Others would say who actually goes there to watch the council at work. Why not just slap a you-tube camera in a corner and give us a live feed like the World Cup Games. If we need to have online voting because people can not be bothered to go out, do we need a modern council room for ….yawn …. their exciting meetings? If we can’t you-tube them , then let’s at least have a live tweeter feed of the council minutes. Ewwww the idea is sending shivers down my spine.

Also in today’s news was the dreaded Giant Hogweed. This weed can cause blisters from the sap if exposed to sunlight. Worst of all it can cause temporary or permanent blindness if the sap was to come in contact to the eye. So please pay attention to the details of this weed and keep an eye out for your loved ones when strolling the riverbanks.

This summer seems like its off to a great start….earthquakes, deadly weeds and grandstanding from council…woohoo break out the sunscreen because I’m going in.

Time to get back to work.

2010-06-23T10:42:00.000-04:00

Within the last five years, London has seen over 14,000 jobs lost. Unemployment reach record levels and poverty grow exponentially. In it’s place we have received metal trees, a council that name calls each other, by law after by law, pilot projects/research projects from green bins, making salt domes pretty, to the possibility of chicken raising. The council has abolished board of control, banned pesticides and water bottles in city facilities. Yet when faced with real problems they look to the heavens and say …… we’ll get back to you on that.

This fall will be a council elected without the benefit of a board of control. It scares me to think of our budget being controlled by our current horse shoe. As it should concern all people. With the current project spending on salt domes and renovations, they have proven a disconnect with what the citizens need.

The stagnation that has happened in our council is due in part to a monarchy that seems to be taking place. Councillors when elected , stay elected till they decided not to run again. Now we are faced with the possibility of ‘full-time’ councillors. The current council has drifted for far too long with out any direction, to allow them to drift full-time is not an option.

With hope we will have a mayor elected that can help guide our council back on track. To getting back to ‘business’. By focusing on skilled job creation, not call centers. By spending the budget like it was actually someone else’s money. By making London attractive to business investment , be it through tax breaks, infrastructure support, location. By putting forth a mandate to limit the terms of an elected council member and end the monarchy, hereby ensuring new blood at our council. By not making ‘business’ or ‘development’ and evil word.

We have some of the greatest education facilities in the world, yet, we can not retain our student population. We are located on one of the main arteries of our country , yet, we can not retain long term business investment. We have some of the highest taxes in this country, yet, our roads consistently rank on the worse of Canada list.

Our current council has proven ineffective, lazy and without concern to Londoner’s. It’s time to change the status quo that has been running our city for far too long. It’s time to get our hands dirty, it’s time to do real work.