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NEW
COUNCILLOR NO SURPRISE
From Toronto Star - May 26, 2003
BRUCE DEMARABRUCE DEMARA
THE SKINNY AT CITY HALL
Some expressed astonishment at the selection last week of Fred Dominelli
to fill the caretaker council position following the departure of
former councillor Betty Disero, since his speech to politicians
certainly did not — to be generous — rise to the lofty
heights of oratory.
The fact is the fix was in weeks ago and the whole exercise at city
council was little more than window dressing.
Still, we were impressed by the effusive letters of support for
Dominelli, including missives from Liberal MPP Joe Cordiano (cousin),
Liberal MP Tony Ianno (cousin), New Democrat MPP Rosario Marchese
(cousin), not to mention Liberal MPs Judy Sgro and Alan Tonks and
yet more Liberal MPPs — Tony Ruprecht, Mario Sergio and Mike
Colle — plus Toronto Catholic District School Board chair
Joe Carnevale.
Dominelli, who has always eschewed the public spotlight, has been
involved in city hall politics for 35 years, not to mention involvement
with political nominations at various levels and in the all-important
role as a behind-the-scenes fundraiser.
He's also been very usefully involved in community issues in the
west end of the former Toronto for at least as long, and is a very
shrewd and wealthy businessman to boot.
Dominelli twice tried to enter municipal politics, thwarted on both
occasions by the now-departed Disero in 1994 and 1997.
So when Disero unexpectedly up and quit earlier this year to pursue
life as a lobbyist, Dominelli simply called in about three decades'
worth of political markers — et voila.
That's politics, city hall style.
Under the category of near nepotism, the warm weather is here and
that means it's time for Councillor Chris Korwin-Kuczynski to give
his niece, Carolyn Jaye, a taxpayer-funded summer job.
Since first finding her work in 1999 in his capacity as chair of
the millennium task force, K-K has put Carolyn on the payroll four
summers in a row.
Council cleaned up its act a couple of years back, cutting off the
double-dipping ways of several councillors whose wives (and occasionally
offspring) were thriving on the public purse. But the policy does
not cover nieces or nephews, and no amount of shaming seems to prevent
K-K from enriching his extended family.
In the case of Councillor Anne Johnston, it also doesn't relate
to future sons-in-law. The young feller living with her daughter
has been getting paid by Johnston for about the past 3 1/2 years
for work he does on seniors' issues.
Anne, who serves as city council's official seniors' advocate, grumbled
that the city should be picking up the costs of that work (and she's
right). But instead of putting her daughter's beau on the staff
payroll, she's been taking about $25,000 from her $53,100 office
communications budget, which is ostensibly intended for newsletters
and other means of reaching out to constituents.
"Sorry, wrong number" — as one doubtlessly vexed
private residence has learned to say since receiving many misdirected
telephone calls seeking information about fun activities at the
Toronto Zoo.
The number was included in the rather dreary 16-page "Toronto,
You Belong Here" brochure produced by the top-notch ad agency
retained by the city to assist in its post-SARS recovery effort.
Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti, chair of the zoo's board, commented
that the number actually did connect callers to the animal menagerie
in Scarborough — about 15 years ago.
"That didn't help us," Mammoliti added, with uncharacteristic
understatement.
Next time, we advise the misguided marketeers to seek assistance
from a convenient and readily available source known as a telephone
book. |
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