Reaction roundup: city hall votes on the budget
A no-confidence vote, pepper spray and jellyfish; in other words, a look at what the media, protesters and the Twittersphere had to say about yesterday’s budget vote after the jump.
1. Councillors turn into jellyfish, Sue-Ann Levy gets angry
The Toronto Sun’s Sue-Ann Levy did not disappoint, churning out a column chalk full of the righteous indignation we expect from her. She calls councillors “jellyfish,” union lobbyists “self-serving” and asks rhetorical questions like,“Are they that naïve, or just plain stupid?” Levy directs the bulk of her scorn at Josh Colle, who she says is guilty of “raiding the surplus.” We wouldn’t call taking $15 million from a $154-million surplus a “raid,” but we’re also not paid to write inflammatory copy.
2. Moderate politics could be the hot new trend this spring
Matt Elliott offers a few interesting observations after yesterday’s meeting. Mary-Margaret McMahon has succumbed to the lure of council’s opposition; James Pasternak and Jaye Robinson broke rank (in fact, Pasternak is treading dangerously close to the mushy middle now); and the mayor’s success is sitting at about 17 per cent on major votes.
3. Gee to councillors: hands off the surplus
In the Globe and Mail, Marcus Gee supports Ford’s insistence that we stop spending surplus cash on city services and programs. Basically, he argues Colle’s omnibus motion only prolonged the inevitable and the city will have to suffer through the same debate all over again 12 months from now. Gee also says Ford was “elected with a clear mandate to rein in the ever-rising cost of government.” We, on the other hand, thought he was supposed to find gravy.
4. Police pepper-spray protesters, EMS workers snitch
Meanwhile, a group of protesters were pissed, first about the proposed cuts and then about being arrested. A Stop the Cuts rally included a clash between cops and demonstrators, with many claiming to have been pushed, punched and pepper-sprayed. The police wouldn’t confirm whether they used pepper spray, but an EMS officer said they’d treated two patients for pepper spray.
5. Rob Ford’s no-confidence vote
The Toronto Star’s Royson James says yesterday’s vote wasn’t just a single rebuke—council’s centrists and lefties have a new-found ability to defeat (or at least slow down) the Ford agenda. James goes on to point out that:, “If [the vote] occurred at Queen’s Park or Parliament Hill, [it] would be considered a vote of non-confidence in the government.” Of course, that’s not how city hall works.
6. Gems from the Twitter machine
• We liked this one from a deadpan Daniel Dale: “Stop the Cuts people are now banging on the window of the Star bureau and yelling at me to stop the cuts. This is unintelligent.”
• The Grid’s David Topping lamented the return of Playboy-based reasoning to the debate on library spending: “Cesar Palacio, who’s on the library board, just said libraries waste tons of money stocking Playboy. Nope: http://j.mp/uXAWhW”
• Chris Edwards had a pressing question about the already hilarious Cut the Waist Challenge: “Does Ford’s new diet let him eat his own budget?”
• A very excited tweet we assume is budget related from Josh Matlow’s executive assistant: “Wooooooooooohooooooooooooooo!”
Sue-Ann Levy might also say that the councillors who supported Colle’s motion were “listening to their constituents as per the way a democratically-elected representative government is supposed to work”, but then again, jellyfish does have a certain jiggly jauntiness to it.
Mommajane Are you suggesting that West Clermont tecehars’ union ask for the same exact contract as the Indian Hill School District? I am a teacher in West Clermont and I would take their contract in a heart beat. West Clermont would go from the fifth highest paying school district in Clermont County to the first. Sure Indian Hill tecehars pay 15% of their healthcare (something they have done for several years) but that doesn’t even come close to the additional pay they receive.West Clermont’s levy (just like any other levy) did not run in a bubble. You must look at other issues/elections on the ballot to interpret the results of the election. Voting on issue 2 (public collective bargaining reform) was about 50/50 in Clermont County. This obviously affected the voting for West Clermont’s levy. I believe that most people who voted yes on issue 2 would probably vote no on the levy. The levy failed (or at least the margin of failure) on the coattails of the close vote on issue 2 in Clermont County.If West Clermont decides to put a levy on the ballot in March and can get the same amount of yes votes (8000) it will pass. If the school district decides to wait to November (and the presidential election) it better hope for 12,000 votes to have any chance of passage.Little Miami shows us many more things than you mentioned. (1) The state will loan districts money. (2) The state will require higher and higher millage on levies. (3) Property values will decrease when the state takes over a school district. (4) The levy will eventually pass and the residents will pay as much if not more taxes than they would have.
Thought you might be interested in the fniwollog from Milford Schools:Do you have any questions about the district or thoughts you would like to share with our Board or Superintendent? Next Wednesday will be the first of a series of casual, open discussions/listening sessions planned by the district this school year. On Wednesday, October 26, Milford Board President, George Lucas; Board Member, Andrea Brady; and Superintendent, Dr. Farrell, will be holding this open community discussion at Padrino’s from 7-8:30 p.m. No reservations needed—just come out and share your questions and ideas about Milford Schools.