From the “hilarity ensues” files: suburban councillor insults her suburban voters in election year

Here’s a lesson a councillor shouldn’t need after their 22nd year in office: don’t insult constituents when heading into the most hotly contested election in decades. This is what the kids call a pro tip, Councillor Maria Augimeri. Or, we could just sit back and watch the Toronto Sun‘s reporters have a field day for the next two months. Either way, it should be fun:

Augimeri, a North York councillor and avowed “suburbanite,” acknowledged there is a “palpable feeling in the suburbs that (they’ve) been wronged” and blamed that feeling on council’s executive committee before saying the “progressive” politicians weren’t the problem.

“They want to create a better world, they’re not ogres, don’t get me wrong, it’s just they didn’t take into account the learning curve of people in the suburbs,” she said Thursday.

What’s the learning curve?  “Bringing suburban people on board on ecological matters, on environmental initiatives, on progressive taxation, and I’m speaking very generally,” Augimeri said.

Augimeri followed up in a later interview by saying, “I would never disrespect my constituents,” but that she contrasts their views with those of downtowners like people in Adam Vaughan‘s ward, who apparently love taxes so much they want to marry them and raise a family of little baby taxes.

• Augimeri says suburbanites on learning curve [Toronto Sun]
• Suburban councillors irate over comments [Toronto Sun]