2010 Mayoral Election

[SteelTown]

So who do you think will run for Mayor of Hamilton in 2010?

Mayor Fred
Bob Bratina
Brad Clark
Mark Chamberlain
Sheila Copps
Maria Bountrogianni
Larry Di Ianni
Terry Whitehead
Lloyd Ferguson
Brian McHattie
Reverend Brother Michael Baldasaro

Also what do you think of Mayor Fred's performance halfway through his mandate?

[oldcoote]

Mayor Fred has the right idea's but lacks the testicular fortitude to get the job done. Council has been awful in his term.

Isn't Chris Ecklund rumoured to be running?

[SteelTown]

I've complained about Mayor Fred's leadership skills for a long time now. More evidence is his latest move to let councilors chair the Committee of the Whole. He is basically demoting himself. Another classic example where Mayor Fred lacks leadership was when not one councilor would second his motion to create a pilot project on natural landscape for the Linc and Red Hill.

For me I want someone outside of council to run for Mayor, we need to start fresh and Mark Chamberlain would be great in my opinion.

[ryan_mcgreal]

There's only one certainty on that list and it's:

Reverend Brother Michael Baldasaro

As for Mayor Fred's performance, this goes back to the strong mayor, weak mayor (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=154408) debate we had earlier in the year.

Fred Eisenberger certainly hasn't been as effective as Larry Di Ianni was at achieving his policy objectives, but Di Ianni's successes had a lot to do with convincing a majority of councillors to support the status quo policies they already supported.

Eisenberger, by contrast, has been trying to move council out of their policy comfort zone with such 'radical' ideas as pedestrianizing Gore Park, approving a light rail transit network, intensifying the built area and limiting greenfield development, banning pesticides, cutting down garbage collection, reducing the size of the "airport employment growth district" development (to meet Provincial guidelines, no less), and so on. It's not surprising he's running into sharper opposition on many of these issues.

Relative to his agenda, he has achieved less; but absolutely in terms of driving change, he has achieved more.

[LikeHamilton]

Former Alderman/Councillor (Ward 8) Don Ross says he will most likely run this time.

[FairHamilton]

Mayor Fred has the right idea's but lacks the testicular fortitude to get the job done. Council has been awful in his term.

Isn't Chris Ecklund rumoured to be running?

That's what I heard previously, and he and Di Ianni are close so I'm guessing if one runs, the other doesn't.

[omro]

Perhaps the real emphasis should not be on changing who is Mayor. It seems to me that anyone who is a little forward thinking gets shouted down by the current council without real debate on what the public may or may not want.

Take the public's desire to have limestone rather than totally abandoning stone on City Hall. That should have provoked more debate, but didn't.

Take the suggestion of keeping staff in their current location and finding an alternative use for the current City Hall. That idea should have gotten more consideration than it did. No one seems to have considered buying the Mall, staying there, but continuing with the reno at City Hall because it's mostly promised and would cost to back out of and then finding an alternative use for the building and saving money by not moving back there and recouping money over time, possibly from the alternative use for City Hall.

So, to my point, the next council election emphasis should be upon having people campaign against the group of councillors who are entrenched in old ideas and thinking patterns and have consistently opposed the current Mayor and who may oppose any Mayor who's suggestions for a future direction don't fit in with their views. A reduction of bias.

As I understood it, you elected someone to put forward the opinions of the people and take these into consideration, not merely to set their own agendas. Ugh, have to stop now, having Gordon Brown rage :hell: and no body elected the bugger. :hell:

[adam]

I'd venture that the city hall recladding issue didn't even get on most peoples' radar. The majority of people living in the suburbs on the mountain care more about the inconvenience of a couple potholes in the road over a building that represents the entire city.

[markbarbera]

I would be suprised to see DiIanni return to municipal politics.

[FairHamilton]

I agree with Adam, and would hazard a guess that only a few supported citizens limestone (or marble) on City Hall, more wanted anything to save a buck, and an even greater number didn't care (or were totally unaware).

With only 30% of registered voters voting in Hamilton elections, not many care to get involved with any cause that doesn't directly impact their daily lives.

[SteelTown]

Think Sheila Copps will ever run for Mayor?

In the last election she said she couldn't run for Mayor because of the pending lawsuit from the City regarding the Red Hill expressway.

[ryan_mcgreal]

more wanted anything to save a buck

All the more reason to look more closely at the City Mall proposal. 0_o

[highwater]

I agree with Adam, and would hazard a guess that only a few supported citizens limestone (or marble) on City Hall, more wanted anything to save a buck, and an even greater number didn't care (or were totally unaware).

With only 30% of registered voters voting in Hamilton elections, not many care to get involved with any cause that doesn't directly impact their daily lives.

The only poll conducted on the issue showed the most support for marble, limestone second, and concrete a distant third.

If you polled the entire city though, you would probably find opinion divided between people who wanted to do the cladding right, and people who just wanted to get rid of the building altogether. No one really wants concrete. Either they respect the design and heritage of the building and therefore want marble or limestone, or they hate it and couldn't care less if it's clad in straw and cow dung. (Guess we should be thankful Lloyd Ferguson didn't work for a livestock agricorp.)

I also found in casual conversations with people, that the people who were opposed to marble or limestone were generally cynical about government in general, and saw city hall as a monument to politicians, instead of a monument to the citizens of this city - a very disempowered and disempowering view of local government. That's why concrete is such a spectacularly shitty choice. It screams that not only do we not care about heritage or good design, but we feel powerless, disconnected, and apathetic about our civic government. So sad.

[highwater]

I would be suprised to see DiIanni return to municipal politics.

Instead we'll get Zombie DiIanni - Chris Eklund.

[omro]

All the more reason to look more closely at the City Mall proposal. 0_o

Exactly!!!

[markbarbera]

Think Sheila Copps will ever run for Mayor?

In the last election she said she couldn't run for Mayor because of the pending lawsuit from the City regarding the Red Hill expressway.

I'm putting my money on Sheila returning to federal politics. I predict seat redistribution will see Hamilton Centre split into two ridings east/west, effectively restoring the old Hamilton East riding. Hamilton West will be the remainder of the old Hamilton Centre riding (west mountain), plus Westdale, and Dundas. Sheila will run in one of these, likely Hamilton East.

[SteelTown]

I like scrappy politicans like Munro, Agostino, Christopherson and Copps. I respect Copps and I'd love to see her back in politics, she was pushed out of politics too early in my opinion.

I'm betting if politics is compeltely out of her life she might be Hamilton's rep for the 2015 Pan Am Games. She's a big supporter for International Games for Hamilton, Road World Cycling, 2010 and 2014 Commonwealth Games.

[highwater]

I'm with you on that. They represent the best of Hamilton politics. Unpretentious, but fiercely proud of their city. Not like the crop of bloodless squelchers currently dominating our council. Especially Sheila. Hope we haven't seen the last of her.

[chris_erl]

I would love to see someone like Bratina take a shot at the office, mostly because I think we need someone Hamiltonians can respect in the Mayor's chair...

Mayor Fred is weak simply because he needs practice, and doesn't warrant much respect from the city as a whole.

Then again, not many councillors do as can be seen by our voter turn-out in 2006. But one name that many people bring up when discussing councillors they can respect is Bratina.

[SteelTown]

What about Terry Cooke?

There's a lot that I agree with him on. He has the leadership skills too.

[markbarbera]

While Brattina has been a great councillor, I would need to see examples of consensus-building among his peers in order to consider him for the mayor's seat. That is what is most needed in this position, and frankly, on the whole none of Hamilton's councillors have displayed much in the way of consensus-building skills.

[Dundasguy]

Terry Cooke would be the best choice right now. He has excellent contacts and the respect of the local business community. But most importantly, I think experience is going to matter in the next few years. I have to say Eisenberger has been a real let down. The guy is about as poltically inept as they come, and the city has been treading water ever since he was elected.

[SteelTown]

Can Mayor Fred carry the vote?

January 12, 2009
Nicole Macintyre
The Hamilton Spectator

When it comes to the big votes, Mayor Fred Eisenberger has consistently found himself on the losing side since taking office.

He tried to kill the Red Hill lawsuit against the federal government. It's still going.

He wanted to tear down City Hall and build anew. He lost. Then he wanted limestone on the renovated City Hall. He lost that, too.

The Flamborough tax debate, the one-bag garbage limit, wildflowers in highway medians -- all losses.

Eisenberger has had wins. He garnered council's unanimous support for the integrity commissioner and investing an extra $1.5 million in economic development. He was also on the winning side of the Lister Block.

Still, Eisenberger is aware there are some who think he can't pull the vote. He disagrees and questions what defines a triumphant leader.

"The pattern here has always been you have to have nine votes, you drive the issue home and then you're a successful mayor. Well I don't agree with that pattern.

"I don't want to drive an agenda and force people into positions that they may not like. That gives people more latitude to make different decisions.

"Am I strong-arming people? No. Should I? I don't believe I should."

Eisenberger points to council's support of the city's strategic plan and light rail as additional victories and says he's "very comfortable" with his track record. On his scorecard, he believes he wins more than he loses.

"I don't want to lose any, but there should be a vision brought to the table."

Eisenberger's vision has guided him to very public defeats. When council rejected his idea to naturalize the highway medians, he came back months later to ask for a pilot project. Not a single councillor stepped forward to second the motion.

It was a rare political snub that councillors say perfectly illustrated why Eisenberger loses -- he just doesn't put in the effort to win.

Though few will publicly criticize Eisenberger, councillors across the political spectrum offer the same explanation for his losing streak: he doesn't consult enough with council and refuses to budge from his position even in the face of failure.

"The mayor hasn't done enough work in advance of votes," says Councillor Brad Clark. "He would have a better track record if he was more proactive in approaching councillors before the decisions were made at council."

While former mayor Larry Di Ianni and his staff were known to be frequent visitors to councillors' offices to generate (or some say demand) support, some of Eisenberger's colleagues say he or his staff rarely come to seek their opinions or backing. They also believe he has failed to broker compromises on the contentious issues, such as the Flamborough tax hike.

That contradicts Eisenberger's inauguration promise to usher in a new era of politics, built on "consensus and collaboration."

Council's criticism catches Eisenberger by surprise. He maintains he consults regularly, but notes the time constraints of his job. He adds he finds the complaint "ironic."

"The lament last time was that there was a mayor who consulted, then did what he wanted to do anyway because he had the votes lined up and drove it home and that offended a lot of people. That's just not my style."

Victory, of course, is a challenge for any mayor who is just one vote on a council. The mayor must represent the whole city, but count on support from councillors who have an obligation to a single ward.

In order to succeed, a leader must be persuasive, explains former mayor Jack MacDonald. He recalls opponents used to criticize his ability to get his way with council.

"I thought that was the job."

It's not enough to have good ideas, adds Di Ianni, who Eisenberger defeated in 2006. "It's about selling them."

It's the sales job that causes Eisenberger to stumble in the opinion of city hall watcher Marvin Ryder. The Mac professor sees the mayor as a leader who believes his ideas alone should win support without the need to "play politics."

"He wants people to vote for things on its merits."

Unfortunately, says Ryder, while Eisenberger relies on his arguments to make the case, his arguments often fail to "inspire."

"Fred is not Barack Obama."

Ryder adds that he also lacks the political coalition, built around suburban councillors, that supported previous mayors, such as Di Ianni and Ancaster's Bob Wade. Eisenberger, by contrast, has no consistent allies.

"I don't think there is a base for me on council, to be honest," he says.

"I think council is divided. There isn't an ideological majority on an ongoing basis. It's issue by issue."

With less than two years until the election, there's already talk over who will run for mayor in 2010. The conversation inevitably leads to Eisenberger's success to date.

When comparing the mayor's achievements with Di Ianni, Ryan McGreal, editor of Raise the Hammer, believes Eisenberger has faced a greater challenge because he's asked council and the community to step outside its "comfort zone."

"Relative to his agenda, he has achieved less (than Di Ianni)," wrote McGreal. "But absolutely in terms of driving change, he has achieved more."

Observers believe the next year will be critical for Eisenberger's ambitions. Further losses, they warn, could jeopardize the most important win of all -- re-election.

For the record
1. May 2007

Eisenberger proposes tearing down City Hall and building anew.

LOST 5-9

Yeas: Mitchell, Ferguson, Duvall, Bratina, Eisenberger

Nays: Pearson, Pasuta, Merulla, Morelli, McHattie, McCarthy, Jackson, Collins, Clark

Absent:Whitehead, Powers

2. December 2007

A year after council rejected his request to invest in economic development, Eisenberger again asks for an extra $1.5 million in funding.

WON Unanimous

3. March 2008

Mayor pushes election promise to end the Red Hill lawsuit against the federal government.

LOST 6-10

Yeas: Eisenberger, Duvall, Pasuta, Mitchell, Powers, Whitehead

Nays: Bratina, Clark, Collins, Ferguson, Jackson, McCarthy, McHattie, Merulla, Morelli, Pearson

4. April 2008

Council votes on a proposal to remove slot subsidy from Flamborough, driving suburb's tax increase to 10 per cent. Eisenberger urges council not to do it.

LOST 8-7

Yeas: Clark, Collins, Duvall, Jackson, McHattie, Merulla, Pearson, Whitehead

Nay: Bratina, Ferguson, McCarthy, Pasuta, Mitchell, Powers, Eisenberger

Absent: Morelli

5. June 2008

Mayor asks public works committee to naturalize medians along Linc and Red Hill Valley Parkway. LOST 3-6

Yeas: Eisenberger, McCarthy, Bratina

Nays: Powers, Ferguson, Mitchell, Jackson, Collins, Merulla

6. June 2008

After months of delay, Eisenberger asks council to support his election promise to hire an integrity commissioner.

WON Unanimous

7. June 2008

Mayor urges council to phase in aerotropolis and only convert half the land to start.

LOST 5-8

Yeas: Bratina, Duvall, Eisenberger, McHattie, Pasuta.

Nays: Clark, Collins, Ferguson, Jackson, Merulla, Mitchell, Pearson, Whitehead.

Absent: McCarthy, Morelli, Powers

8. June 2008

Eisenberger asks council to support $25-million deal to buy the Lister Block.

WON 10-6

Yeas: Whitehead, Powers, Pearson, Mitchell, Merulla, Morelli, McHattie, Ferguson, Jackson, Eisenberger

Nays: Bratina, Clark, Collins, Duvall, McCarthy, Pasuta

9. November 2008

Council votes to replace City Hall marble with concrete not limestone, a choice mayor opposes.

LOST 10-4

Yeas: Clark, Collins, Duvall, Ferguson, Merulla, Morelli, Mitchell, Pearson, Powers, Whitehead

Nays: Eisenberger, Bratina, McHattie, Pasuta

Absent: Jackson, McCarthy

10. December 2008

Eisenberger pushes council to accept modest increases in parking and transit fees. He loses both. He asks council to accept a compromise of a 5 cent transit increase.

LOST 8-8

Yeas: Eisenberger, Ferguson, Jackson, McCarthy, Pasuta, Mitchell, Pearson, Powers

Nays: Bratina, Clark, Collins, Duvall, McHattie, Merulla, Morelli, Whitehead

The Spectator selected 10 key votes to gauge Mayor Fred Eisenberger's success when it comes to advancing his election promises or stickhandling city issues. Shown are votes for and against.

Council members: Fred Eisenberger, Brian McHattie, Bob Bratina, Bernie Morelli, Sam Merulla, Chad Collins, Tom Jackson, Scott Duvall, Terry Whitehead, Brad Clark, Maria Pearson, David Mitchell, Lloyd Ferguson,

Russ Powers, Robert Pasuta, Margaret McCarthy.
Council often opposes Eisenberger's agenda

[SteelTown]

That's a good article above, it pretty explains Mayor Fred's poor leadership skills that I've been saying for quite awhile now.

[flar]

I don't like Clark, he's trying too hard. For example from the article, councilors are reluctant to criticize Eisenberger, but Clark jumps in right away. Plus that clumsy attempt to tarnish Eisenberger's integrity with the tape recording. Dumb.

[thistleclub]

An election-related item from today's Star:

Firms funding '905' campaigns (http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/569277)
Heavy reliance on developers and other companies erodes democracy, York U. political scientist argues

An excerpt:

Election campaigns in Toronto's satellite municipalities are overwhelmingly bankrolled by corporate money, most of it from the same developers responsible for cascading sprawl in the region, new research suggests.

No one thinks city councillors can be bought by a developer's $750 campaign contribution, the maximum allowed per donor under the Municipal Elections Act.

But Robert MacDermid, an associate professor of political science at York University who is publishing a paper on the subject today, says the sheer amount of cash flowing from developers to incumbents – as opposed to coming from citizens who believe in a candidate's platform – erodes the concept of democratic representation.

In the 905 in 2006, election winners got 54.3 per cent of their funding from developers, losers 35 per cent. In Toronto, the numbers are 12 per cent and 4 per cent.

Since there are no rules restricting the number of candidates to whom corporations can donate, they often do so multiple times. MacDermid contends all that money, combined with shortcomings in the Ontario Municipal Elections Act, puts new candidates at a disadvantage, especially those who oppose developers' interests. "It reduces the choice that citizens actually have," he says. "The difficulty with (a candidate) opposing development is that it's hard to find enough money."

[chris_erl]

http://www.chrisecklund.com/diianni_column_2009_01_02.html

On Larry's Corner, the DiIanni-est portion of Chris Ecklund's blog, former Mayor Larry has laid out some of his predictions for 2009...at number fourteen is this:

14. The race for Mayor will heat up in 2009 with a major City Hall ‘outsider’ making a move. Fred will get some political wins this year.

It has been long speculated that Mr. DiIanni has been setting Mr. Ecklund up for a 2010 campaign...is this a bit of 'foreshadowing' on Larry's part?

[highwater]

DiIanni II: The Sprawling.

[SteelTown]

"I'm Dutch, I'm cheap."

The mayor won council's support last night to reconsider an old position to cut funding to the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion this year. Mayor Fred needed two thirds support to get his motion passed. The only person who voted against it was Ancaster Councillor Lloyd Ferguson who said he couldn't justify adding another $260,000 to the budget.
“We’re going in the wrong direction.”


(Flamborough Councillor Margaret McCarthy was also opposed, but left the meeting before the vote.)

The issue is now being sent to budget deliberations. Eisenberger thanked council for their support and said the request was one of the first times he's asked council to spend additional money. “I’m Dutch, I’m cheap," he joked.

Many looks were exchanged among councillors after Mayor Fred's declaration. Perhaps they were recalling the requests the mayor forgot...like say, building a new city hall, replacing marble with limestone, $1.5 million for economic development...

http://hallmarks.thespec.com/

[matt602]

What exactly is this "Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion"?

[FairHamilton]

What is it? Looks like it's soon to be $260K richer :). That's what it is.

Seriously, I have no idea.

[flar]

Maybe they'll spend the 260k on advertising :shrug:

[FairHamilton]

Maybe they'll spend the 260k on advertising :shrug:

Great idea!!

http://www.hcci.ca/index.php

Now they can send some of the $260K my way ;)

[SteelTown]

Another example of weak leadership from Mayor Fred.....

Lone supporter of the glass enclosure and removed himself as Chair of the Committee of the Whole. Councillor Pasuta is the Chair (a rookie) and Deputy Mayor.

You think not being a Chair anymore would give you more freedom to speak to council on this issue but Mayor Fred never talked about why he is supporting the glass enclosure. Oui!

[Dundasguy]

Impeach Mayor Fred!

To quote one of my favorate villans:

If this guy ran a funeral parlor, nobody would die

[SteelTown]

I like Mayor Fred and I do feel sorry for him. I believe he has the right mindset and vision for Hamilton but unfortunately he just doesn't have the leadership skills needed to be a Mayor and shift council to the right direction. If you ever watch council you will see hardly any councillor respect Mayor Fred and you can tell they all perceive him as a weakling.

If only we could get a little bit of Larry Di Ianni's leadership skills mixed in with Fred Eisenberger vision/views we would have a great Mayor.

[matt602]

Well said in that last part, Steeltown. I didn't like DiIanni's backroom deals and shady nature, but theres no denying that he had top-notch leadership skills. I primarily voted for Fred because I was sick of the corruption at City Hall (especially in DiIanni's circle) and wanted to see an end to it. This lack of leadership from Fred is concerning though, and is making me look towards the next municipal election.

[markbarbera]

Is it fair to dump soley on the mayor for the council's disfunction? Half the councilllors treat their wards as fiefdoms, have an exaggerated sense of entitlement and act soley for the sake of self-promotion/re-election and not for the greater good of the city. The other half are jockeying to run for mayor and consequently make every effort to marginalize the mayor and make him seem ineffective while jostling for time in the limelight by grabbing media attention via half-baked, over-the-top proposals designed to get their name on the air and in the paper rather than improving the fortunes of this city.

Next election, we should be picking up the brooms and sweeping all incumbants into the dustbin. We need a mayor and a set of effective councillors interesting in collaborating for the common good of the city, not the current group of grandstanding career politicians we have to deal with. Unfortunately, complacency and cynicism in the electorate has us lost in this quagmire of perennial dysfunction, so elections consistently return the usual suspects to Council. And the city continues to wallow.

[ryan_mcgreal]

Is it fair to dump soley on the mayor for the council's disfunction?

If you've followed my comments about the mayor, you'll know that I tend to think he's a good guy and mostly has the right idea, and is crippled by the Canadian Weak Mayor system. However, there's a lot to be said for the ability to work the system within its confines.

It's just bizarre to me that he made no vocal defence of the glass lobby during yesterday's meeting, observed everyone else trashing it, and then meekly voted to support it against the overwhelming opposition of all his peers.

Stuff like that makes him look really ineffectual - not merely because he can't get council to vote with him but more importantly because it makes him appear completely out of touch.

A similar thing happened when he proposed naturalization of the Linc/RHVP median and couldn't muster up even one other member of council to second it.

Why isn't he doing his homework with the other councillors? I'll echo Steeltown and matt602 in saying that Eisenberger could learn from Di Ianni's policy of sitting down with each councillor before pushing an issue to find out a) whether he has the numbers to move ahead with an initiative and b) whether enough holdouts can be persuaded to squeeze out a win.

I would also argue that he should be doing a lot more outreach with the community - bypass the mainstream media the way he did during his election campaign - so that councillors face increased and more organized public pressure to pass more of his progressive legislative agenda.

As FDR famously said to community organizer Saul Alinsky, "Okay, you've convinced me. Now go on out and bring pressure on me!"

Instead, Mayor Fred is mostly silent (I'd say I receive a good ten to twenty press releases from Councillor Sam "Look At Me" Merulla for each press release I get from the Mayor), and then seems haphazard and arbitrary in the causes he promotes.

He ends up sticking his neck out on seemingly random issues where he has no support from anyone - like the reasonable but non-galvanizing highway medians and the asinine, ill-fated glass lobby.

Again, I think he's a decent, honest guy, has a generally sound understanding of urban policy and is quite good at doing the behind-the-scenes work with staff and other governance bodies (like the feds) that is helping lay the groundwork for his progressive agenda. For example, he is encouraging the city to come around gradually to provincial ideas about the size and scope of the Airport Employment Growth District.

However, the public gets to see little of that. Without the political savvy to manage unwieldy meetings and squeeze majority support out of our fractious council on more issues, what remains is a perception that he just can't lead.

That's unfortunate, because I think he does represent a real improvement in net terms on the previous term. Di Ianni was fairly effective at getting council to do what they were pretty much going to do anyway. Eisenberger, by contrast, has had at least sporadic success at moving council out of its legislative comfort zone.

[SteelTown]

^ Completely agree with you.

[SteelTown]

Sticking the knife into Eisenberger

February 13, 2009
Andrew Dreschel
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/Opinions/article/512876

He didn't quite groan. He didn't quite moan.

It was more of a softly uttered blend of the two sounds as, rising to his feet, Mayor Fred Eisenberger queasily realized he was the only one voting to spend $2 million on the controversial plan to glass-in the overhang above the front doors of City Hall.

While the 13 other councillors who were present remained seated, Eisenberger stood by himself: publicly isolated, politically alone, all eyes in the room resting on a man completely out of step with his colleagues.

It was a painfully embarrassing moment, particularly given recent Spectator articles pointing out the mayor's difficulty in winning big votes.

But on top of that, the incident ranks as one of the most politically cruel I've seen at city hall in a long time.

The stroke was meted out by Councillor Chad Collins through the simple expedient of gratuitously calling for a standing recorded vote on the issue.

Standing recorded votes are purely optional.

Traditionally, they're used for closely contested issues to ensure there's a formal record of which side councillors are on.

But forcing councillors to physically stand up and be counted can be manipulated for more cynical purposes.

Collins denies he called for the standing vote in order to embarrass the mayor.

He says he did it because he didn't know which way the vote was going to go and he wanted to be on record as opposing it.

"I thought there might be other people who might support it, too," he said after the meeting.

Certainly Councillors Tom Jackson, Margaret McCarthy, and Terry Whitehead (who argues he originally only offered conditional backing) flipped their previous support for the enclosure during the vote.

But Collins is blowing smoke.

The fact is, everyone going into that meeting the other night knew that an overwhelming number of councillors would be voting against the enclosure, which had generated such negative public feedback.

According to Whitehead, Eisenberger had even told some of them before the meeting that he knew he didn't have the votes and so he asked them not to belabour the issue.

Beyond that, it was clear that some of the mayor's previous supporters had high-tailed to the other camp when Jackson jocularly shouted "opposed" the moment the issue was raised.

In short, there wasn't a shred of doubt that the so-called "wow factor" was set to be soundly rejected.

So why put the knife in and give it a twist?

Based on the open gloating and suppressed smirks some councillors displayed following Eisenberger's humiliation, it was for the pure blood sport of it.

To his credit, Eisenberger refuses to point fingers.

Yes, he says, it was a "foregone conclusions" he was going to lose.

Yes, he's well aware that the $2-million addition to the $74-million City Hall reno was unpopular in the community.

But he stands by his conviction that it would add functional value to the project and so he voted with his conscience.

Yes, he knows standing votes can be used to embarrass councillors.

But he doesn't know that was the intent in this case.

Listen, Eisenberger isn't a choir boy.

He himself recently mocked Councillor Lloyd Ferguson for being heavily outgunned on a vote.

But Eisenberger also quickly apologized for his callous comment when Ferguson called him on it.

The standing vote was something else entirely.

What Collins initiated had the appearance of a deliberate deballing, a sly and chippy takedown for no purpose other than political one-upmanship.

Unfortunately, by dragging the rest of council in his wake, Collins made them all look petty and mean-spirited, even the blameless who just want to get along.

[flar]

Eisenberger got elected because people didn't want DiIanni. I agree his leadership is poor, he is not a good speaker and, while my only impression of him in real life is seeing him shopping at the market one day, from that I just don't think he has the interpersonal skills to be successful in politics.

It's too bad, because I don't see anyone else I like with a realistic shot at the mayor's chair. I think some of the others possibilities are downright dangerous for the city.

It's basically a choice between standing still and moving backwards.

[SteelTown]

Yea, he's not a good speaker it tends to get dry and when he tries to make a joke no one understands it like the "I'm Dutch" joke. But really most Mayors aren't good speakers.

If Di Ianni was still Mayor and supported limestone I bet he would have had enough support from council to support the limestone facade.

[omro]

Will only current councillors run for Mayor?

[highwater]

They seem to be the only ones showing interest at the moment. That and zombie DiIanni, Chris Eklund.

Please, Mark Chamberlain. Please, please, please.

[omro]

They seem to be the only ones showing interest at the moment. That and zombie DiIanni, Chris Eklund.

Please, Mark Chamberlain. Please, please, please.

who he?

[FairHamilton]

who he?


http://dailynews.mcmaster.ca/story.cfm?id=3646

Funny, his name came up last night during our dinnertime conversation with another couple, so perhaps momentum is building.

[SteelTown]

I would definitely vote for Mark Chamberlain.

[astroblaster]

They seem to be the only ones showing interest at the moment. That and zombie DiIanni, Chris Eklund.

Please, Mark Chamberlain. Please, please, please.

is there any reason to believe he'd be running? i haven't heard anything about it. is there any more info? anything to back it up?

please don't tease us. i just read through this thread and started getting scared

[FairHamilton]

i just read through this thread and started getting scared

It's right to be scared.

[highwater]

is there any reason to believe he'd be running?

Alas, no. Hence my pitiful pleading.

[astroblaster]

we're gonna have to do something, once we get closer to the date and prospects get more and more frightening.

[omro]

coup d'état?

[SteelTown]

Andrea Horwath's win this weekend in the NDP leadership puts a city hall rumour to rest. Several people I've spoken with had secretly hoped if Horwath lost the leadership that she would run for mayor in the next election.

I guess we won't hear that rumour again for a good five years.

http://hallmarks.thespec.com/

[Atticus]

That would not have been a serious threat. The NDP simply can't compete in a city wide race because of their inability to win votes in suburban, higher turnout, parts of the city. David Christopherson demonstrated this profound weakness when he lost badly to Larry DiIanni in 2003, and he was a stronger candidate than Horwath would have been.

[omro]

Tensions Remain High Among City Councillors (http://www.900chml.com/Channels/Reg/NewsLocalGeneral/Story.aspx?ID=1070811)

I pasted this elsewhere.

Is it my imagination or does Mr Merulla want to be mayor?

[thistleclub]

Is it my imagination or does Mr Merulla want to be mayor?

Lord help us. I think he has aspirations to higher office but not at the municipal level. Not that his antics wouldn't be embarrassing to the city either way, but if he moved to MPP or MP, at least Bratina would avoid having weekly conniptions.

[SteelTown]

Merulla as Mayor is a horrible thought.

[thistleclub]

Merulla as Mayor is a horrible thought.

It doesn't matter how you rearrange the letters: You can't make Merulla mayoral.

[ryan_mcgreal]

If you're interested Dave Kuruc has launched a call for Totally Serious nominations for the next mayor of Hamilton :)

http://raisethehammer.org/blog/1262

[bigguy1231]

I just read through this whole thread and I don't see any name other than Terry Cooke who has what it takes to move this city forward.

The current crew at city hall are just too inept to lead this city. Not one of them has what it takes to be a councillor let alone mayor. We need intelligent, thoughtful leadership, something this city has been lacking for years.

As for Chris Ecklund, Bah ha ha ha, enough said.

Right now, other than Terry Cooke I don't see any possible candidate that I could vote for. But you never know someone may come along.

[SteelTown]

Will the real mayor please stand up?

April 06, 2009
Andrew Dreschel
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/Opinions/article/543830

I swear, sometimes you'd almost think Councillor Tom Jackson was the mayor of this city and not Fred Eisenberger.

For whatever reason, Jackson just seems to have a more finely tuned sense of occasion and decorum.

Case in point:

While council was putting the budget to bed last week, Jackson came out of the gate, comprehensively casting the 1.7 per cent increase in a positive light.

After banging his upbeat drum, he concluded by praising the good work of Eisenberger and senior staffers and, lastly, city clerk Mary Gallagher for her professionalism throughout the exhausting budget process.

By contrast, virtually the first words out of the mayor's mouth had Gallagher dissolving in tears.

Eisenberger began by referring to a "couple of stumbles" in the final budget document, but noted Gallagher doesn't often make mistakes.

That backhanded compliment came on the heels of similar criticisms from councillors Lloyd Ferguson and Brad Clark, though neither mentioned Gallagher by name.

Eisenberger, apparently unaware of the weeping he had sparked, launched into his own praise-the-budget spiel.

But it was landing on a distracted audience.

The room's attention was suddenly focused on the visibly upset Gallagher, who spun her chair around to hide her face from view.

One of the other clerks went to find a box of tissues for her.

Another one poured her a glass of water.

And senior managers, who respect Gallagher as a highly skilled workhorse, exchanged concerned glances over Eisenberger's faux pas.

To cap it off, while Eisenberger was blithely gabbing on, Jackson rose from the council table and approached the clerk' s station, where he sank to his heels and whispered comforting words in Gallagher's ear.

In response to the incident, the next day chief clerk Kevin Christenson sent a firmly-worded e-mail to council.

He pointed out that Gallagher is one of the city's "finest employees" and didn't deserve the criticisms, that any mistakes in the report were minor and not her fault, and criticizing staff in public doesn't help attract and retain good people.

Clearly, Eisenberger, Ferguson and Clark need to be reminded of former mayor Larry Di Ianni's principle to praise in public, criticize in private.

On the other hand, Jackson's sensitive show of support for Gallagher was characteristic.

Jackson, who has represented Ward 6 on the east Mountain for 20 years, routinely leads applause and acknowledges work well done.

To be sure, he can be awfully sugary and eager to please.

But he consistently asks some of the most probing questions on council and is seldom, if ever, less than fair or reasonable.

During the unsteady early days of Eisenberger's term, he clearly took upon himself a leadership role, trying to guide and provide stability and direction to a council that seemed at sea.

Does this suggest that Jackson may be casting an eye on the mayor's chair?

"From time to time, I have people encouraging me to consider it, but at this time I'm just happy doing the work that I'm doing for the people of Ward 6," he says.

Translation? I suspect he's giving it serious consideration.

But Jackson was badly bruised in 2004 when he ran and lost for the federal Conservatives on Hamilton Mountain.

It's doubtful he'll take that kind of gamble again, particularly since defeat would mean losing his safe seat on council.

Still, he has a lot of time to go before he needs to make up his mind about throwing his hat in the 2010 mayor's race.

In the meantime, he's doing a pretty fair job of acting the part.

[highwater]

Gag me. Dreschel's like a schoolgirl with his crushes and his dissing. He even managed to work some simpering praise for DiIanni in there, as if anyone had anything to learn about interpersonal skills from him. If DiIanni had a 'principle', it was praise staff in public, and criticize the public in public.

[SteelTown]

I think Tom Jackson will run for Mayor. Plus he could defeat Eisenberger. I'm sure there's a lot of support for Tom Jackson.

[ryan_mcgreal]

Gag me. Dreschel's like a schoolgirl with his crushes and his dissing.

QFT. He delights in muckraking at its most superficial and catty, and you can't read his stuff without tripping over his personal allegiances.

[SteelTown]

I'm putting my money on Sheila returning to federal politics. I predict seat redistribution will see Hamilton Centre split into two ridings east/west, effectively restoring the old Hamilton East riding. Hamilton West will be the remainder of the old Hamilton Centre riding (west mountain), plus Westdale, and Dundas. Sheila will run in one of these, likely Hamilton East.

Copps: been there, done that

April 23, 2009
Daniel Nolan
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/553217

The Liberal party is courting Sheila Copps to run in the next federal election.

Michael Ignatieff's chief of staff broached the subject with her 10 days ago over lunch in Ottawa. Paul Zed is the most powerful of many Liberal colleagues who have contacted the former Hamilton East MP about running again for the party she represented in the House of Commons for two decades.

The former deputy prime minister has spurned all advances, but told The Spectator that if she ever did run again "it would be in my hometown and nowhere else."

Copps, 56, was ousted from the party in 2004 after a divisive nomination battle with former cabinet minister Tony Valeri. The party has since made its peace with her, and Zed, a former MP, was one of the organizers of a tribute to Copps at the King Edward Hotel in Toronto in 2007.

Copps said she appreciates the calls but insisted she was done with politics and is enjoying life with her husband Austin and their families.

"If I came down, I don't think it would be the same," she said. "When a door closes, a window opens. I've turned the page and I'm enjoying life."

She writes for The Hill Times, a weekly that covers federal politics, appears as a guest on CTV's political show Power Play and is working on turning a "great Hamilton" historical story into a TV movie.

Copps said the approach by Zed never got beyond talking. "I told him I was not interested in running in the election, but it was nice to have lunch with him," she said. "He was just broaching the subject. We didn't get into details."

She said they did not talk about when the Liberals aim to bring down the minority Conservative government, but said she expects an election "earlier than later. They're getting organized."

Copps said she does not expect the Liberals to give up trying to recruit her. "When you're in politics, you never give up."

The Liberals once held every seat between Oakville and Niagara Falls prior to the 2004 election.

Copps never lost a federal election and defeated two challenges from NDP candidate Wayne Marston. He has been MP for Hamilton East-Stoney Creek since 2006.

Marston said yesterday he doesn't foresee Copps returning to politics, but said he's not worried.

"If she were to run against me, I would do the same thing as any other candidate," he said. "I would present the work I have been doing, get on with the election and let the people decide."

[astroblaster]

She writes for The Hill Times, a weekly that covers federal politics, appears as a guest on CTV's political show Power Play and is working on turning a "great Hamilton" historical story into a TV movie.


hey now!

this peeked my interest.

[SteelTown]

Eisenberger asleep at the festival switch

May 01, 2009
Andrew Dreschel
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/Opinions/article/558165

It's up to city investigators to determine whether the Festival of Friends flap involves a serious case of graft, a moonlighting employee, or perhaps some kind of spectacular misunderstanding.

But in the meantime, Mayor Fred Eisenberger needs to have his feet held to the fire for the way he handled the allegation that a city staffer improperly accepted money.

At the very least, Eisenberger was slow off the mark and lackadaisical.

Perhaps even worse, he now appears to be indulging in whitewashing and blameshifting.

Eisenberger claims that he took two steps last September when festival manager Loren Lieberman suggested during a private meeting that a city staffer had improperly accepted payment for some work.

First, he offered Lieberman the opportunity to take his allegation to the city manager, an offer reportedly declined.

Second, Eisenberger says he pro-actively raised the matter with then acting city manger Joe Rinaldo.

"I shared with him (Rinaldo) what Loren had shared with me," Eisenberger says.

Problem is, the now retired Rinaldo doesn't recall Eisenberger ever bringing the matter to his attention.

He says the only festival issue the mayor mentioned concerned city grants.

"I know there was an issue in terms of the flow of the grants ... but that was the only issue I ever dealt with on that."

Rinaldo says if the allegation had been raised, he would have taken it seriously and immediately launched an investigation.

Yes, that's one person's word against another's.

But the balance of credibility shifts heavily against Eisenberger when he makes the same claim about informing new city manager Chris Murray and gets the same response.

Eisenberger says he told Murray about Lieberman's assertions a couple of weeks back, though he's not sure that Murray "picked up" on what he was saying.

"I'm not so sure he got the full picture at that point in time or understood the full picture," Eisenberger says.

According to Murray, there was no partial or full picture to get.

He neither recalls Eisenberger raising the issue at their April 20 meeting nor is it reflected in his notes.

If it had been raised, Murray says he would have noted it and taken follow-up action by contacting the city's legal and human resources departments.

"It would be one of those things that would be significant enough that I would think I would react to."

Murray says he first heard of the allegation when Lieberman dropped the bomb at Wednesday's committee meeting.

Frankly, it's hard to believe that two city managers can suffer from memory lapse over the same issue. But the mayor stands by his assertion that he told them.

"I'm 100 per cent confident that I did that," Eisenberger says.

For Eisenberger to suggest they were informed but took no action amounts to a broadside against their professionalism.

But it also deflects attention from the mayor's own responsibility.

If you accept his account, where was his follow-up?

He is, after all, the city's chief magistrate. Why did the matter simply fall off his radar for months?

To be fair, Eisenberger says when Lieberman first made the accusation, it was delivered cryptically and without details.

Eisenberger also notes that "folks say lots of things on many occasions" to him.

In other words, unsubstantiated allegations are as loose as small change in this town.

That's true enough. But Eisenberger also acknowledges he was troubled from the get-go and wanted to get to the bottom of it.

So why did nothing happen for eight long months?

That question may dog Eisenberger long after the case itself is put to bed.

[highwater]

Shorter Andrew Dreschel:

The question may dog Eisenberger long after the case itself is put to bed, because I'll make damn sure it does.

[astroblaster]

Shorter Andrew Dreschel:

The question may dog Eisenberger long after the case itself is put to bed, because I'll make damn sure it does.

LOL

that article was ridiculous

[MacAttack]

Though it may be grasping at straws, this could be interpreted one of two ways...either Whitehead is just trying to make a name for himself, or he's trying to add more wins to his resume so that he looks good for a mayoral run?

Dreschel has mused about Whitehead taking a stab at the seat before...


Political spat over NHL bragging rights

May 11, 2009
ANDREW DRESCHEL
THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR
(May 11, 2009)
Bettman versus Balsillie isn't the only NHL feud raging right now.

Check out the Eisenberger and Whitehead rivalry.

As Hamilton waits with bated breath for the outcome of Jim Balsillie's attempts to bring an NHL team to Copps, Mayor Fred Eisenberger and Councillor Terry Whitehead are locked in a tug-of- war over potential bragging rights for making it happen.

For more than five years, Whitehead has been the principal puck-carrier for bringing the NHL to Hamilton.

Now, with the city arguably closer than ever before, Eisenberger has deftly elbowed Whitehead off the puck and appointed himself the go-to media guy.

Unfortunately, that's setting the stage for the kind of political infighting that plays into the stereotype of council as a refugee camp for circus clowns.

And that's the last thing we need as hockey czars from across North America turn their gaze our way.

Eisenberger took the unusual step of staking out his position as NHL pointman at last week's media conference.

At first, Whitehead seemed to accept the new arrangement by telling local news media that "for the time being" all NHL questions should be directed to the mayor.

But you didn't have to be a detective to figure out Whitehead's "for the time being" meant his nose was seriously out of joint.

That became clear last Friday when Whitehead hastily tried to convene the dormant NHL steering committee, which he chairs, in order to get a briefing from the city's legal department on the proposed agreement with Balsillie.

Besides Whitehead and Eisenberger, the committee is made up of Tom Jackson, Lloyd Ferguson, Bob Bratina and Scott Duvall.

Because of logistical difficulties, that meeting is now expected to take place tomorrow.

Whitehead says he has no problem with Eisenberger taking over the spokesperson role, he just wants the mayor to follow proper process.

And that means bringing the proposed agreement to his committee for vetting and recommendations before sending it on to council.

"I'm not getting into a pissing contest nor do I plan to with the mayor at this point in time," says Whitehead.

"No one's ego should be put in front of important issues like this."

Wise words.

But they fly in the face of what is plainly a nasty continuation of the personalty clashes and sniping that characterizes Eisenberger's and Whitehead's relationship at the best of times.

By asserting the authority of his NHL committee, Whitehead is catapulting himself back into a spokesperson role and making sure Eisenberger doesn't hog the limelight on what could be a huge political win.

All in all, it's not surprising Whitehead is feeling shafted.

He stayed on top of the NHL file when most councillors wrote it off as a forlorn hope.

He stickhandled the initial 2004 agreement that gave Balsillie exclusive rights to Copps and he played a key role in activating subsequent extensions.

And it's no secret that in 2007, when Balsillie was trying to bring the Nashville Predators to Hamilton, Eisenberger unsuccessfully tried to usurp Whitehead's position as NHL committee chair.

Still, let's not forget that this time Balsillie's people contacted the mayor's office first.

And, as mayor, Eisenberger has a rightful claim to be the primary voice for the city and council.

Frankly, he also makes a better spokesperson than Whitehead.

The fact is, though, if Hamilton does land an NHL team this time out, it won't be because of anything either Eisenberger or Whitehead did or said.

It will be because Balsillie pulled off a coup and dropped the spoils in their laps.

Andrew Dreschel's commentary appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. adreschel@thespec.com 905-526-3495

[matt602]

As long as it happens, who freaking cares?

[MacAttack]

An interesting mistake in a recent article by the Mountain News...haha!

“I will never say no to a philanthropist like Chris Ecklund,” said Mayor Whitehead.

http://www.hamiltonmountainnews.com/news/article/175966

[SteelTown]

hahaha

[realcity]

Eckland is so annoying

[realcity]

eg
http://www.auchmar.info/images/Auchmar%20May%2025,%202007%20001.jpg
When Mr. Ecklund visited Auchmar on May 25, 2007, he drove his car up the circular driveway that had once been used by the carriages of such Canadian notables as Lord and Lady Dufferin and Sir John A. Macdonald. 150 years ago, he would have seen dignified servants hovering in the doorway, waiting to greet incoming guests. Although those days are long gone, Mr. Ecklund was still struck by the elegance and splendor projected Auchmar continues to embody. Click to enlarge.

[realcity]

^ that's from his own Auchmar site. He wrote it himself.

Mr. Eckland do you own a black mercedes? o there it is...


"Mr. Ecklund visited Auchmar for his first time during "Open Doors" Hamilton, on May 6th, and was astonished by the grand beauty of the property and manor house.

Approached by a local reporter who knew Mr.Ecklund and had covered him in the past of different events, it became clear to Mr.Ecklund that something needed to be done to educate Hamiltonians about what they had right here in their own backyard."

*rubbing my eyes*

[highwater]

Hysterical!:haha:

[highwater]

Ok. Now I'm thinking I know who you are too.

[realcity]

i haven't been made yet..... witness protection program.

[realcity]

I think Tom Jackson will run for Mayor. Plus he could defeat Eisenberger. I'm sure there's a lot of support for Tom Jackson.

Gawd help us if Jackson runs, and actually wins. I can't stand his suits.

Please Terry Cooke run.

Cooke would be great. think about it. He doesn't need the job for money... he has more political connections then all of current council combined, he's articulate, he can't be bullied, he loves Hamilton, appreciates urban life and density, transit etc (he used to live on Bay South) and judging from his Sat Spec column -- he gets it.

[FairHamilton]

Freudian slip??

“I will never say no to a philanthropist like Chris Ecklund,” said Mayor Whitehead.

[realcity]

*bump*

[SteelTown]

Cooke is out......


Cooke named new HCF chief
The Hamilton Community Foundation will announce today

October 22, 2009
The Hamilton Spectator

The Hamilton Community Foundation will today announce the appointment of Terry Cooke as the foundation’s new president and Chief Executive Officer.

“We are absolutely delighted that Terry will be the Foundation’s next president," said board chair Sandra Stephenson.

"He brings not only his significant leadership abilities and wide range of experiences to the position, but, just as important, brings his passion for Hamilton. He will be a champion both for HCF and for our city. Our search was a comprehensive and thoughtful process, and we are absolutely confident that Terry is the right choice. We are excited about the potential he brings to the role."

Terry Cooke has been president of Cooke Capital Corporation, a management consulting firm focused on leadership, strategic planning and government relations, since 2005.

He is also a columnist for The Spectator.

He previously served as president and chief operating officer with the Foxcroft Group of Companies in Hamilton, and was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth from 1994 to 2000.

Cooke is an experienced community volunteer with a number of charitable and other organizations, and is currently Chair of the Canadian Urban Institute. He is also active as a director with a number of corporate organizations, serving on the boards of Northgate Properties, LPF Infrastructure Fund and Horizon Utilities.

"I am deeply gratified for the confidence placed in me by the board of Hamilton Community Foundation,” Cooke said in a release today.

“I am also awed by the generosity of spirit of the thousands of donors who make possible the work of the Foundation. Each and every day our city is made better through their giving, and enables HCF to make innovative investments in areas as diverse as poverty reduction, education, arts and the environment.  I join the Foundation with tremendous enthusiasm, but at the same time, I am humbled by the enormous responsibility.”

Cooke will assume his duties with the foundation January 1, 2010. Annette Aquin, vice-president of finance and administration will continue as acting president until that time.

[highwater]

Damn. We'll probably be stuck with Whitehead vs. Ecklund or something equally uninspiring. :yuck:

Now that I think about it, Whitehead vs. Ecklund is an oxymoron. Whitehead is Ecklund. If that's the case, I actually hope DiFalco runs. At least he's a slightly different flavour of Ecklundism.

[SteelTown]

Based on the last speech updating the state of the City Eisenberger will run for re-election.

[realcity]

This is good for Cooke and HCF. He's pure business and smart.

While Eisenburger looks like he has no competition right now will probably easily take mayor again. Except he's been a bit disappointing.

Ecklund might see this as a chance to run against Fred.

Whitehead won't leave his little west mountain fiefdom. Not unless he gets a call from Prov or Fed Libs. or Cons.

[highwater]

While Eisenburger looks like he has no competition right now will probably easily take mayor again. Except he's been a bit disappointing.

His leadership style has been a bit disappointing, although it's hard to imagine who could have lead the ship of fools we call council more effectively, unless it was someone who was completely on board with the fools. When you consider what he's up against, including the recession, he's actually made a surprising amount of progress.

Heaven help us if the spawn of DiIanni runs.

[bornagainbiking]

We have an election in 2010? I think it may be time to clean house.
Some of the furniture or Cling-ons have been there too long and have lost touch with the residents. Maybe a refresher of a regular job ancd maybe throw in shift work.
They work for the people.......
Who should stay and who should go.
I like Bratina because he ain't scared to voice his opinion and take the heat like a man. Pretty straight shooter. Advocate for downtown which is important to city as a whole.
The 3 amigo are all about them. One lives in or for the limelight.....
So what do you think, who are the duds?
and some suggestions for replacments.

[SteelTown]

There should be absolutely no doubt that Fred Eisenberger will run for re-election. He wants the issue of Area Rating dealt with AFTER the election. Plus winning the 2015 Pan Am Games will leave a good legacy.

[SteelTown]

Depending on how this Area Rating debate goes I can picture Terry Whitehead running for Mayor. If Mayor Fred wins and pushes the decision for Area Rating after the election than this election will turn into a referedrum over Area Rating. Terry Whitehead is the most vocal councillor on this issue and he'll be pissed if they delay a decision on what to do on Area Rating after the election.

This upcoming election could be a lot like Christopherson vs. Di Ianni 2003 election when the hot button issue was the Red Hill Creek Expressway.

[BrianE]

I think Morelli has hung around long enough. Ward 3 needs a breath of fresh air. Good luck finding someone to run against him however.

[realcity]

Actually I'm beginning to think our ELECTED council has little to do with how this City functions. Ya they field phone calls and emails from old people complaining about a pothole or someone who didn't cut their grass last week.

But really... the problem is with the CITY STAFF.... mainly because you can't get rid of them.

[realcity]

actually Hamilton was much better in the 60s 70s and 80s

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3542/3364121195_1848db9fd6.jpg

[realcity]

I think Morelli has hung around long enough. Ward 3 needs a breath of fresh air. Good luck finding someone to run against him however.

maybe I'll run

[SteelTown]

Andrew Dreschel slammed Mayor Fred today.......

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?p=4573558&posted=1#post4573558

[BrianE]

maybe I'll run

Unless you're Bernie in disguise, you've got my vote.

[SteelTown]

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/678427

Police board chair Morelli to quit
Announces three days after surprise decision on chief

November 24, 2009
Susan Clairmont

Bernie Morelli is stepping down as chair of the Police Services Board.

"I plan to step down in January, " he says. "It's a good, new, fresh start. There's other things I want to do and others would like an opportunity."

Perhaps this is a sign that he may also not run for re-election as well.

[realcity]

good

[SteelTown]

Ferguson ponders running for mayor

Andrew Dreschel

Ancaster councillor Lloyd Ferguson is considering running against Mayor Fred Eisenberger in next year’s municipal election.

“I’m getting — and I have for a while now — incredible pressure to run,” says Ferguson.

“I haven’t made a final decision yet. I’m still wrestling with it.”

Ferguson is the first person with a high-profile to publicly say he’s thinking of challenging Eisenberger, who has already said he intends to seek a second term.

“I think Fred is growing into the job,” Ferguson says.

“But sometimes you have to get tough and his style is always to try to get a consensus.”

Ferguson, 59, hasn’t set a deadline for making a decision, but he wants to let his “inner team” know as soon as possible.

He says they’re urging him to start polling to test public opinion.

Candidates can start registering for the fall 2010 election in January.

To conduct a citywide campaign, Ferguson figures he’ll need to commit and get rolling by spring.

East Mountain Councillor Tom Jackson is the only other incumbent routinely rumoured to be a possible mayoral candidate.

But Jackson is playing his cards close.

“I’m being encouraged to run,” says Jackson. “I’m humbled and flattered by it. But at this time I’m not thinking beyond representing Ward 6.”

Ferguson has represented Ancaster’s Ward 12 since 2006, when he replaced his brother, Murray, who was sidelined by a stroke while in office.

Before that, he was the general manager of Dufferin Construction where he was responsible for a $350-million budget and managing some 850 employees.

Ferguson says he’s being encouraged to run by various sectors, especially the business community.

If he does throw his hat in the ring, he’ll campaign on bringing a business perspective to running the city.

“The two biggest problems this city has right now is image and lack of employers. I would really make that my central focus — to attract businesses to invest in Hamilton.”

Ferguson would unquestionably bring considerable assets to the mayoral race. The Fergusons are, after all, something of a political dynasty in Ancaster and the name would likely carry weight throughout neighbouring Dundas and Flamborough.

Ferguson himself was a councillor in the former municipality of Ancaster from 1984 to 1994 and a Wentworth school trustee before that.

His late father, Walter, was town reeve for many years and his late mother, Barbara, was an Ancaster councillor for 13 years.

Brother Murray’s record of public service includes two terms with the former Ancaster council before amalgamation and two terms with Hamilton council.

Ferguson’s business sense is certainly respected by his council colleagues.

Some suggest he’d be good at creating a corporate-friendly culture and streamlining bureaucracy at City Hall .

One councillor suggests Ferguson, who is increasingly frustrated by council shenanigans, might bring more order and decorum to the table.

But it’s also noted he can be testy when issues don’t go his way and he hasn’t grown sensitive to environmental and inner-city social issues like Murray did .

With the luxury of a good pension from Dufferin, Ferguson doesn’t need a job like career politicians do.

That means though he enjoys representing Ancaster as a councillor, he can afford to take the calculated gamble of running for mayor without worrying about income if he loses He admits he’s meeting strong resistance from his wife, Martha, who is also a key adviser. She wants him to slow down, not speed up.

“But that’s not my style,” says Ferguson. “I always say her idea of a perfect day is to do nothing. That’s my idea of the worst day.”

Whether he takes the mayoral leap or not, for the sake of choice, it’s good to see somebody openly shaking the bushes.