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
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