With an upcoming election in the air, it may be a good time to review our expectations for any candidate we elect. The most important attributes are honesty and integrity. Next on the list is a commitment to looking out for the best interests of their constituents. Last but by no means least is visibility.
In community politics, the fact that all our local politicians were all re-elected, in the last municipal election is a sign that they have been good public servants and were rewarded for their service to the community. They come to our meetings and Councillor Fonseca keeps the community engaged.
While our new Mayor Bonnie Crombie was invited to attend our AGM in May, she unfortunately declined. More often than not, her predecessor, Mayor McCallion, found time to attend our community meetings and happily addressed issues of concern. McCallion’s attendance at community events kept her in touch with her constituents and built a strong bond that kept her in office for a historical term. This year we will chalk up the Mayor’s unavailability to still learning the job. Next year we will consider it as a slight to those to whom she is accountable and to whom she should be making a connection.
On the other hand, perhaps Mayor Crombie was concerned that she would have to address some community issues that obviously are at odds with her agenda.
When our community had the opportunity to present our views against the Forest Park development to Counsel last May, the Mayor made it clear that she supports intensification. Clearly she is not opposed to amending the City plan to significantly increase density to allow this plan to move forward.
Hopefully, the Planning Department will see this as a poor fit for the community and decline to move the project forward.
It turns out that the Mayor is not a friend of seniors either. Although students at UTM receive a significant reduction on bus fares, and all Mississauga students received freedom passes at no cost, for the summer, the Mayor voted against a proposed discount for seniors. While Council passed a motion for a six-month trial to allow seniors to ride for $1.00 in off-peak times, the Mayor and Ward 1 Councillor Jim Tovey voted against the motion. The Mayor indicated that this could be seen as cherry picking groups for assistance. She felt that other groups such as single parents and refugees might feel slighted. Unlike other groups, many seniors in our community are living on fixed incomes. Some seniors are living on modest incomes which include Government Pensions that are not even close to the subsidies given to other groups.
In community politics, the fact that all our local politicians were all re-elected, in the last municipal election is a sign that they have been good public servants and were rewarded for their service to the community. They come to our meetings and Councillor Fonseca keeps the community engaged.
While our new Mayor Bonnie Crombie was invited to attend our AGM in May, she unfortunately declined. More often than not, her predecessor, Mayor McCallion, found time to attend our community meetings and happily addressed issues of concern. McCallion’s attendance at community events kept her in touch with her constituents and built a strong bond that kept her in office for a historical term. This year we will chalk up the Mayor’s unavailability to still learning the job. Next year we will consider it as a slight to those to whom she is accountable and to whom she should be making a connection.
On the other hand, perhaps Mayor Crombie was concerned that she would have to address some community issues that obviously are at odds with her agenda.
When our community had the opportunity to present our views against the Forest Park development to Counsel last May, the Mayor made it clear that she supports intensification. Clearly she is not opposed to amending the City plan to significantly increase density to allow this plan to move forward.
Hopefully, the Planning Department will see this as a poor fit for the community and decline to move the project forward.
It turns out that the Mayor is not a friend of seniors either. Although students at UTM receive a significant reduction on bus fares, and all Mississauga students received freedom passes at no cost, for the summer, the Mayor voted against a proposed discount for seniors. While Council passed a motion for a six-month trial to allow seniors to ride for $1.00 in off-peak times, the Mayor and Ward 1 Councillor Jim Tovey voted against the motion. The Mayor indicated that this could be seen as cherry picking groups for assistance. She felt that other groups such as single parents and refugees might feel slighted. Unlike other groups, many seniors in our community are living on fixed incomes. Some seniors are living on modest incomes which include Government Pensions that are not even close to the subsidies given to other groups.
