From the Calgary Herald – Feb 12, 2009

An ungodly mess. That’s the only way to describe Calgary City Hall these days, and I’m not talking about the debris left over from the $264,000 renovation of the city manager’s office.

Comments on news stories, people who call in to radio shows, talk on the street–in my years of watching city hall, I have never seen such venom directed toward our aldermen. In fact, one alderman told me that he has never had such hateful mail and phone calls in all his years of public service.

The temptation is to do one of two things — the first is to dismiss this as a lot of fuss over nothing, arguing that our city is pretty well-run as things go, that our aldermen work hard, that our property taxes remain among the lowest in Canada. The second is to point fingers –none of this would have happened if certain aldermen had not let their mayoral aspirations get in the way of doing the job they are in now.

All of that may well be true, but it’s not very productive to dwell on it. What is clear is that this council has largely lost the trust and faith of those whom it governs.

How can they do this? First, gain some perspective. One thing that is clear is that council has lost all sense of proportion, and that this has further distanced them from the citizens. They need to understand the optics of paying $32 per square foot for paint, of spending $1.8 million on a gym for city employees, of using more than $2 million to renovate their own meeting chambers. Sure, each of these expenses had a rationale–the gym was about retention of employees, and the chamber’s renovation was to make it easier for people with disabilities to present to council.

The problem is that council didn’t ask any further questions, such as “what exactly is the problem with employee retention?” Are employees physically at City Hall quitting in droves, or is it people in the field (bus drivers, road workers) who are the issue? How likely are they to come downtown to work out?

Similarly, would not a wire-less microphone system to al-low people who cannot access the podium in council chambers to speak from their seats solve the problem?

Even the famous pedestrian bridges suffered from a lack of questioning. I have no problem with spending a bit more to build something beautiful. I do have a problem with the estimated traffic measures–one of the bridges is to Sunnyside, which is surrounded by a bluff. People living further north likely use the staircases and pathways that connect with the two existing bridges, meaning the Calatrava one will serve mainly Sunnysiders. How exactly is a neighbourhood with a total population of 3,600 or so, supposed to generate 5,000 trips per day, particularly when it is already served by two other bridges?

Aldermen need to remember that times are tough, and that a measure of frugality and creative problem-solving goes a long way.

To show that it is listening to the people, council should reverse a few of the most stupid decisions in the last budget. As far as money goes, they are a drop in the bucket, but it will show that council is actually listening.

For example, the $3 fee at the Park and Ride lots was passed with minimal debate, and even less analysis. It is likely one of the worst things council has ever done: It penalizes people who are trying to do the right thing and take transit, and it is an undue burden on lower-income people. In fact, for those who rely on the C-Train, but are not well-served by the existing bus network, the average tax and fee increase will be nearly four times what it is for those who do not take transit.

And don’t get me started on aldermanic pay raises. That the aldermen truly think that taking a 5.5 per cent increase makes sense given the economic crisis and given the upcoming union negotiations is beyond belief. Yes, there is a system in place. Yes, it must be respected. But these are extraordinary times, and require extraordinary efforts.

Finally, council needs to break free of the arrogant assumption that the way they do things now–from snow removal to recreation fees to zoning–is the best, or indeed, the only way to do it. They need to institute a far-reaching program to examine every single activity that the city undertakes, and look for efficiencies.

It’s almost inexplicable that this council is so complacent. Is it because they think no one is paying attention and that no one votes?

If so, they’ll have another thing coming in 2010.

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