Report Worthy Of Consideration

The report of the Mayor's Task Force on Governance, released yesterday, should not be given short shrift as it would appear to be being given by some councillors. This report was prepared by a blue-ribbon panel, including former Carleton University President Richard Van Loon and University of Ottawa governance expert David Zussman. They looked at how the city's being run from the perspective of outsiders with no axe to grind -- other than wanting something other than the current circus at city hall. As for those councillors who think everything is hunky-dory, there are none so blind as those who will not see !

It's easy to blame Mayor Larry O'Brien for the dithering, lack of decision-making, childish behaviour and name calling which seems to permeate the council chamber. But it started long before he was elected.

Larry O'Brien became a convenient target on the day he announced he was running for mayor. A self-made millionaire businessman from the private sector -- he was anathema to the city's unionized employees, to the special interest groups who've had an easy ride picking taxpayers' pockets, and to the inside-the-greenbelt chardonnay socialists on council. Didn't matter that the majority of voters wanted a change -- and they didn't want Alex Munter, the councillors' preferred candidate. It's too bad the majority of voters didn't kick out half the council at the same time. Don't know who coined the term "Leisure Suit Larry" but it soon made its way into the lexicon of the reporters who regularly cover city hall. He might as well have worn a bullseye on his back.

The city of Ottawa isn't some rinky-dink little operation. It has 15,000 employees, 14,000 of whom are unionized, covered by 13 separate collective agreements (figures taken from 2007 auditor-general's report). Its operating budget runs into the billions of dollars. The city of Ottawa is big business. And the taxpayers have a right to expect the city will be run like a business.

Larry O'Brien was the first mayoral candidate to come from Ottawa's private sector in a long, long time. He was viewed with suspicion right from the outset. After all, he might start asking questions. He might demand more accountability, cost effectiveness and efficiency -- the watchwords of business sucess in the private sector. Naturally his views would clash with those of many of the councillors -- most of whom, prior to their election, worked for the feds, for NGOs, in the quasi-public sector or as community activists. Some have law degrees. A lot of experience in spending other people's money. Little or no experience (just a handful, including the mayor)) meeting a payroll.

The blue-ribbon task force on governance calls for a new structure at city hall -- the creation of an executive committee. And treating the mayor like a CEO with a CEO's powers.

Those of us who've been around this city for a long time fondly remember when city council had that sort of structure. In those days, there was a mayor, a four-person board of control, and ward aldermen (or councillors, today's non-sexist term). The mayor and board of control members were elected city-wide. Councillors were elected within their respective wards. The city was well-run. Things got done. Taxes were kept in check. People were happy.

The problems we have today stem directly from the fact that apart from the mayor, no other council member takes a city-wide view. It's all NIMBY.

Here's what the outsider sees:

Council needs to make a decision on.... (choose your poison-- LRT, bridge to Quebec, new stadium, etc.)

Council can't make a decision without studying the situation to death.

Council hires a consulting firm to develop a plan.

Several members of council don't like the consultant's plan -- if the LRT, bridge, stadium or whatever lands in their ward, they might just lose their seat in the next election.

Council hires another bunch of consultants in the hope that a differerent plan might work. It doesn't. Another group of councillors objects.

Council goes back to discussing how to keep pigeons out of the city hall tower.

And so it goes. No one has the cojones to bell the cat..

Take the Congress Centre for example. Everyone knew it was too small and the city was losing out on convention business as a result. Ten years of consulting, studying, to and fro, back and forth -- finally shovel in the ground. It would have been more cost-effective and efficient if the plan had been acted upon 10 years ago. Construction and labor costs would have been considerably less and the city might have made some money from big conventions during the intervening period.

Take mass transit. Councillor Alex Cullen (first elected in 1991, now a putative mayoral candidate) says we have a world class transit system in Ottawa. Third world, maybe. Obviously he hasn't ridden the buses in Barcelona. Name one other city where the LRT plan to the west end would have it run along a scenic parkway where there are no passengers, instead of along a major thoroughfare such as Carling Avenue where there are thousands of potential passengers at at the government buildings, the Ottawa Hospital's Civic Campus, the Royal Ottawa Hospital and all the shopping malls between Bronson and Pinecrest. At least Councillors Clive Doucet (first elected in 1997) and Christine Leadman (first elected in 2006) got this one right. If a decision on mass transit had been taken 10 years ago, costs of construction would be considerably less that they will be whenever -- sometime in the future -- shovels go into the ground. And more people might use the LRT if it took them to places they actually want to go.

This is how property taxpayers are being screwed. Buckets of money spent on consultants' reports which come to naught. Escalating construction costs each year the project is delayed. Councillors who can't think outside their ward boundaries let alone think outside the box. Councillors more concerned with protecting their own little fiefdoms rather than taking risks and supporting what's good for the city as a whole.

Monies lost through OC Transpo fare box cheating and improperly calibrated parking meters are small change when compared to how major project costs (materials and labor) escalate when projects are delayed and delayed and delayed because council needs more time for studies and consultants -- or prefers to waste time on petty issues such as newspaper boxes on city streets, standardizing benches in city parks, banning bottled water in city buildings, ridding the city hall cafeteria of trans fats etc.

Is this council ready for the expanded powers recently conferred on municipalities by the province ? Not by a long shot. Not when Zombie culture prevails and disfunction rules the day. If you don't know where you're going, every road takes you there. This council desperately needs a GPS -- or at the very least, a map !

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