As I wrote in this week’s city feature, "The Rising Right," Councillor Adam Vaughan is no stranger to bringing forward controversial ideas that may not be on the top of Mayor David Miller’s agenda — and this despite not being part of the mayor’s all-powerful (according to some who are not on it) Executive Committee.
Here’s some other reasons why I thought he would be an important person to interview for the story (which looks the right wing’s claim that it’s becoming more and more difficult to bring forward new ideas and access information at city hall): though progressive, Vaughan has been painted as a thorn in Miller’s side (a couple months ago, Toronto Life ran a charticle that looked at how the two butt heads on various issues). As others pointed out to me, upon winning the election, Vaughan had a good number of Helen Kennedy (read: NDP) supporters to win over. Yet, when he doesn’t agree with something, he’s not afraid to say so. Take his opposition to the new Union Station plan (a pride and joy of the Executive Committee) or the Front Street Extension (Deputy Mayor Pantalone’s baby). And then there’s the battles with TTC Chair and Miller loyalist Adam Giambrone regarding the King streetcar right-of-way and TTC-station revitalization.
Despite all this, Vaughan seems to get things done. He’s succeeded in bringing forward a controversial tax for clubs who use city-owned sidewalk space in the Entertainment District. He has been busy devising creative new ways to allow his community to engage in a little proactive city planning, has helped make it possible for section 37 benefits to be applied to Heritage Conservation District Studies and has brought the need for family housing in new downtown development to light. All of this is to say that he is an example of a councillor who somehow manages to have his ideas heard even though he’s not part of the mayor’s inner circle, and so, would have some insight into the accusations some right wing councillors have made.
Here’s a few of the things he had to say on how different councillors operate at city hall (and he doesn’t mince words):
“The easy view to take at city hall is that there are two opposing groups…. Truth be told, there’s really three groups on any issue and the boundaries are pretty fluid and they’re driven by local concern…. There’s a group of councillors that are sort of in the middle, that veer to the left and the right, that actually constitute the opposition, but they don’t play obstructionist politics. Then there’s a core group on the hard right who are the obstructionists, who do all the complaining, but the reality is that they’re the laziest groups of politicians I’ve ever seen, both in terms of their intellectual discipline, but also their work ethic.”
The culprits: “[Rob] Ford. Ford doesn’t show up for council. He whines and complains, like he squeals like god knows what, but he doesn’t show up for council. He shows up for the one committee he’s on. And when you ask him what he’s doing, it’s always serving his constituents, whether it’s coaching a football game or going to a hockey game drunk. Just by living, he’s somehow serving his constituents.”
“The reality is that these councillors aren’t engaged beyond the mudslinging. And while they get great profile and create the illusion of being heavily engaged, talk to people on budget and find out how much work they do on a budget. I mean, I sit on one board with Rob Ford, the Harbourfront Board — was he there for any of the meetings? Was he bringing his finely-tuned private sector skills to bear? It’s a bit of a joke.”
“They’re there for the sport of politics, they’re not there to govern. And while they’re getting better at the sport of politics and they have a willing media right now that’s in the midst of a feeding frenzy on that side of things, the reality is: what work are they doing? They'd form a sizable power block if they could ever figure out how to get the group in the middle, you know, the Jenkins and the Filions and the Grimes and the folks like that.”
On Karen Stintz: “Just because you think you’re right doesn’t mean the rest of council ought to trust you any more than your constituents ought to trust you. So you do the work. She doesn’t do the work. She wants a parliamentary system where she gets to tell people make it so, but I’m sorry, that’s not the way city hall has ever worked. Part of the problem is she was never engaged at city hall before she arrived here so she hasn’t watched the left in opposition work an issue through the committee process and build consensus around it. She hasn’t even watched the right wing build consensus around an idea because they tend to think once their mayor’s in power, they just do what [he says] and just sit back and allow [Mel] Lastman to take all the credit or criticism.”
Opposition? That’s life: “Everyone runs into opposition around here whether you’re a mayor or a local councillor. We’re one councillor trying to get something done for our ward. There’s 44 people you’re trying to convince. That’s the game….When people get dug into ideology and party lines and fixed positions, you can’t get that honest hearing and it starts to break down, and that’s why talking to Cliff Jenkins and Mike Feldman and Norm Kelly and all these people who are sort of the unaligned right is valuable.”
“….So the right wing, who have none of the skills or the wherewithal or the work ethic to get that done can sit there and complain that they’re not getting anywhere, but it’s like they’re banging their head against the door and they haven’t tried the doorknob.”