By: Surjit Singh Flora
Not to side with any one political party or member. Always on the side of truth, reality and justice, no matter if it’s from a family member, politician or any individual.
However, in a recent instance, I must make my stance crystal-clear — there is no excuse whatsoever for Brampton’s Mayor and councillors collecting paycheques from the public for the last five-to-six months while refusing to show up for council meetings.
Councillors Jeff Bowman, Gurpreet Singh Dhillon, Pat Fortini, Martin Medeiros and Doug Whillans have accused Mayor Patrick Brown of using his office staff for his federal Conservative Party leadership race, along with supporting his close friends and like-minded councillors to give them preferential treatment for city business.
However, these councillors tried to circumvent the political process to bring in a pre-emptive appointment to replace former Wards 7 and 8 Coun. Charmaine Williams, via trying to parachute former Coun. Elaine Moore into the vacant seat. Who knows if she was going to win or lose in the ensuing municipal race, but that was against the municipality’s rules and regulations.
In this instance, these councillors were wrong for trying to skip the designated process. Regardless of the fact that I have interviewed and spoken to many of the parties on all sides, this behaviour was unacceptable and made a mockery of the side in the public’s eye.
There’s another side to the problem. Mayor Brown, while being a “man for all seasons” to every community, has spent the last term changing street and park names and making numerous declarations for celebrations and civic-themed days of the month — and little else. It’s only benefiting him as a source of votes, and even getting flags, dignitaries and security at these events is costing Bramptonians their hard-earned money and taking the focus away from issues that need close scrutiny. All it seems to get them is a few more photo ops.
Brown has done nothing for the city. Even most of the plans for the city’s future development are based off plans spearheaded during former Mayor Susan Fennell’s time. On the issue of federal funding to the city, many of the MPs, MPPs and ministers have indicated in various ways that Brampton never reached out to the federal government with any future development, and that they’ve been the ones pushing the city to accept various proposals.
Celebrating heritage months and changing park/street names may look good on paper and in the media (what’s left of it), but it’s not that much of an achievement. Spearheading investment and creating more jobs is a better barometer of how well a city’s government has performed.
Councillors Bowman, Dhillon, Fortini, Medeiros and Whillans need to think closely about their actions. If you’re complaining about Brown and other councils wasting taxpayers’ money over last few months, then be the better politicians. Not showing up at the city quorum to get work done and siting at home as you make pithy statements, while still collecting free money from the taxpayer won’t do you any favors.
If you are accusing Brown of using his office staff for his CPC leadership race, and he’s giving business to his own friends and councillors, then please send us the proof with certified documents. We have no problem to write about it and letting the public know and understand just how much damage is being done — but that requires “showing us the receipts.”
without any more wasting taxpayer’s money- all of councillors and including mayor . Honeymoon is over -they must get back to work and get the things done, for the success of city and the citizens.
