[Canuck 36]

Personally I find his whole "clean city" was a huge let down.

City Hall is just as closed down now as it was before, except out went Lastman's people and advisors and in came his. Honestly I didn't know what to expect from him on part of his platform, but the other phase - "physical beauty" is really where I'm upset at what was promised and what was (not) delivered. Perhaps I was too naive thinking a Miller victory would lead to a revival of the inner burbs.

Not everyone is fortunate enough to live in the core. Though Miller can take credit for planting some flowers in certain tourist spots, my area of Scarborough looks as bad as I can remember it.

I was hoping for Miller to (quote a Bushism) "be a uniter and not a divider." The old wounds of amalgamation are still with us. Like the situation or not, like the suburbs or not, we are one city - Toronto needs a mayor who can meet the different but equally important needs of all regions of the city.

In 2003 Tory got his strength in the suburbs, Miller in the core. Post 2003 I've seen a Miller do his best to keep his base happy, but not a whole lot else. My thinking goes Pitfield or another candidate will pick up the Tory support from the burbs, the extra anti-Miller sentiment, and enough votes in the core-regions to win.

I don't care if the candidate is left or right wing, and if they "look like a mayor" or not, I just want to see some acknowledgement and solutions to the issues I've outlined.

 

[andreapalladio]

What issues? Other than "Scarberia is ugly" (a problem that the lord god almighty probably couldn't fix in three years).

 

[Canuck 36]

Distribution of services for starters.

 

[rbtaylor]

Distribution of services for starters.

This is an interesting issue. Does anybody know what city spending is like on a per-revenue dollar basis in the various boroughs? That is, the %age of total property tax dollars spent in an area versus compared to the total amount collected in that area.

I would tend to expect residents and businesses in the core to be short on the whole, but that is by gut feeling only. Some services and infrastrucutre improvements that the suburbs want aren't actually provided by the city via property taxes downtown either, the local BIAs and developers pay for them directly.

 

[building babel]

A higher turnout in Miller-voting wards, among those of us who were motivated to support him, is what helped Miller defeat Tory three years ago. That, and the collapse of Hall's vote.

Pretty flower displays or not, I don't see the kind of continuing downtown love-in for the Mayor that Canuck36 imagines. We're as irascible and fickle as voters anywhere else these days, I think. Downtowners know that our 3% property tax increases are subsidizing the property tax decreases of homeowners in outer suburbs who voted for Tory. And, while we know the Mayor isn't responsible for the property assessment system, many see little payoff for our votes.

 

[Canuck 36]

building babel - I think there's enough anti-Miller sentiment not just in the inner burbs, but in the core as well, that will spell his defeat.

If not Pitfield, someone else will see an opportunity to grab the mayor's seat.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Honestly I didn't know what to expect from him on part of his platform, but the other phase - "physical beauty" is really where I'm upset at what was promised and what was (not) delivered. Perhaps I was too naive thinking a Miller victory would lead to a revival of the inner burbs.

I don't think one can expect a revival within a period of 3 years, when the momentum behind the forces leading to the decline of the inner suburbs had been in the making for decades.

I was hoping for Miller to (quote a Bushism) "be a uniter and not a divider." The old wounds of amalgamation are still with us. Like the situation or not, like the suburbs or not, we are one city - Toronto needs a mayor who can meet the different but equally important needs of all regions of the city.

I would argue that the social policies under Miller is probably the thing that keeps the inner burbs from going into a complete basketcase, considering the withdrawl/cutbacks of provincal social services.

Like honestly, when it comes to the issue of service equity, just what does it imply, exactly? That the grass must be cut the same number of times, without consideration to the amount of area that needs doing, the significance of differing levels of upkeep vis-a-vis usage, etc? I have a feeling it's a case of "perception is everything", independent of actual amounts of spending.

AoD

 

[Canuck 36]

Alvin, I'd be happy if I saw signs of progress, or that Miller saw the plight of the inner burbs as a priority - I see none of that.

The main arguments to be used against Miller, as I see them, are:
a) What has he done for YOU? (Directed towards inner burbs)
b) The perception that he's soft on crime
c) Breaking his property tax promise/budget problems (Admittedly they weren't raised much higher than inflation, but it will still be enough to paint him as a tax & spend NDPer. His challenger will run on a platform of fiscal responsibility and will use whatever they have in their arsenol against him).

 

[spmarshall]

Most of the TTC Ridership Growth strategy improvements have been in the inner 'burbs. I am disappointed though that TTC fares went up this year (twice in three Miller budgets).

He needs one more term - most of the work has been reorganization, and pushing for the City of Toronto Act and better relations and more assistance from the province.

Apart from Clean and Beautiful City (which admittedly has been downtown-centric), what has the inner city got that the suburbs are missing out on? What wonderful things has Mel Lastman, champion of the suburbs, done during his disasterous two terms as mayor of Toronto?

Unless someone else really impresses me (and I'm not thinking Pitfield), this North York resident is voting Miller.