In his own words, Coun. Joe Mihevc says the Wychwood Barns site project occupied his office staff "almost full-time over the past three years".
With municipal elections slated for 2003, some ward taxpayers are more than a little fed up about how the councillor spends his time.
"Why are we taxpayers paying his staff to work on one project that is for the benefit of 20 or 22 people when we have more than 40,000 constituents in Ward 21?" Jane Steele Moore asks in a recent letter to the editor of a daily newspaper.
"Mihevc’s personal agenda has taken away from the ward’s needs and more important issues such as crime, drugs and the youth who have nowhere to go and nothing to do. What a shame that he could not focus on his ward rather than one project. Those not interested in Artscape on the site have lost the benefits of having a councillor who works for us."
There are those, Ms. Steele Moore who are still against your council representative for running in the 2000 election with a plank to make the old TTC streetcar yard 100 percent park. But that was before he decided to give the site to Artscape.
Mihevc meanwhile is reported to be very upset about a certain website (www.truepatriotlove.com) that publicly castigates him for his Artscape council posture.
…"In what was a clearly irregular move, when the procedural window (at council) was opened, Mr. Mihevc called the question on his Wychwood Barns/Artscape motion. After some befuddled back and forth, the City Clerk confirmed that the maneuver was permissible. There were two votes: the first on whether to call the question. 20-8. The second on Mihevc’s Park design 20-10. Thus, the project surmounted a hurdle at City Council.
"What was missing, however was an actual debate. In effect council decided, without being apprised of the facts on the other side of the issue. Council was privy to Mihevc’s sunny assessment. Council also had before it, staff reports that contained many red flags amidst its obligatory acquiescence to the Artscape project. Critical inquiry was about to be applied by those on council with critical facilities, but…well after midnight, after 16 hours at their seats, councillors clearly had no appetite for another four hours of debate. The meeting was about to close.
"Mr. Mihevc had a stark choice. Be consistent with the principles of fairness, openness, transparency and ethics that he espouses at every sanctimonious turn and conclude that the issue is not "time critical" as Mr. Halstead asserts. Defer the issue until council next meets so all views in the disparate community can be heard.
"Or, concede that principles are nothing but lofty rhetoric and (now that a quarter of council has left) put the issue to a direct party line vote.
"He chose the latter. It spoke volumes.
"Debate as quashed by raw procedural, if open and transparent power.
"The issue is by no means settled. It features the same things that afflict the City with MFP, only on a much smaller scale. There’s conflict of interest, there’s playing fast and loose with city assets, there’s flying a project under the radar that um, has the potential for growth.
"Mr. Mihevc has successfully flown his Artscape project under the radar of three City Council meetings. The most recent was the first where critical scrutiny might potentially have been applied.
"Little wonder that he called the question and stifled debate.
"If democracy is in fact operative, this issue needs revisiting and well gosh, the protagonists need a lateral career shift."
Included in the list of councillors who voted in favour of the Artscape project are David Miller and Joe Pantalone, both of whom are on the Artscape board of directors.
Ward 21’s Coun. Joe Miheve is the councillor depicted with his family in a Toronto Star story about how he and his family "subsisted" on a welfare recipients' budget for a month. Only a day later, it was announced in the same newspaper that he is council’s top spender of the year.
Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com
Pursuant to Title 17 U.S.C. 107, other copyrighted work is provided for educational purposes, research, critical comment, or debate without profit or payment. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for your own purposes beyond the 'fair use' exception, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Views are those of authors and not necessarily those of Canada Free Press. Content is Copyright 1997-2018 the individual authors. Site Copyright 1997-2018 Canada Free Press.Com Privacy Statement