OPINION: Be honest, you don't think city council is worth paying for
30The private sector tie in here is weak... CEO's compensation is tied to explicit KPI's and constant reviews...and those KPI's set by the board... the board defines success, not the CEO... Council by contrast, pretty much defines its own priorities, approves its own budgets, then says accountability comes at election time every four years... No private company would accept a four-year, all or nothing performance review with no interim metrics... This may be a full-time job now (I believe it is), BUT full-time roles must come with outcome-based accountability.. fiscal guardrials, clear targets, public scorecards.. (OTHER CITIES DO THIS)... Until that happens, the pay argument is always going to be emotional rather than evidence based, and the comparison to private sector will remain a false equivalence.
6- Adam Cloet
Mayor urges community to ‘come together,’ ‘take action’ and ‘hold council accountable’
24Bleh. Cut headcount or get out. Too many people doing unimportant work and spending our money foolishly. The only promise I’ll vote for is immediate spending reviews and cuts wherever practical.
3- BH6
24-storey apartment building proposed for Fountain Street
15Sorry but I see a massive, ugly building.
11- Apples123
24-storey apartment building proposed for Fountain Street
19how do you have over 400 untis and only 95 parking spaces??
6- GEEKDAD
24-storey apartment building proposed for Fountain Street
17AWESOME!!..We need it, especially around that area..great location, with the train station and buses near by and local market which could be expanded..you can't get more amenities then this spot. Oh yeah, you have a gas station and CANJA!!👍♥️
8- Lore Bortolon
Mayor urges community to ‘come together,’ ‘take action’ and ‘hold council accountable’
22Cam if hot air was money, Guelph would not have to depend on Money raising events , chasing people for more money than there already paying in TAXES. Easy to see it's an election year as it's starting to get windy around town.
1- M.R.W
Weddings on hold at city hall due to upcoming election
20The election isn't until October. Surely they can perform the ceremonies prior to then... it's only one day a week!
2- Diane Limebeer
Weddings on hold at city hall due to upcoming election
19Surely ... the staff could endure Friday weddings ... as well as get ready for the election.Really?
2- Local Thoughts
Community rallies to help family devastated by fatal blaze
11Absolutely fantastic to see the Guelph community come together to support this family's needs and[ SHAME on the Guelph Human Society for a 3,000 Dollar Bill ] added to this families loss and grief.
9- M.R.W
OPINION: Be honest, you don't think city council is worth paying for
13I believe that people who hold these positions should be paid, accordingly. Just because Hamilton, Nepean, Thunder Bay councillors get raises does not mean that you should get one also. Like so many other things in life, you have to take the bad with the good and it is an unfortunate case of newly elected councillors who get trial by fire trying to fit into “the old boys club” with senior councillors who will band together against the newbie. This council has had its time in sun, time to go. Let’s start with new people, attitudes and ideas. And so if we’re being honest; I propose council be a)full time, b) two year term c)publicly voted wage d) ONE council person per ward e) taxpayers be able to vote for ALL those who are running. Councillors should be representing the city as a whole, not just a particular ward. If everybody was to work towards a common good then there would be time to bring more ward specific issues to the table. And who knows, others might agree …. Continued ….
6- 1SPOOK
OPINION: Be honest, you don't think city council is worth paying for
12Public Health is a horrible eg. They have modest increases compared to police, social services and library. Council appoints a majority to Police board. How often do reports have no "financial implications" when there are. eg Delhi St. Huge social service increases due to council decisions, we just don't get to see detail (the budget we see is pathetic); the library did not need a massive ramp up before opening (we've been paying for, what 2 years?). The OP argument is stupid, Council do your job, and if it gets changed, it gets changed. Has the role of councillor changed that much, or have the socialist councillors and mayor inserted themselves as social activists who don't care about massive spending? The latter. Adam, $100k+ is still a lot of money, much more than most ever see! A 7.87% tax increase, and voting for a 33% pay increase (while receiving annual increases) is just greedy! And they want to spread disinformation claiming the "city portion" only increased by 3.36%.
7- H Mat
OPINION: Be honest, you don't think city council is worth paying for
9What does City Council do besides rubber-stamp obscene tax increases ?
10- Grandad
Weddings on hold at city hall due to upcoming election
16Guelph is basically the only place where "I do" has been replaced by "I'm busy with a ballot box."
3- Alec Purves
Community rallies to help family devastated by fatal blaze
14I'm very sorry for the families suffering and loss of this woman. However, please don't shame the humane society. They are a charity that does lots of great work for animals. I'm sure the vet bill was probably less than full price.
4- Jennifer Florence
OPINION: Be honest, you don't think city council is worth paying for
4Have you worked for a municipality?
14- Meg Dow
'Jackass' star Steve-O coming to Guelph
5Not interested
11- Jennifer Florence
Mayor urges community to ‘come together,’ ‘take action’ and ‘hold council accountable’
15The $65K or so the mayor spent on his last campaign… 100% not needed… would look good in the bank account of a few local charities.. 100% needed
1- Ben There
Mayor urges community to ‘come together,’ ‘take action’ and ‘hold council accountable’
13Blah, blah, blah. Guthrie either won't do his job properly, or he is incapable. Either way, it's time to go and let somebody with the wherewithal to succeed take over.
3- Grandad
OPINION: Be honest, you don't think city council is worth paying for
6You’re right not many people would like to be publicly chastised. If you’re skin is that thin then maybe being a city councillor is not your cup of tea. I think this council came under extreme scrutiny with some of the majorly tax dollars deep decisions were made. We did not need a 68M - and climbing - library which took away a huge portion of parking which led to diminished consumer traffic. Nor the south end rec centre. So many other issues that directly impacted the tax paying public and when their voices were raised, council thumbed their noses at us with a “let them eat cake” attitude. This is what we are doing and we have the power to do so and we know you won’t/can’t do a thing about it. This was but part of the powder keg to cause this disdain and mistrust brought to this council, by themselves. You had two ears to hear with, one mouth to speak with and in your case two hands to reach into our pockets with.
9- 1SPOOK
OPINION: Be honest, you don't think city council is worth paying for
6Dear Grandad, You clearly have never been to a six-hour council meeting, with a 400-page meeting agenda, with topics dealing with everything from the homeless to the design of a new subdivision to parking and busses. Have you ever delegated at Council? Do you vote at every election? Do you work on a chosen candidate's election campaign? In no to any of the above, you have no right to say the mean comment you made above.
9- SusanR
