J-Rod's record

[Max]

So far he agreed to a recount when the recount request wasn't done properly.

Cost to taxpayers - 5,000 $

He allowed the first council meeting to be by invitation only, a violation of section 239 of the Municipal Act as all meeting are open to the public. The city has reportedly provided 10,000 $ of catered food to those lucky few who were invited.

Cost to the taxpayer - 10,000 $

J-Rod has wasted 15,000 $ in 4 days and has violated the Municipal Act once. Great start; I don't think so.


www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/DBLaws/Statutes/English/01m25_e.htm#BK272

Meetings open to public

239. (1) Except as provided in this section, all meetings shall be open to the public. 2001, c. 25, s. 239 (1).

Exceptions

(2) A meeting or part of a meeting may be closed to the public if the subject matter being considered is,

(a) the security of the property of the municipality or local board;

(b) personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees;

(c) a proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality or local board;

(d) labour relations or employee negotiations;

(e) litigation or potential litigation, including matters before administrative tribunals, affecting the municipality or local board;

(f) advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that purpose;

(g) a matter in respect of which a council, board, committee or other body may hold a closed meeting under another Act. 2001, c. 25, s. 239 (2).

Other criteria

(3) A meeting shall be closed to the public if the subject matter relates to the consideration of a request under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act if the council, board, commission or other body is the head of an institution for the purposes of that Act. 2001, c. 25, s. 239 (3).

Resolution

(4) Before holding a meeting or part of a meeting that is to be closed to the public, a municipality or local board or committee of either of them shall state by resolution,

(a) the fact of the holding of the closed meeting; and

(b) the general nature of the matter to be considered at the closed meeting. 2001, c. 25, s. 239 (4).

Open meeting

(5) Subject to subsection (6), a meeting shall not be closed to the public during the taking of a vote. 2001, c. 25, s. 239 (5).

Exception

(6) Despite section 244, a meeting may be closed to the public during a vote if,

(a) subsection (2) or (3) permits or requires the meeting to be closed to the public; and

(b) the vote is for a procedural matter or for giving directions or instructions to officers, employees or agents of the municipality, local board or committee of either of them or persons retained by or under a contract with the municipality or local board. 2001, c. 25, s. 239 (6).

[Max]

It's always easy to write a review about yourself and how good things are going...in your own mind. But let's take a look at some of the things the bus driver forgot to mention that have occurred in the first 100 daze!

He campaigned on no tax increase and then raised our taxes. He campaigned on raising the plow at every driveway and now cut our snowfighting budget. He flies the Francophone flag in a community of only 30ish percent French. He refuses to sit on the Police Service Board, a position the mayor acquires by virtue of office. The Police Service is currently out of control from the top down but he doesn't care. The mayor approves of us taxpayers paying suspended officers full salary when there is no requirement to do so. Once they are convicted they are allowed to return to full duty like nothing happened. Image that, you cannot have a criminal record and become a cop but was you are a cop, in Sudbury, you're free to acquire a criminal record and still be an officer. What's the point of suspending cops with pay if we're going to allow them to return to full duty once convicted? It's the stupidest thing I've ever heard of.

He was told by the chair of the Hydro board major savings could be found within the corporation, all we have to do is ask, but the mayor hasn't bothered to ask. He's hired a deputy clerk and given the employee a taxpayer funded pension plan when there is no requirement to even have them on city staff. He took council on a taxpayer funded weekend get away and filed no report on how we benefited from the holiday. He told it would cost 2000 $ to have the meeting at city hall during a weekend when no one else but council even uses council chambers.

He stated citizens would understand why he raised our taxes as long as it was explained to them, but he still hasn't explained it, nor can he. Or maybe this letter is his explanation but it doesn't add up. He claimed senior levels of government keep downloading services onto te taxpayer but they haven't downloaded anything this year. He promised to entirely end homelessness in Sudbury and then gave them 66 cents a day, less then 20 $ a month for shelter. But then he hired 5 parties to administer his great plan so now we have to pay 5 administration costs which means the homeless will be lucky to see 10 or 12 $ a month for shelter. Um, I wish them luck finding a place.

He passed the budget prior to even knowing what was in the federal or provincal budgets that came out this week. We probably won't get anything anyway but how did the bus driver know this prior to finalizing the budget? Oh yeah, he's a NDPer and we have a Liberal premier and a Conservative Prime Minister. I guess it's not to hard to figure out why we never get anything. And speaking of the budget, it doesn't even make sense. In 2006 the budget was increased by 15 million $ or so and our tax increase was 6.7 percent, although the city falsely claimed it was only a 5.2 percent increase. This year the budget increased by 32 million $ and the tax increase is reported to be 4.3 percent. Hmmm, how can this be?

The mayor also hand selected a number of committee members for committees he created and told us everyone had a chance to be selected. But how so, if the selection was done behind closed doors?

He's given these committeees 50,000 $ each and a four year mandate. Hmmm, last year the solution team solved all of Sudbury's issues with a budget of 75,000 $ so why would each of these committees need 50,000 $ when it's all a volunteer board? And why would it take four years to do whatever it is they are going to do when it should take no longer than a few months? This doesn't sound like a very efficient committee to me. Fifty grand is going to buy them all alot of lunches and dinners, lucky them.

He's promised a multiplex arena, which should go in New Sudbury given they are the largest area of our city and don't have an arena, but you can bet it will be build somewhere in the outskirts.

He's appointed Jim Gordon to the "expert panel" on healthcare development yet it was Gordon who allowed the healthcare crisis we're currently facing to get so out of control, so what kind of "expert" is Gordon, really?

The mayor failed to enter our city into the free hockeyville contest where Sudbury has a rich hockey history and the prize was 50,000 $ in arena upgrades, among other things. A review of the recently passed budget shows that the taxpayer is being charged 750,000 $ for...yup...you guessed it, arena upgrades.

He wants to start taxing te mining companies because they are making so much money. Sound logical at first, but the mine companies are interested in paying more taxes (are you?) and they will simply cut production, lay off employees, and mine in other areas and countries where they are not subect to these new taxes, and, at the end of the day we'll be worse off not better off.

The mayor and council have also adopted another motto for our city, community of communities. Seems to me we have a identy crisis going on here as we are developing more names for this city than there models of our Canadian quarter. Let's count them. City of Greater Sudbury. Greater Sudbury. CGS. Sudbury. Nickel City. City of Lakes. Constellation City, and now, Community of Communities.

The mayor and council have also declared this to be the year of the employee. He claims he wants to empower our employees. I say great, do it, empower the front line employees so we can get rid of the over managed managers. Some departments have 3, 4 and 5 levels of management. But the bus driver is a NDPer and he doesn't plan on getting rid of anyone. The 100,000 $ club will be announced shortly and our city already has over 50 lucky employees in it...and the list keeps on growing. The mayor also announced that he wants to make all temporary employees happy by giving them benefits and full time status, at a cost to te taxpayer of over 1.6 million $ annually. Our city of 157,000 people will soon have 2000 employees! Tha's one employee for every 80 citizens, and this doesn't include outside contractors who work for the city. When they are taken into account it's one employee for every 45 or so citizens.

The mayor also recently wrote a letter of reference for a convicted criminal that was read in court in order to get him a lighter sentence. Maybe that's why the mayor doesn't want to sit on the Police Service Board, he associates himself with criminals.

Anyway, I don't know about you, but I don't think we can afford another 1361 'dazes' like the first 100.

[Max]

Here's the bus driver's take on his first 100 dazes!

www.northernlife.ca/News/Opinions/2007/03-21-07-RODRIGUEZ.asp?NLStory=03-21-07-RODRIGUEZ

Mayor reports on his first 100 days in office - John Rodriquez

Date Published | Mar. 20, 2007
Advertisement

As I mark 100 days since taking office as mayor of Greater Sudbury, I can say with some pride that our new council is off to a great start.


The members of council have come together as a real team. The mix of seasoned veterans and enthusiastic rookies brings a diversity of opinions to the table and triggers healthy debates on the issues.


In the end, however, we have consistently been able to see the greater good and find common ground. As a result, we have achieved many of the initial goals we set out for the community.


Last week, council unanimously passed the 2007 municipal budget. This was a difficult balancing act because of the fiscal challenges our municipality faces. Though the resource sector and our overall economy are booming, the reality is that the majority of the tax benefits from this boom are collected at the provincial and federal level. Corporate taxes, personal income taxes and resource royalties are all at record levels, yet at the same time, Queen’s Park and Ottawa continue to download costs to property taxpayers.


The latest example of this trend is with cuts to funding for the most vulnerable: the homeless. I am proud that our community and our council stepped up to ensure that programs which serve the homeless can continue, but I am extremely disappointed that the federal government would force us into choosing between a property tax increase and the elimination of these critical services. I will be taking this fight to Ottawa in the near future.


To address this fiscal imbalance in the future, council has endorsed the creation of an advisory panel on municipal mining revenues. This group will work to identify opportunities for our city to pursue an increased share of the bounty that flows from our mines to the provincial government. I will also tackle this issue in concert with my colleagues in Thunder Bay, North Bay, Timmins and Sault Ste Marie. Together, we five mayors intend to bring several issues, including resource revenues, to the premier and the opposition leaders in time to ensure they can be addressed in party platforms leading up to October’s provincial election.


I came into office with the belief that our municipal staff are our city’s greatest asset. Now, after spending time with hundreds of employees at their workplaces, my belief has become a conviction. I have consistently been impressed with the creativity, commitment and compassion of our employees and I have been amazed at the number and variety of services that our people deliver across this immense city.


To acknowledge the importance of staff’s contribution, council has designated 2007 as the Year of the Employee. We will be recognizing great staff empowering them to better serve our citizens.


Health care is a critical issue to the people of Greater Sudbury and, therefore, of concern to council. I have begun to meet with stakeholders and citizens to better understand this complex system with a view to playing an active and constructive role in proposing improvements for the future. We will ensure that the people have a voice in proposing solutions and supporting positive change. Part of this effort involves a commitment to the Healthy Community model.


Greater Sudbury was recently accredited as a regional centre of expertise by the United Nations. This honour demonstrates our commitment to balance economic growth, social development and environmental stewardship.


Health care is also an opportunity for our city. The presence of the cancer treatment centre, the medical school, and the regional hospital results in a critical mass of health expertise in Greater Sudbury. To build on this base, council has endorsed the creation of an expert panel on health cluster development. Ably led by former mayor, Jim Gordon, this panel will identify projects in health research and other areas that can be developed, bringing long term benefits and opportunities to our city.


Building a city requires more than simply improving the economy and finding new sources of revenue. Great cities have great places to play and they have a cultural heart and soul. To achieve these visions, council has endorsed the creation of two important advisory panels. The first will identify opportunities and recommend an option to develop a multi-sport recreational complex for Greater Sudbury.


The second will develop a concept for an arts centre that can provide a venue for all the wonderful local talents as well as those who we might attract for a visit. It is too early to know what these groups will bring forward but I believe these projects will be landmarks in our city and provide a legacy for the future.


Great cities also succeed by validating and celebrating their constituent neighbourhoods and communities. The City of Greater Sudbury covers a huge territory. Our municipal boundaries encompass an area that is two-thirds the size of Prince Edward Island. Within this area, we have 20 communities with separate postal addresses and dozens more settlements and neighbourhoods.


Earlier this year, a Community Solutions Team, led by Floyd Laughren, delivered the landmark report, Constellation City – Building a Community of Communities in Greater Sudbury. This report contained 35 recommendations designed to make our city more inclusive and effective.


I am pleased to report that council has endorsed this report and has already adopted the first recommendation, that our city is indeed a community of communities and that this should form the basis for our municipal policies and decision-making.


In addition, as part of the budget, we were able to eliminate Trans Cab fees so that transit riders in places such as Levack and Skead can take public transit for the same price as everyone else. We will be tackling other recommendations from the Laughren report in the coming months.


All in all, my first 100 days as your mayor have been interesting and exciting. I have had many opportunities to meet and speak with citizens and I have learned a great deal about our city and the wonderful people that make it up. I look forward to continuing this process and I encourage all citizens to get involved.

In my inaugural speech, I quoted the words of the poet, Robert Frost:
“But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep
And miles to go before I sleep.”
The first 100 days are gone but there are 1,361 to come. Bring them on.

John Rodriguez is the mayor of Greater Sudbury.

[Max]

2007 the best and worst of times for Mayor Rodriguez

Date Published | Nov. 22, 2007


Politics makes strange bedfellows. Jim Gordon, a former Progressive Conservative MPP, and a former mayor of Sudbury helped John Rodriguez, a former NDP MP get elected as mayor.

Just a little over a year ago, John Rodriguez was elected mayor of Greater Sudbury with a landslide victory over incumbent David Courtemanche. He received 52 percent of the votes. Rodriguez wasn’t a stranger to politics, having served five consecutive terms as Nickel Belt NDP MP, starting in the early 1970s.

Bestowed with the nickname J-Rod during the election and Bus Driver following it, there’s no doubt Rodriguez has made his presence felt during his first year in office.

Controversy followed the new mayor right from the get-go when he unilaterally made the decision to fly the Franco-Ontarian flag at Tom Davies Square.

A gifted rhetorician with a knack for quirky phrasing, Rodriguez presents himself as a man of the people. Distancing himself from “two-faced” public perception of most politicians, Rodriguez follows a “what you see is what you get” approach.

Northern Life associate editor Tracey Duguay recently met with the mayor to talk to him about his first year in office.

Personal meets the political

Since moving into the executive office on the fourth floor at Tom Davies Square, Rodriguez has not only had to learn his new job, but also cope with a series of family tragedies.

Just over a month after the election, the mayor’s 91-year-old mother died. He’s philosophical about her death since she had been ill and suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease.

A few months later, he buried his father.

“I’ve been able to deal with that because I know I’m doing the kind of work my father endorsed, and the kind of work my father supported, in his life.”

Then, in a trilogy of bad news, his wife, Bertilla, was diagnosed with breast cancer. But, as with his father, he finds comfort to go on because of the support his wife gives him.

“Her positive attitude to her own condition, which we only found only in the last four or five months, has been a strength to go on. This is combined with the support of the community and friends of all faiths and backgrounds who have been praying for my wife…I think that has been a great comfort to me and to her so that I could do that and this.

“She’s going to start radiation soon and hopefully, this will be positive step for the future in terms of controlling her cancer.”

City council unity

With all-out war declared among the past council, Rodriguez cites the apparent unity of the new council as one stand-out achievement since being elected.

“That’s very important to project a sense of a team at city council. This is a team working on behalf of the city...We should be able to disagree, but be respectful and then come together again. You’ve got to be able to move on.”

Advisory Panels

The mayor also points to the creation of four advisory boards as another example of the accomplishments of council. Three of these boards – the multi-sport complex, performing arts centre, and health care cluster development – have already reported to council, with the fourth, dealing with municipal mining revenues, scheduled to present in January.

Rodriguez said the work of the mining panel is a little more challenging because it’s difficult to track down the appropriate data.

“When you have the facts, it’s very hard for people to poke holes at it. That will help us forge our approach to other levels of government when we make our argument about changes in the tax system.

“We believe we have to get some benefit from the wealth that is being created in this community. We have lots of infrastruture that has to be refurbished.”

City staff relationships

Rodriguez also takes a great deal of pride in the Year of the Employee initiative, believing the people who work for the municipality are the city’s strongest asset.

“ political background that emphasizes people are more important than politics.”

The mayor spent a great deal of time meeting the employees of the city and encouraging “Human Resources 101” tactics by their managers.

“Why don’t you talk to the people who do the jobs on a daily basis and find a solution to the problem,” he tells them.

“I’m holding you accountable for making proper decisions that are in line with modern HR techniques.

“Communication, communication, communication. I want you to go back and communicate.”

He’s not above intervening when “goofy decisions” are made, as in the case with Donald Donaldson, the city’s fire chief. Donaldson was off the job and suing the city when Rodriguez became mayor.

“Really it should not have got to that level.”

Citing a lack of communication, the mayor sat down with Donaldson and resolved the situation, bringing an end to a lawsuit that could have embarrassed the city, not to mention cost taxpayers a lot of money.

Relationship with mining companies

Rodriguez says it’s “very important” for the city to develop close working relationships with CVRD Inco, Xstrata, FNX, First Nickel and other large mining companies in town.

“We’re meeting to talk about challenges for them, challenges for us. How can we work together.”

The mayor has told them he expects “vast amounts of money” from them to help fund the city’s major projects, such as the multi- sport complex and performing arts centre.

“They know it’s important to keep the mayor happy. And the way to keep the mayor happy is to be a good corporate citizen.”

Report card time

As a former teacher and principal, it only took Rodriguez seconds to come up with grades for himself, council, and the provincial and federal governments.

Mayor: A+
Council: A++
Provincial: C
Federal: D

[aaa11]

runescape gold runescape gold
runescape money buy runescape gold
buy runescape money runescape money runescape gold wow power leveling wow powerleveling Warcraft Power Leveling Warcraft PowerLeveling buy runescape gold buy runescape money runescape items runescape accounts runescape gp dofus kamas buy dofus kamas Guild Wars Gold buy Guild Wars Gold lotro gold buy lotro gold lotro gold buy lotro gold lotro gold buy lotro gold runescape money runescape power leveling runescape money runescape gold dofus kamas cheap runescape money cheap runescape gold Hellgate Palladium Hellgate London Palladium Hellgate money Tabula Rasa gold tabula rasa money Tabula Rasa Credit Tabula Rasa Credits Hellgate gold Hellgate London gold wow power leveling wow powerleveling Warcraft PowerLeveling Warcraft Power Leveling World of Warcraft PowerLeveling World of Warcraft Power Leveling runescape power leveling runescape powerleveling eve isk eve online isk eve isk eve online isk
Fiesta Gold Fiesta Silver Tibia Gold
Age of Conan Gold
buy Age of Conan Gold
aoc gold
ºôÎü»úºôÎü»úÕë¾Ä¼õ·Ê¸ÎѪ¹ÜÁöÒôÀÖ¾çѹÁ¦±äËÍÆ÷ china travel beijing tourtibet tourtibet travel tibet travel service tibet tour chengdu travel agency yangtze river cruise