Meet Toronto council's new penny-pincher

Councillor Stephen Holyday charged taxpayers just $3,504.91 in expenses last year.

Thestar.com
March 22, 2016
By Betsy Powell

Toronto city council’s newest low spender has a penny-pinching pedigree and lives by the credo you live within your means.

Councillor Stephen Holyday (Ward 3, Etobicoke Centre) charged taxpayers just $3,504.91 in expenses last year.

He was second only to council’s king of frugality, Councillor Rob Ford (Ward 2, Etobicoke North), who spent $1,442.29 of public money and $2,216.80 from his own pocket.

In the 2014 municipal election, Holyday captured the seat once held by his father, Doug, also one of council’s serial low spenders. His parsimonious ways rubbed off on his son. While most councillors spend thousands of dollar sending out newsletters, Holyday says he tries to deal with constituents directly.

“So it’s call them back, go to their house, over time we might look at spending a little bit more on outreach,” he said last week, adding he has spent his first 14 months assessing what his constituents want to hear.

“My philosophy, and I think it was something my dad taught me, it was more important to deliver information that people needed rather than self-promotion.”

The full list of what the 44 councillors spent in 2015 on constituency services and their office budgets was posted online this past week.

Each councillor has a budget of $31,585.79 to pay for expenses allowed under the constituency services and office budget policy, including wireless charges for work purposes.

They’re also allowed to claim some expenses under the general council budget as well as business travel expenses.

Holyday’s community, or constituency, office is located inside the Etobicoke Civic Centre, at minimal cost to the city. It’s also in the middle of his ward.

Councillor Jim Karygiannis, (Ward 39, Scarborough-Agincourt), another first-time councillor, says he doesn’t have that advantage. He was last year’s biggest overall spender at $65,768.16, though most of it ($44,984.26) was spent on setting up and maintaining his office in a lowrise building at 3850 Finch Ave. E.

“My constituency office is right where it should be, right in the middle of my ward,” he said.

If it was located in the Scarborough Civic Centre, “that’s about 10 kilometres away.”

Rent is $1,550 a month.

Karygiannis says it’s money well spent - though he would have negotiated a lower rent. (The city handled the negotiations, he said).

“It makes me accessible, it let’s people to come to me ... you don’t have to go through hoops to see your councillor.”

Karygiannis noted he doesn’t charge the city mileage. “With all the events I attend, my budget wouldn’t be able to afford it.”

What other councillors were buying

Councillor Norm Kelly

Total expensed: $26,662.04

Toronto’s online darling-dad billed the city $4,745.33 for “telecom services” last year, a tab that included Rogers and Telus bills for home Internet, BlackBerry and an iPad.

Councillor Michael Thompson

Total expensed: $29,513.47

As chair of the economic development committee, the frequent flyer racked up $6,698.34 in wireless charges.

Councillor Vincent Crisanti

Total expensed: $26,092.12

Spent $985 for gingerbread cookies and icing for his 4th annual “Cookies for Christmas” event in December.

Councillor John Filion

Total expensed: $27,565.90

Handed out $100 cheques to students in Ward 23 (Willowdale) honouring their community involvement (to be used toward post-secondary education) and then charged it back to the community by expensing it.

Councillor Mark Grimes

Total expensed: $28,919.83

Submitted receipts totalling $3,252.13 for being out of range on his BlackBerry, despite having add-ons for talk and text in the U.S.