Richmond Hill Ward 5 Music Festival going ahead, but beer garden rejected by council

"What happened was orchestrated to once again malign, berate and humiliate me publicly,” Ward 5 Coun. Karen Cilevitz says

Yorkregion.com
June 3, 2019
Sheila Wang

Ward 5 Coun. Karen Cilevitz came to council prepared, but she was still dumbfounded when her fellow council members turned down a permit for her charity event.

Council voted on a council meeting on May 28 to reject Cilevitz’s application for a permit to include a beer garden in the upcoming Ward 5 Music Festival at Mount Pleasant Park this summer.

“It was disgraceful,” Cilevitz responded to the decision afterwards who declared a pecuniary interest and therefore recused herself from voting.

The music festival -- a 6-hour community event -- is the councillor’s only annual charity event this year, which was developed from an annual summer community barbecue at the same park.

“The success of my event won’t rise or fall on not having a beer garden. This was always factored in as we knew the probability of nonapproval at council was entirely possible, due to circumstances beyond my control.”

Following a well-attended music festival last summer where thousands of residents packed the park, and some $7,000 was donated to charities, Cilevitz planned to add a beer garden to her event for the first time this year to make it more “enjoyable.”

From filing a request for a special occasion permit, getting a green light from city staff, hiring a reputable beer garden manager, to having her own security and police on-site, Cilevitz doesn’t know what more she needed to do for her charity event.

Five councillors gave their thumbs down.

Pecuniary interest

“I have serious concerns when someone has a pecuniary interest and wants to have an event. So just put that out there for the time being,” Regional Councillor Carmine Perrelli told his fellow councillors before the vote was taken at the meeting.

He brought to the public attention that “a pecuniary interest” means someone “stands to lose or gain money.”

Appalled by this comment, Cilevitz said she has an indirect pecuniary interest because she raises thousands of dollars for the event and wholly responsible for the monies’ distribution.

The monies collected beyond the cost and expense of the event goes toward three charities this year: 360Kids, ACYR, and Compassion 365, she adds.

According to the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act, there are two types of pecuniary interests: direct and indirect. Indirect pecuniary interest exists where the councillor is "a shareholder, director, or officer of a corporation, or is a member of body" that has a direct pecuniary interest in the matter.

“No public money is used for these councillor events,” said Cilevitz who didn’t get a chance to respond on council because of her recusal. "If I hadn’t declared, I have no doubt that would have then been an issue too. I am of the opinion, given past actions, and I believe it was made quite clear, that what happened was orchestrated to once again malign, berate and humiliate me publicly.”

Public consultation

In another attempt to back up his opposition, Perrelli pointed out that the ward 5 councillor did not consult area residents about the beer garden at the park.

But he did.

About “89 per cent” of respondents in ward 5 were opposed to having a beer garden in the park, according to a survey, which the regional councillor says reached out to 200 households.

He says 38 residents replied within three days and 34 of them were against the beer garden.

The Liberal obtained a copy of the survey titled “urgent community notice” as below.

 

“It appears his ‘urgent’ letter was designed to be inflammatory and misleading,” said Cilevitz who had no prior knowledge of a survey was conducted about her event in her ward.

“That’s also my ward," Perrelli said in a phone interview. "I’m a regional and local councillor. I was elected by the people of Richmond Hill. She was elected by people of ward 5.”

Was public consultation required for the permit request? “No,” Perrelli told The Liberal.

At council, Perrelli also raised liability concerns over a beer garden in Mount Pleasant Park because kids may be at the park “without supervision of their parents.” He suggested Richmond Green Sports Centre and Park would be an appropriate venue for a beer garden.

“We do have a number of beer gardens in Richmond Hill. We have a number of them in different places. We have them on Canada Day, and we have them at RibFest. There are kids in those events. I don’t think there’s been a real problem with wandering children in the Major Mackenzie and Yonge Street area,” said Councillor David West who supported the motion along with Mayor Dave Barrow and Councillor Godwin Chan.

What residents have to say

The Liberal has received a number of responses from residents who have attended the council meeting or watched online.

A majority of them shared their thoughts specifically about the beer garden motion through emails and social media.

“It is clear to me that Councillor Karen Cilevitz's fellow colleagues have a personal agenda of their own that does not include her, and no matter how bad it gets in any job, but behaviour like this I have never seen in all my life,” resident Patricia Burton Garcia wrote in an email to The Liberal.

“Instead of trying to turn her recusal into  something contentious and censure-provoking by insinuating something untoward, I'd say she was exercising exactly the level of integrity that should have been demonstrated by any councillor in the same position,” resident Adriana Pisano Beaumont posted on social media.

“The only thing that needs to be done is to counter Councillor Perrelli who attacks Councillor Cilevitz personally and also on every motion she puts forward. He is not allowing her to do her job for the residents who voted her in,” resident Pat Pollock wrote in an email to The Liberal on May 30.

On the other hand, Perrelli also provided some responses from the residents who expressed their opposition to the beer garden in the survey. Their names were not provided.

“Regarding your flyer, please be advised that I am not in favour of this beer garden event in the park at any time. Beer should not be sold in parks,” wrote one resident.

“We are against allowing the sale of beer at Mount Pleasant Park. We have concerns about the possible increase of drunks and beggars in that area if beer is sold there. Also, there is a playground in that park so children safety and security has to be considered,” wrote another.

Go to richmondhill.ca to watch the full video of the council meeting.