Expenses show Toronto councillors not practising what they preach
Torontosun.com
Aug. 2, 2019
Sua-Ann Levy
City expense records show at least two councillors who zealously backed Vision 2.0 and Toronto’s grandiose cycling plan at July’s council meeting charged taxpayers for copious amounts of parking and mileage.
In a blatant example of “do as I say, not as I do,” Shelley Carroll billed taxpayers $275.00 from January to May for parking to appear on a weekly Newstalk 1010 panel.
She indicated in the documents the parking was for “business meetings.”
Toronto Councillor Shelley Carroll in council chambers at City Hall on Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019. (Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun)
The radio station is within walking distance of City Hall, where she has free parking for the vehicle she uses daily.
Her chief of staff, Tom Gleason, responded Wednesday that Carroll is “well on the record” as being predominantly a car driver.
He said in order to arrive at the radio station at 7:30 a.m. to “speak about city issues” she pulls her car out of the driveway at 7 a.m.
Perhaps if she pulled her car out at 6:45 a.m., she could walk over.
Expenses for my own councillor Josh Matlow showed $447.01 was spent to reimburse him for mileage from January to June.
On Feb. 5, he charged for two trips of 1 km. and 1.7 km. each to do a ward visit and attend a constituency meeting -- which would have reimbursed him 58 cents and 97 cents respectively.
Councillor Josh Matlow speaks at council during debate in the 2017 budget on July 12, 2016. (Michael Peake/Toronto Sun)
The pattern continued well into June when he expensed a similar 1.3 km trip on June 1 and a 1.8 km trip June 5.
Matlow, who has been battling constantly in council against the province’s transit plan, resides in a ward where it is easy to get to places by walking, biking or taking transit.
I know. I do all three.
His chief-of-staff Andrew Athanasiu could not be reached for comment.
Toronto councillors vote to double their budgets
Although the amounts for Matlow and Carroll are not huge in the grand scheme of things, they are symbolic of how little they care about practicing what they preach.
According to the figures posted for councillor expense accounts to the end of June, Paula Fletcher has managed to spend the most of her newly-allotted $50,000 -- some $26,126.76.
Toronto Mayor John Tory chats with Councillor Paula Fletcher during a council meeting on Jan. 30, 2019. (Ernest Doroszuk,Toronto Sun)
Kristyn Wong-Tam is close behind at $22,253 and Jim Karygiannis is next at $21,296.
Bear in mind this does not cover a separate slush fund they are able to use to charge for a constituency office, newsletters and telecommunication devices -- which keeps office budget expenditures artificially low.
City records show Matlow has also spent more than $18,000 on a constituency office and communications with constituents.
That’s the highest of all councillors to date, and over-and-above the $13,741 he’s used of his $50,000 office budget.
According to newbie Brad Bradford’s expenses, he spent $3,159.65 over the past six months on design services by Karen Ng-Hem, who sat with him on the board of Toronto Hustle, a not-for-profit cycling organization.
Councillor Brad Bradford on Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019. (Veronica Henri/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network )
The city documents show Ng-Hem designed his website for him, along with his social media presence, vinyl banners for parades, fridge magnets, window vinyl decals, a tent, tablecloth and flags.
His chief of staff Rishab Mehan said Ng-Hem is no longer doing work for Toronto Hustle -- which is a “professional cycling group” trying to raise the profile of racing in different parts of the city and in North America.
Mehan said Bradford, listed online as the principal with Toronto Hustle, does go out and race from time to time although his council schedule is “making it harder” to do so.
Considering this is a cycling advocacy group, it strikes me that Bradford should be declaring a conflict anytime a bike issue is discussed at council -- something he has never done.
