Richmond Hill resident questions ‘shameless self-promotion’ of regional councillor’s first City Fest

'Why do you need my email address to give me a hotdog?'

Yorkregion.com
Sept. 20, 2019
Sheila Wang

If you haven’t received the newsletter in the mail, you might have come across a lawn sign or two on Richmond Hill streets promoting Regional Councillor Carmine Perrelli’s first City Fest.

Perrelli has gone out of his way to let people know of the new community event, leaving many residents baffled with a flood of promotional materials online, by mail, and most recently through signs.

“Every time I go by, I shake my head,” said resident Michael Wosnick. “It’s fine to advertise the event, but you really have to slow down and look carefully to see what the advertising is besides Carmine Perrelli.”

While the large signs are hard to miss, the actual information is not easy to read, the resident said.

The sign features Perrelli’s profile photo and his name in bold letters which take the majority of space, with two lines of fine print at the bottom in much smaller letters showing when and where the event is.

The Liberal learned that a few residents had mistaken the community event signs for federal election signs as it was designed differently from the traditional councillor event signs which usually highlight the events rather than the councillors themselves.

Richmond Hill spokesperson Carrie Pitcher told The Liberal the city does not regulate the design of community special event signs, citing the city’s sign bylaw.

“In this day and age of absolute narcissism, it just seems to me that this was just what we used to call shameless self-promotion. It’s not promotion of the event, it’s promotion of him,” Wosnick said.

The sign bylaw was amended two months ago to ban photos and names from real estate open house signs on a six-month pilot program. Perrelli introduced the idea as a way to discourage "self-advertisement."

Wosnick posted on a community page on Facebook Sept. 16 about his concerns over the signage for the City Fest, which has initiated an online conversation about the way Perrelli has been promoting the event.

The annual City Fest, slated for Sept. 21, is promised to offer free food, live music, giveaways and a special guest to residents of all ages at Richmond Hill Green Sports Centre and Park, according to the city’s event calendar.

The City Fest is expected “bring all Richmond Hill residents together,” but registration is required, some residents pointed out.

The public is required to provide their names, phone numbers, email addresses and home addresses to register for the free event.

“Why do you need my email address to give me a hotdog?” asked Wosnick who referred to the registration requirement “a blatant data grab.”

As of Sept. 16, more than 3,500 people have registered for the City Fest, Perrelli told The Liberal.

Questions have also been raised about the timing of the regional councillor’s new event as it coincides with the federal election season.

In his reply to The Liberal, Perrelli wrote “In our first year, this council has had many accomplishments that all Richmond Hill residents can be proud of. It is a great opportunity to share and celebrate these accomplishments with the residents of Richmond Hill.”

Since the City Fest is “an individual member of council event,” it is completely funded by sponsorship from the community, according to the city’s spokesperson.

Perrelli did not respond to the question about the sponsorships for the city fest.

The signs can be installed for up to 21 days preceding the event and 48 hours after the event, according to the sign bylaw.