Sunday, July 18, 2010

Toronto Councillor Paula Fletcher's Tyranny in Ward 30 Must End




One of the worst City Councillors Toronto has ever had, former Communist Party Leader Paula Fletcher, is again running for City Councillor in Toronto's Ward 30, and this year couldn't be a better time to toss that arrogant and elitist piece of trash into the garbage.

For those of you who don't recall Fletcher's disgraced and shameful infamous berating of poor innocent Torontonian John Smith during his deputation in regards to the latest Toronto Budget, here's the story: Communist Toronto City Councillor Paula Fletcher Disgraces Herself at Budget Meeting, and here's a video of the altercation on YouTube:


Now, if Fletcher's mistreatment of concerned Torontonians isn't enough to convince you to kick her to the curb this year, I've also pulled together some of Fletcher's Voting History (the more important votes) while on the Toronto City Council, so I'll let you decide if she truly is representing your values while voting on your behalf:

Jan-10 Do you agree to give Councillors a pay raise in 2010? ABSENT
Jan-10 Do you agree that 1,254 City employees should be able to spend $9 million in 2009 with Tax Payer-funded Master Cards when the City does Not have a list of cardholders Nor review the purchases? ABSENT
Dec-09 Do you support public disclosure of all contribution amounts over $25 (eligible for a tax receipt)? NO
Aug-09 Should EMS (Ambulance) be an essential service? ABSENT
Aug-09 Should daycare be an essential service? ABSENT
Aug-09 Should garbage collection be an essential service? ABSENT
Jul-09 Do you agree with the settlement between David Miller and the unions, local 416 & local 79, which gives them pay increases in each of the next three years and allows current employees to continue to bank 18 sick days a year?  YES
May-09 Do you agree with spending $6 million to remove one lane on Jarvis St. and replacing it with bike lanes?   YES
Apr-09 Do you believe that City employees should receive the same pay increase, regardless of whether they are union or Non-union?  NO
Mar-09 Do you want to reduce the Mayor's office budget to $2.4 million, for savings of $200,000?  NO
Mar-09 Do you support reducing the Councillors' Global budget to $30,000 for savings of apprx. $1 million? NO
Jan-09 Vote to deal with Councillors' pay increase immediately? ABSENT
Dec-08 Do not spend $2 million on renovating on offices at City Hall, including the Mayor's.  NO
Dec-08 Should the Province of Ontario ban plastic bags for all businesses?  YES
Dec-08 Should the City of Toronto ban plastic bags for all businesses?  NO
Dec-08 The City should not ban bottled water or charge five cents for each plastic bag.  NO
Oct-08 Do you agree with eliminating free Toronto Blue Jay baseball tickets for Councillors for savings of $100,000? ABSENT
Oct-08 Do you support making the TTC an essential service?  NO
Jun-08 Do not have the Ontario Fire Marshall investigate whether St. Clair right of way is safe for emergency vehicles.  YES
Apr-08 Should we have public consultation meetings to give the Mayor more power?  NO
Mar-08 Should we increase taxes 3.75% in 2008?  YES
Mar-08 Should ice hockey rates be restricted to a 3% increase?  NO
Mar-08 Do you want to close 41 ice rinks during March Break? ABSENT
Mar-08 Are you in favour of naming new streets after soldiers killed in Afghanistan?  NO
Mar-08 Do you support reducing council from 44 to 22?  NO
Oct-07 Vote in favour of $60 Car Registration tax?  YES
Oct-07 Vote in favour of Land Transfer tax?  YES
Oct-07 Vote to exempt Seniors with a permanent handicap from the Vehicle Registration tax?  NO
Oct-07 Vote to allow a question on the ballot in the next Municipal election in 2010 asking if the public wants the Land Transfer and Car Registration taxes?  NO
Jun-07 Vote to hire someone to go into crackhouses to talk to crack users; Vote to home delivery of needles and crack kits?  YES
Jun-07 Vote in favour of garbage tax?  YES
Jun-07 Vote to hold public meetings about garbage tax?  NO
Apr-07 Vote to increase property taxes by 3.8% or $40 million?  YES
Apr-07 Vote to eliminate free parking anywhere in Toronto for members of Council for savings of $10,000.00?  NO
Apr-07 Vote to eliminate free TTC passes for members of Council for savings of $54,000.00?  NO
Apr-07 Vote to eliminate giving free cigarettes to homeless people for savings of $20,000.00?  NO
Apr-07 Vote to eliminate giving alcohol to homeless people for savings of $60,000.00?  NO

From what I can see, whenever there is a Critical Controversial Topic, Paula Fletcher typically seems to be ABSENT for the vote... Also, Paula has shown that she is always in favour of raising and creating New Taxes and Fees for Torontonians, and is always against Public Consultation. This isn't opinion folks, this is fact based on her Toronto City Council Voting History. Unfortunately for Fletcher, you can't argue with facts.

So, based on all of this, how does Fletcher continue to get re-elected at the end of every term? Well, it's very simple, and was covered in an article in the Toronto Sun today. #1, it's because of name recognition (people tend to vote for the name the recognize, if you haven't seen that movie The Distinguished Gentlemen with Eddie Murphy, it's worth a watch). #2, and most importantly, it's because she's married to John Cartwright, president of the Toronto and York Region Labour Council.  If you were wondering if she had any reason for her bias towards Unions, then now you know why.

Here's the story from the Toronto Sun:

Free ride for councillors: Levy
Langley Ave. residents just got a pamphlet from their local councillor, the irrepressible communist Paula Fletcher, saying she’s created seven new parking spots on his street.

“I have never seen anything like this before from her ... it must be an election year,” one resident wrote me last week.

He hopes maybe she’s really “blown it this time” — referring to the Ward 30 councillor’s rude and overbearing tirade in March at John Smith, who had the nerve (in her mind) to come to City Hall to criticize this year’s budget.

But unless things change between now and Sept. 10 (the last day to register), Fletcher and nine others appear to be getting a free ride in this election — not running unchallenged, but without a high-profile challenger — even though none of them deserve it.

Problem is, while well-meaning citizens may sign up to run against the likes of Fletcher, it usually takes someone with a high profile to knock off long-standing incumbents.

Incumbents have the name recognition, the pool of union labour to man their campaigns (Fletcher’s married to John Cartwright, president of the Toronto and York Region Labour Council) and the $50,000 office budgets they can use to promote themselves until this year’s Sept. 6 cut-off date.

This year in Ward 30, there are 5 other candidates currently who are running for City Council, they are Mark Dewdney, Andrew James, Angie Tingas, Gary Walsh and Liz West. Below are the links to each of their official websites:

Mark Dewdney
Andrew James
Angie Tingas
Gary Walsh (website not available...)
Liz West

Electing any of these 5 candidates over Paula Fletcher would be a refreshing change to Toronto, and specifically to Ward 30, a change that is desperately needed.

Check out their websites and their platforms, and see which candidate would be better for you going forward.

You've now seen the facts, you've seen the alternatives, so I'll leave the rest to you. Ward 30, we need you to do the right thing this year and expel Fletcher from having any decision-making power in Toronto. It's time for her to go.

--jackandcokewithalime


(Image:
Screenshot taken from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4q4EIegpdg on YouTube
)

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have to agree with you. I've no personal experience with Fletcher other than living in ward 30. I had not been keeping up on local politics but when Paula was in the news for flipping out on that guy and then for "pressed the wrong button" oops! on the bike lane vote, I thought: It's time to go Paula. Thank you for the lead on Andrew and Mark. I look forward to learning more about them.

Paul G said...

Does the good comrade even live in the riding she represents ? She is one of the worst politicians this city has seen in some time, not only is she a closet Communist pushing her husbands and other agendas she has never actually held a real job with real responsibilities or the possibility of getting fired for poor performance....and shame on the ward 30 voters who keep putting her there.

...a ward 30 voter who will be doing everything possible to oust the politburo!

Anonymous said...

I did a search on Toronto Ward 30 councilors and was happy to find your website. Thank you for the summary.
I'm extremely disappointed with the constant tax increases, with the way the garbage strike was dealt with, and with the City caving into the union agreements.

Tax payers deserve better!

AngieTingas said...

Hi,

What a refreshing link to all the things that seem to get passed on by the incumbent! Hope that all you voters take a look at all of us candidates and give the best person the ability to fix what the ward needs.

And maybe vote for someone who actually lives in the ward and is concerned by the ward itself. Hope to see you all at the polls, and am free to conversation whenever you want to ask anything. www.twitter.com/AngieTingas

Anonymous said...

This blog is Joe McCarthy's ghost.

Anonymous said...

I've been in this area now for five years, and am truly un-impressed with Paula AND Sandra.
As this is now a strategic vote to avoid loading City Hall with a bunch of morons - Aside from strategically voting for George, who out of the ward 30 candidates has the best chance of booting out Paula?

let me know, and my vote is in. She's got to go.

Anonymous said...

I don't know that anyone has actually watched this YouTube link because while she did get really riled up and was fairly inappropriate at the end, she was out there pointing out some really valid points and trying to save services in our community. As someone who takes TTC on a daily basis, has a child in daycare and is looking at the future of schools, I support everything she defended funding on that YouTube link. Do I think her voting record needs to be examined? Absolutely. Do I think she needs to watch her temper? Yes I do. But do I think she should be crucified for that video? Absolutely NOT. Let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater.

An undecided Leslieviller

Anonymous said...

She is a useless good for nothing communist union idiot...who abuses taxpayers .....GET OUT... You are not welcome in Toronto and you are not here to harass and abuse taxpayers who pay your salary and pay for the Toronto city problems....

Anonymous said...

Its people like Councillor Fletcher that are causing this city of Toronto to go bankrupt to support overpaid lazy government union workers....She could care less about mothers or students.....Time for a New Councillor...