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
)