Vaughan Gets Down to Work

"City above Toronto's" new council means business and are promising to do their best

Night gowns and tuxedos, some emotion and a few jokes, marked the atmosphere of the austere swearing-in ceremony for Vaughan's new city council, sending out a simple and important message: they mean business.
The nine members of the council, four women and five men, entrusted with running "the City above Toronto" for the next three years had the opportunity of giving a brief speech to the large audience. Some thanks, some appeal for collaboration among the councillors, and the usual promise of doing their best for Vaughan and its citizens.
Mayor Michael Di Biase stated the guidelines of his administration: getting things done with transparency, making use of everybody's best resources.
For instance, Di Biase invited Sandra Yeung Racco to chair the committee promoting the extension of the subway up to Vaughan. "This task," joked Di Biase, "will entail constant contact with Queen's Park, where I know you are well connected," a clear reference to her husband Mario Racco, former city councillor now turned Liberal MPP, who was attending the ceremony.
Concerning mobility, Di Biase highlighted two issues: improving public transport through GTA-wide integration of services and ticketing, and expanding the municipal and regional road net.
Di Biase also spoke of the new 'Customer Care Centre', fully integrated in a communications strategy that will be the backbone of the city's relations with its citizens.
This city's increasing reflection of Canada's multicultural mosaic was represented by the interventions of representatives of the three largest monotheistic faiths: a Christian priest, a Jewish rabbi, and a Muslim imam.
In his speech Di Biase mentioned the concept of smart, sustainable development. "That will be extremely hard to achieve," commented city councillor Tony Carella over the buffet that followed the official part of the evening. "The rate of residential and industrial growth of this city, both in the past and in its intentions for the future, gave no previous administration any chance to consider the whole situation with the necessary calm. The work ahead of us is huge, and we shall do it without slowing down the vital rhythm of the city but at the same time keeping it liveable for its residents."
In closing his speech, Di Biase added another challenge: turning Vaughan into a tourist destination attracting visitors from everywhere.
Beginning next Monday, the new council will get down to work.

A MATTER OF TEAMWORK

by Francesco Riondino

It will be just another working day," commented Michael Di Biase last Sunday when asked about the swearing-in ceremony of the following day.
During the campaign, several councillors criticized the work of the Council, pledging changes and initiatives.
"I've already stated what I can and intend to do, and I'll do it with the determination that I feel I always displayed; now it's up to the other councillors who must turn their electoral promises into actions. They owe it to the community that elected them."
What about relations with the residents?
"Much like in the past, the work of the city council will be carried out with maximum transparency, and we shall invite the associations of residents to participate, as they always did, to city politics."
By the way, how is the tender for the new Civic Centre proceeding?
"Within next month we shall choose the project, then from January to May, with the architects busy, we shall hold several information meetings with the residents, talking about the choices, their costs, and where the money will come from. The process couldn't be more transparent. In May, then, we shall issue the call for tenders, taking in consideration the suggestions of the task force that, by then, will have closed its revision of the tendering process in our city."
The idea of building the new Civic Centre on the same spot of the old one was mostly yours and Mario Ferri's. Now that Ferri is your deputy, how are relations between you two?
"Quite good! Over the past six years we've worked together on so many projects, including the Civic Centre. I think that collaboration with him and the other regional councillors will be of paramount importance for our city's voice to be heard in the York Region."
One of the Region's main concerns is mobility, given the many regional arteries crisscrossing Vaughan. What happens next?
"For this year, construction is winding down for winter, but next April another construction season will begin, possibly worse than this year's. Work will start on Weston, Dufferin, and Keele, but by 2005 almost all the regional roads will have been widened, and traffic will surely improve."

Publication Date: 2003-12-07
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=3436