Walking in Waterloo Region

[Coke6pk]

How much do I have to pay to have them do the whole driveway too?  I'm on board!

/sick of winter already...

[ookpik]

He just lost my vote. Not because he's against sidewalk clearing but because he has a closed mind on the subject. With "leadership" like this it's no wonder why RIM went down the tubes.

Waterloo Mayor Jaworsky says sidewalk plowing ‘doesn’t make a lot of sense’ but he won't tell us how much it would cost so we, the people who would pay for it, could decide. If the cost is so high why the secrecy over how much it is?

Jaworsky said a citizen wanted all city sidewalks plowed by 6:30 a.m. every morning. "We'll miss that expectation," he said.

Of course that's a ridiculous expectation. The city doesn't meet it for clearing roads either. But it's also a ridiculous argument to use for closing down the discussion. 
We need less politicking and more genuine desire to move the city and the region forward.

[BuildingScout]

He just lost my vote. Not because he's against sidewalk clearing but because he has a closed mind on the subject. With "leadership" like this it's no wonder why RIM went down the tubes.

My thoughts exactly. It is interesting to see that he stumbled on such a small issue. I think he might well be in over his head.

Also did you notice that he thought every one who used the TriTag mailing app belongs to TriTag?

[MidTowner]

Of course that's a ridiculous expectation. The city doesn't meet it for clearing roads either. But it's also a ridiculous argument to use for closing down the discussion. 
We need less politicking and more genuine desire to move the city and the region forward.

He might think that it's something other than a transparent straw man argument. I wonder how he could, but maybe BuildingScout is right in his assessment of him.

It's a no-brainer, but I suppose even something this simple requires the right framing by someone with a modicum of leadership. No, we're not going to get the snow cleared by 6:30, but we'll do a lot better than is done now (which is in some cases never). And homeowners won't have to do it. What could be simpler?

Edit: I also laughed out loud when he was quoted referencing the "global economy being soft."

[ookpik]

Also did you notice that he thought every one who used the TriTag mailing app belongs to TriTag?

Yes, it seems he relies on tossing out red herrings when he doesn't have a considered position on an issue, e.g. there's TriTag dismissal, the guy who wants his sidewalk cleared by 06:30, his dismissal of the cost as "noticeably different than what a citizen guessed in the newspaper", etc.

Interesting that he blames lack of funds for snow clearing with the LRT since usage of the LRT (and GRT in general) is negatively impacted when people can't get from their homes to a stop because streets and sidewalks are snowed in.

He also talks about "$4.8 million to buy the necessary equipment." Why should a cash-strapped city need to buy anything if he contracts out the project, at least initially?

[Spokes]

He just lost my vote. Not because he's against sidewalk clearing but because he has a closed mind on the subject. With "leadership" like this it's no wonder why RIM went down the tubes.

My thoughts exactly. It is interesting to see that he stumbled on such a small issue. I think he might well be in over his head.

Also did you notice that he thought every one who used the TriTag mailing app belongs to TriTag?

Going to be interesting to see if this is a continuous trend.

[Elmira Guy]

Is this guy a moron?

To reiterate, the town of Elmira currently charges $6/household per year to clear sidewalks by hiring a contractor. Not all sidewalks in the town are currently cleared, but the township is looking at widening the program to have all sidewalks cleared. To do this, it will mean that the charge per household will rise to a staggering.... $12/year!

Who the hell wouldn't pay that amount? Oh right. The mayor of Waterloo.

[nms]

Jump to conclusions much?  Jaworsky just passed the third month of his term and I'm sure that he's been hit with a fire hose of data from staff, fellow councilors and citizens.  I'll think I'll make my next choice for Mayor based on four years of work rather than just one comment on the subject of sidewalk clearing.

[BuildingScout]

Jump to conclusions much?  Jaworsky just passed the third month of his term and I'm sure that he's been hit with a fire hose of data from staff, fellow councilors and citizens.  I'll think I'll make my next choice for Mayor based on four years of work rather than just one comment on the subject of sidewalk clearing.

Actually when it comes to things like this, usually a very small sample suffices. Let's give him three chances. Comments from  Jaworsky so far:

1. "softening global economy"
   
2. "one person wants the sidewalk cleared by 6:30am" so no we can't do it.
   
3. "it will cost untold amounts of dollars" (false)
   
4. "we need to spend 4.5 million in equipment" (false we can rent, and even if we purchase this is a fleet of 45 bobcats, or 5 times the size of the one in London)
   
5. "all emails came from a single group" (false)
   
6. "we cannot do this and LRT" (huh?)
   

You might want to withhold your judgment, but you can't seriously expect every one else to look the other way at the collection of pearls above. He had plenty of chances to show clear thinking and failed each time around. Let's hope he has the flu and will do better next time around, but experience tells us that barring that, a clear pattern has been established.

Also contrast his response with that of Kitchener Major Berry Vrbanovic: "we'll study the issue". It really isn't that hard.

[Elmira Guy]

@ nms, was your comment directed at me? If so, what conclusions did I make?

It sounds to me like the mayor hasn't even looked into this matter, given the inaccuracy of his comments.

[ookpik]

Also contrast his response with that of Kitchener Major Berry Vrbanovic: "we'll study the issue". It really isn't that hard.

That sounds a lot better and plays better in the media even if he secretly shares Jaworski's opinion on the issue.

It's not Jaworski's position that I object to so much as the kneejerk dismissal by a newbie who, to use nms' characterization, has "been hit with a fire hose of data from staff, fellow councilors and citizens" on all sorts of issues.

[BuildingScout]

It's not Jaworski's position that I object to so much as the kneejerk dismissal

Exactly, I have no problem with the difference in opinion. He failed as a decision maker by tying himself to a decision before having all the facts in front of him and failed politically by not being sensitive to how important this issue seems to be (it opened the local news yesterday on CTV).

Mayor Jaworsky came across as very green to say the least.

He needs to come up to speed fast, starting with a quick switch to Vrbanovic's position "we'll revisit the issue". Berry commited to nothing yet comes across as open minded and responsive.

[neonjoe]

Are city workers unionized? If so they may not be able to contract out snow removal under their agreement.

[BuildingScout]

Are city workers unionized? If so they may not be able to contract out snow removal under their agreement.

They are. I'm assuming at all times that this is likely to be done in house. Equipment can be rented though. The collective contract has provisions for seasonal and on-call workers for snow removal.

[Canard]

http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=563641