Sunday, May 10, 2009

Get out of My Ward

We didn’t have e-mail back in the nineties so when I’d see the Ward 7 Councillor on my turf in Ward 8 I simply yell at him to get out of my ward.

This seemed very funny to both of us in those days. After all we were Councillors who served the whole city and ward boundaries were arbitrary and frequently adjusted as the city’s population shifted.

However, based on a small piece in the Toronto Star this past Friday such encroachments are now pretty serious stuff.

“Stop messing in my ward or there will be problems, Ward 18 Toronto Councillor Adam Giambrone e-mailed fellow Councillor Cesar Palacio of Ward 17.

Giambrone continued: “I generally ignore your actions, but I am going to start looking for ways to cause trouble for you and when I start you’re not going to appreciate it.”

Not surprisingly Palacio has complained to the City’s integrity commissioner.

My method from the nineties - just shouting - was probably as effective and didn’t leave a paper trail.