Raise the Hammer

Mr Morelli, I just received your postcard and want to address each of your points.

• Preservation of our neighbourhood environment. No thank you. I want my neighbourhood to improve. I’m tired of drug dealers and prostitutes. Really tired, and so are my neighbours. I recall you said at a meeting that prostitution is not illegal, and we should lobby our MP. Do you really expect me to believe that nothing can be done about it at the city level? I’m sick of children having to walk by the illegal social clubs that line the major streets. Shouldn’t they be looked after with proper bylaw enforcement?

• Proactive property standards enforcement. Mr. Morelli, my neighbours and I were laughing about the identical letter you sent to each of us complimenting us on the improvements we each had done on our property. Even the neighbour with a ton of garbage on his front porch for the 2 last years got one. On your way to city hall each morning as you drive along King St, do you not notice the trash bags sitting on the sidewalk for days on end, or the graffiti, or the discarded mattresses and furniture, or the weeds growing vigorously in the city’s flower boxes? Has it ever occurred to you to call someone in the appropriate department and have it dealt with? You do drive along King St. don’t you? And how about all of those vacant industrial lands? But, that’s another letter in itself.

• Eradication of illegal multiple units. Really? This ward became a dumping ground for group homes and illegal multi-units on your watch sir. And now, after 19 years in office, you say you’re going to do something about it? Why should anyone believe you? You haven’t been effective previously, why would you change now? What do you propose to do with all of the tenants? Does your Stadium plan include low rental housing for the Ivor Wynne site? Well does it? The ward already has the makings of a ghetto. How many illegal mult-units are there? You don’t even know, so why do you care now?

• Responsive policing and safe neighbourhoods. Mr. Morelli, responsive policing has nothing to do with you, it has everything to do with the police department. It wasn’t anything you did while you served as Chair of the Police Board, so how do you propose to do anything now? Regarding safe neighbourhoods, please refer to the above comments regarding drugs, prostitutes and so called social clubs.

• Seniors, children & working families. So what exactly is your concern with seniors, children and working families? Mr. Morelli, have you read the Code Red study articles published by the Spec? All that was heard from you regarding was…nothing. That’s correct a resounding silence. The seniors don’t live as long in this ward as they do in others. I heard you were in favour of closing Birge Park, is that how you support children? By removing their neighbourhood park? There would be more working families, if there were jobs and opportunities. Seniors, children and working families, kind of tugs at the heartstrings (like apple pie and mom). So exactly what have you done to support these during your past term? An effective 19 year incumbent councillor should be able to run on his record of accomplishments. It’s the ineffective ones that run on promises of what they’ll do in the future. It seems to me you are doing a lot of promising.