TAXES PROPOSED

Wounded Miller turns to public

After underestimating his opponents, mayor plans to talk 'directly to the people'

JENNIFER LEWINGTON

CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF

July 24, 2007

Bruised by his first major political defeat as mayor, David Miller vowed to bypass critics and talk directly to residents about the need for new city taxes.

"I have a duty to get the message out to people simply and clearly, so people know what is at stake - the future of the city," he told The Globe and Mail editorial board.

"What kind of city do you want to live in?" he asked. "That is the choice we are making. I am confident that Torontonians want to live in a place they are proud of, that has decent public services and is vibrant and exciting and alive."

Asked to reflect on his defeat last week, when councillors voted 23-22 to put off a decision on new taxes until October, Mr. Miller said, "I regret my inability to get the message heard because the consequences are so serious."

The consequences took on sharper meaning right after the vote, when Mr. Miller asked top city officials to look for $100-million in savings this year that could include a shutdown of the Sheppard subway line, reduced bus service and shorter library hours. A report is due the week of Aug. 6.

The mayor now has two months before a council vote Oct. 22 on the proposed taxes - a levy of up to 2 per cent on the purchase of a house and a $60 fee to register ownership of a motor vehicle. In total, they would generate $356-million a year for the cash-strapped city.

"I think the key now is to go directly to the people of Toronto and that is what I am going to do," Mr. Miller said.

As for last week's defeat, Mr. Miller concedes he underestimated his opponents, especially the Toronto Real Estate Board that sent a barrage of e-mails to councillors in the days before the vote.

"You shouldn't fight with somebody who speaks to more people than you do," Mr. Miller said ruefully, paraphrasing advice from the mayor of Indianapolis who lost a vote to privatize that city's bus service.

"I knew we were okay in terms of Torontonians," Mr. Miller said, "but I underestimated the impact that TREB's campaign was having on individual members of council who were undecided."

He added: "I did everything I could to persuade them. Perhaps I could have worked harder at that."

Mr. Miller also acknowledged the success of the right-wing minority on council who engineered their first victory at his expense. "I underestimated the efforts of some on council who worked with the lobbyists," a reference to Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong, who mobilized business groups.

But Mr. Miller took issue with assertions by the Toronto Board of Trade, which initially backed the city's powers but balked at the new taxes, that the city could trim 4 per cent of its $7.8-billion budget. Such cuts, he argued, assume incorrectly that the city can reduce drug benefits to seniors and other social services partly funded by local taxpayers.