Office Expenses Are Eye Opening For Incumbent Councillors
Posted October 17, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
But they also have their own office budgets, their own staffs and despite your status as the person who pays them, you almost never get a chance to tell them what to do.
“They” are your councillors, many of who are asking for your support again in the coming November election.
The city has released the records of their office spending and while each one has a set amount they can spend, not all of them use every cent of what is essentially your tax money.
As usual, maverick Rob Ford comes in lowest on the list, spending just a twonie for the whole year. It’s become not only a trademark, but a point of pride for the political veteran.
“I think it was just some photocopying,” he recalls. “I don’t believe in using taxpayers’ money for free dinners, free lunch, free gas, free cell phones and that’s what the majority of this money goes for.”
Sandra Bussin put out the most, doling out more than $52,000 of her total $53,100 yearly stipend.
David Miller, whose budget is a lot bigger as mayor, spent just over $203,000 in 2005.
Despite the allure of power, councillors only earn $37,000 a year or about two dollars an hour.
That doesn’t stop many voters from doubting what they’re doing with your hard earned money.
Not to mention Ford himself.
“I wouldn’t elect any of these councillors if I was the taxpayers out there,” he concludes. “They’re just abusing hard-earned tax dollars.”
And some of them don’t even exist.
Take the two most curious listings on the payout sheet. Both spent under $300, a mere pittance in political parlance. But when you realize they come under the headers of “Vacant 1” and “Vacant 2”, you not only wonder what the money went for, but who actually spent it.
Total Budget Allocation: $53,100
Office Expenses
Gerry Altobello: $32,051
Brian Ashton: $37,295
Maria Augimeri: $48,132
Bas Balkisoon: $22,644
Sandra Bussin: $52,496
Shelley Carroll: $31,217
Raymond Cho: $45,876
Olivia Chow (Now in Ottawa): $52,798
Gay Cowbourne: $35,532
Glen De Baeremaeker: $52,484
Mike Del Grande: $34,841
Frank Di Giorgio: $48,949
Mike Feldman: $17,763
John Filion: $48,868
Paula Fletcher: $49,946
Rob Ford: $2
Adam Giambrone: $51,732
Mark Grimes: $47,129
Suzan Hall: $36,425
Doug Holyday: $1,403
Cliff Jenkins: $27,731
Norm Kelly: $43,007
Peter Li Preti: $46,051
Gloria Lindsay Luby: $22,061
George Mammoliti: $49,460
Pam McConnell: $47,549
Joe Mivehc: $52,136
Peter Milczyn: $36,316
Denzil Minnan-Wong: $36,596
Howard Moscoe: $43, 896
Frances Nunziata: $4,427
Case Ootes: $40,206
Cesar Palacio: $45,291
Joe Panatlone: $39,905
Jane Pitfield: $40,948
Kyle Rae: $44,499
Bill Saundercook: $50,108
David Shiner: $28,763
David Soknacki: $28,852
Karen Stintz: $45,640
Michael Thompson: $39,759
Michael Walker: $50,522
Sylvia Watson: $50,363
Vacant 1: $175
Vacant 2: $290
Mayor David Miller: $203,714
That’s their office budgets. What did they pay to get your attention? Here’s how they used their advertising and promotion allowance
Gerry Altobello: $3,625
Brian Ashton: $3,109
Maria Augimeri: $187
Bas Balkisoon: $1,140
Sandra Bussin: $10,238
Shelley Carroll: $3,299
Raymond Cho: $589
Olivia Chow (Now in Ottawa): $1,144
Gay Cowbourne: $3,973
Janet Davis: $10,170
Glen De Baeremaeker: $5,605
Mike Del Grande: $416
Frank Di Giorgio: $1,482
Mike Feldman: $1,198
John Filion: $122
Paula Fletcher: $6,925
Rob Ford: $0
Adam Giambrone: $0
Mark Grimes: $5,096
Suzan Hall: $843
Doug Holyday: $43
Cliff Jenkins: $209
Norm Kelly: $390
Peter Li Preti: $3,152
Gloria Lindsay Luby: $1,311
George Mammoliti: $481
Pam McConnell: $3,071
Joe Mivehc: $625
Peter Milczyn: $2,718
Denzil Minnan-Wong: $1,081
Howard Moscoe: $27
Frances Nunziata: $1,445
Case Ootes: $14,918
Cesar Palacio: $2,590
Joe Panatlone: $7,060
Jane Pitfield: $1,610
Kyle Rae: $10,363
Bill Saundercook: $4,262
David Shiner: $315
David Soknacki: $1,415
Karen Stintz: $3,884
Michael Thompson: $2,893
Michael Walker: $5,324
Sylvia Watson: $2,882
Mayor David Miller: $2,598
To see more facts and figures in .pdf format, click here.
