Policing costs were a hot topic in 2014 and a then-newly elected council was committed to comparing all policing options, which would have been the most fiscally responsible course of action.
As posted in How Then-Candidate Aldo DiCarlo Answered About OPP Costing, then-Mayoral candidate Aldo DiCarlo answered theburgwatch questions from residents, stating, in part:
“What I can say, what I know, is that the current board didn’t do their due diligence in acquiring the information for us to make an educated decision on what would be best for the town…information that would have been ‘free’. I would definitely acquire this information, if given the chance, and then work with the appropriate parties to achieve what’s best for the Town, or more importantly, what the Town feels is best for them.
I have recently been corrected on who is required to request the costing for OPP. I am told that the OPP costing must be requested by Council, not the Police Board. The rest of my position remains the same. There has been numerous years to request OPP costing by Council, of which there was no cost to the Town.”
Mayor DiCarlo was given the chance but did not acquire the information despite counciI’s two motions directing Administration to obtain an OPP costing and work with the OPP on the costing. Those two motions were neither implemented nor rescinded.
The Windsor Star quoted Mayor Aldo DiCarlo on the rebranding, “As much as we want to keep everything local, it has to be a competitive process,” said DiCarlo.
The police costing process should have been just as competitive to achieve the optimal savings for the ratepayers that was promised during the 2014 election campaign.
As for the assurances that all current Amherstburg officers will remain except the chief and deputy chief, no one knows how many officers will stay in Amherstburg and forego career opportunities in Windsor.
Maintaining the status quo, other than the top two hierarchical positions, superseded the promise to compare options and realize optimal savings.
Commentary by Linda Saxon