Category Archives: Aldo DiCarlo

A Look Back – Candidate Aldo DiCarlo on Societal and Environmental Issues

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From a reader in 2014:

Question 11. There has been much discussion about the financial and economic issues Amherstburg is facing. What is your understanding and your thoughts about the societal and environmental issues facing the communities that comprise Amherstburg?

2014 then-candidate Aldo DiCarlo

This answer may sound like I’m passing the buck, but as much as Amherstburg has to deal with these issues as a municipality, these issues are so big that they need provincial and federal support. In this respect, I would advocate for Amherstburg at a provincial and federal level for support.

Amherstburg Vote 2022

A Look Back – Candidate Aldo DiCarlo on Regional Transit

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From a reader in 2014:

Question 10. What will you do to help establish regional transit within walking distance of all Amherstburg communities so that residents do not have to rely on car travel to commute to work or get to appointments in Windsor?

2014 then-candidate Aldo DiCarlo

I will continue to work with the other municipalities to try and achieve this goal. This is a large project that cannot be achieved without the support, both financial and otherwise, from the rest of Essex County. The cost of doing this without government subsidies is unlikely due to population gaps throughout the County. Nonetheless, I would work towards a common goal that could help the entire region. Amherstburg does, however, have various alternative transportation methods for individuals without means like the Amherstburg Care A Van. While we work to find a way to establish regional transit, we can look at expanding what we already do well. Even if there were a nominal ‘ride’ fee for people who required transportation (ie; post secondary school students et al.) we may be able to achieve a temporary solution. The town could also look into busing for major events in other parts of Essex County, much like we do for the SOE Wine Festival. Public consultation is key.

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A Look Back – Candidate Aldo DiCarlo on Parks, Sidewalks and Walkable Neighbourhoods

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From a reader in 2014:

Question 9. What will you do if elected to ensure that all communities in Amherstburg such as Kingsbridge, Pointe West, Golfview, McGregor and Malden have parks, sidewalks and walkable neighbourhood commercial and institutional destinations

2014 then-candidate Aldo DiCarlo

I believe, as I’m sure most do, that safety is something that has to be addressed, even it has a cost. Similar to the answer to question 8, some debts have to be owned. Sidewalks, for example, aren’t just cosmetically pleasing, they’re necessary for safety. Not every neighbourhood needs a park, although we may want them to, but every neighbourhood needs a safe way for people to walk, run and bike. There are less expensive ways to achieve safety while acquiring funds to do it the way we would prefer. The walk/bike lane on Simcoe/Pike, for example, was a cost effective way to provide a path to the Libro Centre at a reduced cost to concrete sidewalks. I believe this is the bridging answer for Texas Road. The Texas Road discussion started because the need for a sidewalk became a safety issue once Kingsbridge joined Texas Road. Many residents now walk either the short path thru Kingsbridge or all the way around using Concession 2. That entire walkway can be done with a paved lane and a rumble strip on one side of the street. I honestly couldn’t tell you where the grandiose dream of curbs, concrete sidewalks, decorative light posts, etc. came from. Having a lot of family and friends in that area, they’ve expressed their distaste with the plans as it would add a ‘bump’ in to their driveway, where now it is a smooth transition. Regardless, for those that ‘need’ a sidewalk now, it can be done inexpensively while repaving the road, which could hardly be disagreed is overdue. This is just one example of finding ways to give communities what they want, and pay for, without huge debt. Consultation with all the affected residents is obviously where to start. It doesn’t matter so much what council thinks, it’s what the citizens need.

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A Look Back – Candidate Aldo DiCarlo on Spending and Debt

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From a reader in 2014:

Question 8. How will you curtail spending and pay down the debt? Would you eliminate jobs? Would you reduce each department’s budget?

2014 then-candidate Aldo DiCarlo

This is a difficult question to answer as an ‘outsider’. There is no doubt that the Town Hall structure and spending needs to be analyzed. What I can say is that I would not be opposed to any difficult decisions that need to be made to move the Town in a positive financial direction. That said, some debt is necessary or beneficial. An example is the Libro Centre. There is often talk about the operating deficit. There should always be investigation to see if there is a way to operate with a balanced budget or a surplus. Some debt needs to be ‘owned’ however. I believe the Libro Centre provides numerous services and facilities for everyone, young and old, and if taxes are required to maintain such a positive service for the Town, we should pay that. Any time I was at the Libro Centre, it was always bustling with people using the facilities. If you compare costs, I believe we are currently paying for the Libro Centre what we were paying to keep up the old arena. When you compare the two, how can you argue it isn’t money well spent? An overall review needs to be done to determine efficiencies and deficiencies, and fees required.

Amherstburg Vote 2022

A Look Back – Candidate Aldo DiCarlo on Tourism

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From a reader in 2014:

Question 7. What do you believe is the Town’s role in Tourism? Is Tourism an essential service which benefits all taxpayers? We have a tourism and cultural department that has ballooned to an annual budget of over one million dollars. This department was started with a $60,000 Trillium grant from the Provincial government to help the Town promote itself. Where are we today?

2014 then-candidate Aldo DiCarlo

I believe Tourism is essential and benefits all taxpayers. I can’t say much to answer this question, except to say I would definitely look into it. Perhaps some of this money was related to the 1812 funding from the government? I am interested to see what the actual ‘regular’ budget is for Tourism. If it is $1M, I definitely want to know what it’s being used for and what we’re getting for our money. When I say part of my platform is accountability, I don’t say it as an election buzzword. If you know me, you know I follow through with accountability. If you don’t know me, ask someone who does. Budgets are budgets. If we need $1M to properly support Tourism in Amherstburg, I wouldn’t want to change the amount. Services cost money, I would just want to make sure we’re getting something for the money we pay in taxes.

Amherstburg Vote 2022

A Look Back – Candidate Aldo DiCarlo on OPP Costing

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From a reader in 2014:

Question 6. If elected, will you commit to council obtaining an OPP costing and if appointed to the police services board, will you commit to removing the OPP takeover clause in the police contract? If running for re- election, why did you not consider doing the above?

2014 then-candidate Aldo DiCarlo

With my labour background, and expertise in contract negotiations, this question is not difficult. For the record, I have negotiated 4 major contracts and facilitate workshops, related to bargaining preparation and successfully negotiating contracts. That said, I spoke with the major stakeholders related to this issue. The information I received was both confusing and frustrating. The current board has had 4 years, at least related to this contract, to request and obtain a costing to switch to OPP services. To my knowledge, no such costing has been requested to this date. Further, such costing has been free of charge to the municipality, but may actually require costs in the future. As a tax paying citizen, this particular point downright infuriates me. Why would the board not acquire something free that could help the Town decide what’s in their best interests. They might tell you that doing so could cause morale problems. However, I now know that they never bothered to even ask the Police Association, so this is just a speculative position. Now the final logic. For those who look at the current demographics of our current Police Force, they’ll notice that the average age is on the young side. Since there is a grandfather date in the contract, this clause wouldn’t apply to most of them. If you see where I’m going, now is the time to successfully remove the takeover clause. I’m sure there would be a minimal cost compared to the cost of implementing the clause, but that’s why it’s called negotiations. There has to be give and take. I can’t honestly say which I’d prefer, municipal or provincial policing. 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.

Amherstburg Vote 2022

A Look Back – Candidate Aldo DiCarlo on Heritage District

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From a reader of the burg watch 2014:

Question 5. Towns need to differentiate themselves in order to compete for potential residents and businesses to relocate to their locale. Studies show that tourists who visit areas for History Tourism spend twice as much as an average tourist. Heritage Districts have popped up all over the country bringing much needed jobs and tourists. The current town council has stalled the implementation of a ready to go Heritage District in Town. Will you work with Town Administration and Heritage Committee to bring a much needed Heritage District to Amherstburg.

2014 then-candidate Aldo DiCarlo

I have always felt that Amherstburg’s heritage has been understated. I would look forward to working with the Administration and Heritage Committee. My research has shown me that most of the problems with heritage buildings are related to excessive repair costs due to neglect and lack of planning. The first thing that I think should be done is to designate which buildings are heritage, their current conditions and expected costs of maintenance and/or repair. Something like a 10 year plan should be established to address the known issues. For areas that require extensive repair, hard decisions will have to be made. Ideally, repairing buildings and then setting out a long term maintenance schedule should keep the Heritage District a viable option for the Town. All of this, of course, is just my ideas and I would definitely need ideas and input from those who understand the Heritage District better than I. Solutions that work are generally developed from multiple ideas, not just one. The current approach seems to be ineffective, otherwise, I don’t believe this question would be here.

Amherstburg Vote 2022

A Look Back – Candidate Aldo DiCarlo on Agenda Preparation

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From a reader in 2014:

Question 4.  Council members currently receive their notes on the Friday before the council meeting, just days before to digest a large amount of information. In other municipalities council receives much more time to digest and are actually briefed on the several pages of documents they are responsible to read. Is it any wonder that there were several disagreements on partially understood information? How will you change the process at Town Hall to bring them in alignment with other municipalities? How will you design the process so it is less of a speed read and more of a conversation based on information that is well understood?

2014 then-candidate Aldo DiCarlo

This is a pretty easy question to answer, as it was also an issue with the members of the University Of Windsor Board Of Governors when I was a member. Everyone digests and understands at different rates and levels. I don’t believe that there is any concrete timeframe that applies to everyone. The next council should discuss and agree on what a ‘reasonable’ amount of time is. Then, they should stick to it. If information is not available within the prescribed time, post pone the meeting. I know there are those who might argue the inconvenience to those who have planned for the date posted, but then I ask, “Would you rather have a meeting with councillors who aren’t prepared to properly address issues now, or would you rather they deal with the issues when they fully understand the agenda, and have had time for proper consultation with any citizens necessary?” As a final thought, a mayor and council who are abreast of issues, and stay informed with ongoing issues, won’t likely be presented with much they don’t already understand. This is not to say that I, nor anyone else, can know everything or anything all of the time, but part of the job of council is know their municipality’s issues, citizens, concerns and needs. No one person can know the whole town, but if everyone on council knows something, collectively they can know quite a lot. This would include what they don’t know, and need to find out. I’m not someone who is afraid, or opposed, to admit when they need more information.

Amherstburg Vote 2022

Rules Were Meant To Be Unfair?

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Was anyone minding the clock? I didn’t hear any reminders about the time limit as I have in the past for some delegates. I also didn’t hear the Mayor use the gavel.

The Amherstburg Soccer Club’s delegation at council’s March 14, 2022 meeting was 18 minutes, followed by a 48 minute question and answer session with members of council and staff for a total of 66 minutes.

First the delegation was late, but Mayor DiCarlo stated they could move on to the next item and then come back to them.

According to the town’s website, delegates are governed by Amherstburg Council’s Procedural By-law 2014-91, specifically:

  • Section 5.5 – Council will allow a maximum of five minutes per delegation per regular Council meeting. No more than four delegations will be heard per item of discussion by Council. The five minute timeline will be strictly enforced. The Clerk shall set a timer at the commencement of the delegation’s presentation. The Mayor/Chair at the conclusion of the five minutes shall inform the delegation that the time limit has been exceeded and thank the delegation for the presentation. Only upon a verbal motion to extend the five minute limit adopted by a majority of members shall the five minute limit be extended.

A Look Back – Candidate Aldo DiCarlo on Full Audit

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From a reader in 2014:

Question 3. There is no shortage of stories of lottery winners who go broke within 5 years of their big win. One reason they go broke is because they have not learned money management skills. With only a partial audit to learn from Amherstburg Town Hall and Administration are risking a repeat of their past mistakes. There has been a herculanian effort to avoid a full audit, how can we learn what really went wrong without a full audit? Do you support a full independent audit of the town’s finances over the past 5 years?

2014 then-candidate Aldo DiCarlo

This is a difficult question to answer with the understanding that the cost would not be cheap. On one hand, I agree wholeheartedly that a full audit should have been approved and done by the past council, since they were the elected representatives at the time, and they should be held accountable for whatever may have come from a full audit. Some reports and investigations have been done that elude to the lack of understanding of the past councillors when it comes to finances and budgets. It is not fair to say all councillors, but some, and I’m sure everyone has some in mind. What seems to be coming to light is that there really is no smoking gun, to coin a phrase. The trouble the town is in can only be explained by what appears to be a complete lack of understanding of what was going on, who was doing what, what they were supposed to be doing and what they were supposed to know. Outside of my bid for the mayor’s seat, as a tax paying citizen, I can’t believe that we had paid, and unpaid, people in town hall with so little understanding of what was going on. I believe this can begin to be rectified with a new council. If new councillors are elected who actually understand finances, budgeting and oversight, I’m not sure that we need to spend any more money on the past. The town still has plenty of issues to address, issues that will require money to fix, and that money would be better served going towards those issues. With no disrespect to all of the previous councillors, I don’t understand why it is being proposed that no one could have known what to ask or do. There were those who did, yet they were silenced. If a mayor and councillors are elected that were part of those who voted in favour of issues without the proper understanding, or at least accepting that they weren’t educated with the issue enough to proceed without more information, then I’d be demanding a full audit so they can see what went wrong more clearly. If a new council is elected with a proper balance of backgrounds, backgrounds related to the Town’s issues, I believe they can move us forward without having to spend money, as they would already understand most of what went wrong in the past.

Amherstburg Vote 2022