Tag Archives: amherstburg

Amherstburg’s Sunshine List 2021

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Paul Acton Deputy Fire Chief                                                   $120,288.47

Angelo Avolio Chief Building Official                                         $126,980.75

Sabrina Bilyk Human Resources,                                             $100,428.54
Health and Safety Coordinator

Andrew Challans District Chief                                                $154,285.45

Eric Chamberlain Manager, Roads and Fleet                           $121,830.47

Richard Daly Manager, Recreation Services                            $103,780.78

Jason Durocher District Chief                                                  $152,190.42

Frank Garardo Manager, Planning Services                             $111,265.79

Antonietta Giofu                                                                       $153,945.05
Director, Engineering and Infrastructure Services

Todd Hewitt Manager, Engineering                                           $123,490.04

Cheryl Horrobin Director, Corporate Services                            $122,488.26

Elke Leblanc Supervisor, Revenue                                             $100,284.23

Jordan Long Manager, Information Technology                          $102,198.63

Giovanni Miceli Chief Administrative Officer                                $176,931.75

Robert Montone Fire Chief                                                          $154,644.10

Michelle Rose Manager, Human Resources                                $101,863.21

Anne Rota Manager, Tourism and Culture                                    $101,831.26

Justin Rousseau Treasurer                                                           $124,281.00

Robert Unis Deputy Chief Building Official                                    $110,986.66

Randy Wismer District Chief                                                         $149,018.18

Richard Wismer District Chief                                                        $148,302.08

Atkins Andrew Executive Director                                                  $101,715.16

Alyssa Thrasher Nurse Practitioner                                                $122,252.63

Hurry Or You’ll Miss The Survey Deadline

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The problem with the town surveys, and there are so many, is who is listening – Administration. Are the results always delivered to council, the decision-makers?

Following months of meetings, a survey is posted but hurry or you’ll miss the deadline. What’s One More Survey? detailed the short time frame; now you have until March 20 to complete the Inclusive Community Plan survey.

Are there better methods of civic engagement, especially in a small town? Contact your Council.

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

A Look Back – Candidate Aldo DiCarlo on Toxic Town Hall

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Question 2. Generally when an organization has many Senior Management Team leave, transfer or get terminated there is a deep culture problem in the organization. So much staff turnover costs the organization money several thousand dollars and devastates employee morale. Do you believe that there is a toxic work culture at Amherstburg Town Hall and if you do how will you work with town Administration to make sure the work culture is fixed?

2014 then-candidate Aldo DiCarlo

This question seems to stem from question 1. To start, I believe there is likely a toxic work culture at Town Hall. If there isn’t, there’s definitely something wrong that needs to be addressed. As I stated in my answer to the first question, I believe the environment stems from the top. As mayor, I would definitely bring a new perspective and foster an environment of openness and congeniality that will hopefully trickle down. I believe in leading by example. Only by allowing people to share ideas, without fear of repercussions, can there be any movement to a positive and productive work environment. I can’t see dealing with this issue without a detailed review of the Town Hall staff structure.

Amherstburg Vote 2022

A Look Back – Candidate Aldo DiCarlo on Town Hall

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The burg watch created an historic first when it facilitated residents’ questions to the candidates during the 2014 municipal election. Since 2022 is another election year, I thought it would be worthwhile to revisit then-candidates’ answers.

Question 1. Amherstburg Town hall has been losing senior employees at an alarming rate. It seems pretty obvious that there is a negative culture at Town Hall. If the culture is not changed we will continue to waste taxpayer dollars paying to resolve conflicts and re-train employees when adults can’t get along. How will you unearth the root causes and fix the toxic culture at Town Hall and save Amherstburg from this costly mess? We can no longer afford the costs of discontinuity.

2014 then-candidate Aldo DiCarlo:

In order to answer this question, I will assume that Town Hall does indeed have a toxic work environment. The first thing I would do is confirm this to be true. It has been my experience that toxic work environments originate from the top, at least more often than not. A good leader, regardless of their title or position, should always be aware it exists. Assuming competence and awareness of the environment, it has to be then that the toxic work environment is being allowed to fester. The alternative is that those who lead, that should know, don’t actually know the environment exists, and that becomes a question of competence. Therein lies the answer. Were/are the senior administrators aware of the issue and what are they doing about it? It is my position that the Council, like a board of directors, is an oversight body that governs and holds accountable those whose job it is to address such issues. If the issue is actually originating at the ‘top’, then the ‘top’ must be held accountable, whatever that means for the circumstances at the time. Hiring and/or retaining is the best way to stop the revolving door of staff, regardless of their position. With the recent hire of the latest CAO, hopefully the toxic environment will be dealt with. Unearthing the root causes of the toxic culture is the job of the CAO, that’s what they get paid for. As mayor and a member of council, I’d hold the CAO accountable for doing their job. If it turns out yet another CAO has been hired that can’t address this issue properly, sadly I don’t know that there would be any other alternative but to embark on the search for another. If this worst case happens, as mayor, I’d make sure the next hire isn’t hired the way the rest have been.

Amherstburg Vote 2022

Another Resident’s Wish Granted, Along With An Apology

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Imagine the agony of having to wait nine months to have your wish granted. Resident Linden Crain proposed a rainbow crosswalk in June 2021 and had to wait until March 14, 2022 for Council to unanimously approve the installation of one.

Amherstburg Councillor Donald McArthur said he was sorry it took so long and acknowledged, “The wheels of government can grind excruciatingly slowly at times.” Whose fault is that?

Compared to the very short timeframe in Ask And Your Wish Might Be Granted and Mayor DiCarlo’s lone decision to grant that wish and extend the River Lights, this did take some time.

All things being relative, I hold the record of waiting two years for a Routine Disclosure Policy, to date, and tolerating the ten years of silence from the Town of Amherstburg in response to my requests to make the library accessible.

But, it’s an election year and hey, if a crosswalk that cost the town nothing creates the appearance of inclusivity, everyone’s happy.

Request For Routine Disclosure Policy Now Two Years Old

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One might conclude there is a lack of willingness to be more open and transparent, given the lack of agenda reports, the lack of in camera resolutions, the incomplete information recorded in the minutes, the lack of reporting out from in camera information.

My request to council that a protocol for requests for information be created for taxpayers is now two years old.

Former CAO Miceli advised, in February 2020, that the Town of Amherstburg was in the process of creating a Routine Disclosure and Active Dissemination Policy and that I might wish to review the policy when it appears on the agenda for Council’s consideration and approval in the near future.

I repeated my request in April 2021 and council, instead of creating a policy, received the item under consent correspondence.

How long does it take to create a Routine Disclosure and Active Dissemination Policy that the Information and Privacy Commissioner revised in SEPTEMBER 1998?

What will it take for council to commit to being more open and transparent?

VOTE October 24, 2022 – hold candidates accountable.

Ask And Your Wish Might Be Granted

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Amherstburg’s River Lights were to end January 3, 2022 but on December 31, 2021, at 2:26 p.m., am800 reported, Amherstburg’s River Lights To Stay On Until the end of January:

“Manager of Tourism and Culture Anne Rota says the town received several calls from the community requesting the displays be left on.

‘January is typically a long and cold and dark month and we thought if it can help just one person with that seasonal affective disorder. We want people to come out, enjoy the fresh air and walks are safe and healthy and River Lights does just that.’

Richard Peddie tweeted similar comments the day before:

Richard Peddie tweet about extending river lights

As reported on the burg watch, Mayor Aldo DiCarlo Lone Decision-maker of River Lights Extension.

Anne Rota did not respond to these questions:
how many calls did you/thetown receive from the community requesting the displays be left on?
in what way do you think the extension could “help just one person with that seasonal affective disorder?”
what would the extension cost?