In a bizarre turn of events our councillor, King fights for NO sidewalks.
You cannot make this shit up.
Why? Likely the locals don't want people walking through their neighborhood...including those with disabilities...but they say "sidewalks will harm trees and are more urgently needed elsewhere on busier roads and near a local school."
Bottom line you see the impact of political expediency. In a wanton grab for Manor Park votes a DEI politician argues against accessibility.
It was stupid and lazy both intellectually, politically and ethically.
Wisely council shot down the motion in a 16-7 vote.
References:
More Information:
Manor Park sidewalks to go ahead after council vote
King failed in his bid to shorten planned sidewalks that have divided the Ottawa neighbourhood. His sign in Manor Park urged people to reject a contentious plan to build sidewalks in the neighbourhood. (Francis Ferland/CBC).
city policy is to add to local roads in tandem with other work to save money and gradually build out a pedestrian services.
"If we don’t take the opportunity to put sidewalks in when we do the street rebuilds, we are not going to have that opportunity again for 70 or 80 or 90 years," said Lieper.
Alta Vista Coun. Marty Carr spoke of the importance of accessibility.
"We try to build things for everyone, so if we can build things that make a difference in one or two people’s lives, that is what is important here," she said. "I do think when there are people representing to us and telling us what their needs are, we need to listen."
In a bizarre twist of logic Mayor Mark Sutcliffe supported King’s motion seemingly in contradiction to his longstanding support of status quo administration. He called it a "difficult decision" and said he understands both sides of the debate.
[If he found this difficult we have bigger fish to fry]
"I do understand the points that were made by my other colleagues on council who were saying, 'Look, we can't make an exception here, we have rules,'" he said. "We apply them universally and we don't want a situation where every neighborhood is different."
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ReplyDeleteI do not want to be seen as a negative Nelly...or a Debbie Downer.
ReplyDeleteI will say that if I was in King's place I would suppprt sidewalks.
I will also say that while I would take the counsel of community associations but I would have ultimayely NOT done what King did, that is to say agree with a local, vocal irate minority.
I would try to do the right thing not the electorially expedient thing.
Worse, King and Suttcliffe knew they were in a losing cause, wasted everyone's time and energy while pandering for votes.
ReplyDeleteHow could anyone be so cynical?
Grok says he secures many wins for his ward (e.g., funding for community centres, parks, transit tweaks, heritage) and passes motions when they have broader support.
ReplyDeleteHis high re-election margin (~80% in 2022) suggests constituents value his advocacy even on lost votes.
No comprehensive public "voting scorecard" labels him as unusually unsuccessful. Dissent is normal in council (votes often aren't unanimous), and he effectively represents diverse ward interests.
Bottom line: King is a consistent advocate who occasionally ends up in the minority when prioritizing local resident feedback or equity issues—but this is standard councillor behaviour, not a pattern of futile gestures. It aligns with his role as a community-focused progressive rather than a constant loser on votes.