LARRY'S CORNER- Hamilton's Former Mayor Speaks

Administrative Changes Continue in Hamilton

By Larry Di Ianni
(posted April 17, 2009)

Recently Council froze salaries for non-union staff members. This caused a stir because unionized employees received a healthy settlement and Council voted itself a very sizeable raise in their yearly pay. All of this has been documented. What surfaced this week was the issue of staff retention if municipal salaries are not competitive. What also has been talked about is the fairness of balancing the budget on the backs of a group not able to defend itself through the strength of a union. Each criticism has merit.

On the one hand, the managers and non-unionized staff deserve fair treatment. Just because they are not organized under a labour agreement doesn't mean that an employer should take advantage of this group, especially when that same employer has just fattened its own paycheque by a substantial amount. My policy was always to treat everyone fairly. If the unions received a 2% settlement, then the same should be extended to Council and non-unionized staff as well as senior management. This not only kept pace with Hamilton's stated goal of being an employer of choice, but it passed the fairness test. Using the real backdrop of harsh economic times, Council has decided to be unfair to the non-union group. I am not being accusatory in calling Council unfair. A good number of Councillors said as much as they held their noses and approved the freeze.

Whether the freeze deters quality staff from coming forward is another question which will be answered in the longer term, if not immediately. To be sure, there is a free-flow of talent crossing municipal boundaries with much more regularity than is often reported. I recall during my tenure that this was the case. Managers, directors as well as General Managers took positions in Hamilton and left the city as well.

Such was the case when Robert Rossini, then Hamilton's Budget Director, left Hamilton for Mississauga. I recall talking to Mr. Rossini when he left for more responsibility, more money and a community flush with cash. He had to figure out how to spend the money wisely in Mississauga, not how to find non existent money to run Council directed programs. Now, Robert Rossini is back as the General Manager of Finance, and was apparently introduced to Council last night. He is an excellent choice. And I say this fully knowing that there were some stellar internal candidates vying for the job as well. In fact, if I can say so, knowing some of the individuals speculated to have been interested, Chris Murray, the City Manager, who made the selection with Council's knowledge, I'm sure, could NOT have made a mistake on this one. It was a case of choosing a quality person among a stellar ensemble of applicants. Nevertheless, Rob Rossini is an excellent choice.

Let me recount just a quick story to illustrate his strength while I was a Councillor in the City. Rob worked for the now-retired, venerable and sharp Joe Rinaldo who was Rob's boss and mentor. Joe was known in Council as savvy and politically astute, but all business when it came to making presentations. Joe knew how to navigate the often choppy Council political waters, and sometimes caused consternation among elected officials, but always inspired respect for the knowledge he had. Rob was the young, extremely bright, and cheerful assistant to Mr. Rinaldo. If Joe was Batman slaying Gotham's killer budget short-falls, Rob was the young Robin fighting alongside the older master. What Joe provided in knowledge and institutional abilities, Rob provided in a fresh approach and personality. I recall once, in the early days of amalgamation when things were moving fast and furiously, staff missed sending a report to the province on a matter I've now forgotten but was important at the time. Most of staff in those early days when there was much suspicion between Council and senior management might have been tempted to duck the issue and hope it would pass by. Not Mr. Rossini. He went to the microphone, admitted that his department was responsible for the missed timeline, and he accepted responsibility, explained why it had happened, and told Council how the issue would be remediated, and added, "C'mon guys, don't get mad. We can fix this." Council actually chuckled and let the issue pass us by. Andrea Horwath, my seat-mate, leaned over to me and said, "How can you get mad at that kind of honesty."

Robert Rossini comes back to Council having gained experience in Mississauga. He is a welcome addition to City staff.

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