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Former Mayor Larry Di Ianni and Mr. Ecklund's daughter Erika
ARCHIVED POSTS:
- The Affordable Connaught: Lessons Learned (September 21, 2009)
- Do Canadians Want A Federal Election? (September 17, 2009)
- Amalgamation Revisited (September 14, 2009)
- Whither or Should that be Wither the Connaught? (September 11, 2009)
- Hamilton- a City of Philanthropists (September 8, 2009)
- Who is Canada's Political Lion(August 31, 2009)
- Bloggers Beware: you are not as invisible as you think!(August 28, 2009)
- Redeemer College University: A Deserving Member of Hamilton’s Education City (August 24, 2009)
- What's New About the NDP? (August 19, 2009)
- Is Neighbourhood Planning the Art of the Possible?(August 12, 2009)
- Integrity Commissioner’s First Investigation: Much Ado About Nothing (August 10, 2009)
- Et Tu Hamilton? Did our city just throw Balsillie’s hopes under a bus?(August 5, 2009)
- A Fine Finesse or a Fine Mess? The Opening of the Financial Floodgates (July 31, 2009)
- The Politics of Floods (July 28, 2009)
- Sundry Summer Thoughts, 2009 (July 23, 2009)
- James Street Revitilization and Rev. Ron Burridge (July 21, 2009)
- A Review of My New Year’s Predictions (July 13, 2009)
- Transformers in Winona: Revenge of the Changelings (July 10, 2009)
- The Virtues of Tax Increases (Or Not!) (July 9, 2009)
- Council’s Plan for Future Development (July 2, 2009)
- Hamilton's Self-Esteem (June 26, 2009)
- Da Rally, Da Media and Di Manno (June 22, 2009)
- Balsillie Has Done the Heavy Lifting; It is Now Time for Hamilton to Act (June 15, 2009)
- Mady Development in Winona (June 5, 2009)
- NDP Impotence is Costing Hamilton Federal Support (June 2, 2009)
- Metrolinx Appoints New Board (May 29, 2009)
- Accountability and Transparency Committee Misses the Mark (May 27, 2009)
- Mourning Randy Steele (May 25, 2009)
- Success at Hess Village? (May 22, 2009)
- Boosterism or Realism: these should not be the options for the City of Hamilton! (May 20, 2009)
- Council's Role and
the NHL (May 14, 2009)
- Sundry Spring Thoughts (May 8, 2009)
- Is the City of Burlington Hamilton's Friend or Rival? (May 5, 2009)
- The Church of the Universe
and Hamilton Politics (April 29, 2009)
- Pandemic Response:
Is Hamilton Ready? (April 27, 2009)
- Ambassador Robert Fowler’s
Hamilton Connection (April 23, 2009)
- Healthcare and Hamilton
Politics (April 21, 2009)
- Administrative Changes
Continue in Hamilton (April 17, 2009)
- Devastating Earthquake
in Central Italy (April 13, 2009)
- Waste Management and
the City Budget (April 7, 2009)
- GoTransit and Metrolinx
Merger: Benefits and Implications (April 1, 2009)
- Ontario’s Budget:
A Risky Proposition or a Sure Thing? (March 30, 2009)
- Environment Hamilton:
Methinks the group doth protest too much? (March 26, 2009)
- Term Limits: Pros and
Cons (March 23, 2009)
- Tim Hudak: Leader in
Waiting? (March 18, 2009)
- The Winds of Change
(March 9, 2009)
- Planning Matters: An
Interesting Planning Committee Discussion (March 6, 2009)
- Mourning The Steel
Company of Canada (March 4, 2009)
- Marketing Our City:
Tourism Hamilton’s Excellent Adventure (March 3, 2009)
- Media Crisis Hits Hamilton
Hard (February 27, 2009)
- King of NIMBY Fights
City Hall (February 23, 2009)
- Impoverishing the Future
(February 20, 2009)
- Of Roasts and Toasts
And Politics And Such (February 17, 2009)
- Pan-Am Games: Should
Hamilton Participate? (February 12, 2009)
- Governing in Tough
Economic Times (February 9, 2009)
- Winter Blahs and Wow
Factors (February 4, 2009)
- Municipal Service Centers:
Unifying the City has a cost (February 2, 2009)
- The Federal Budget
Deserves Support (January 28, 2009)
- NDP Hypocrisy Hurts
50,000 York U Students (January 26, 2009)
- Appearances Can Be
Deceiving: the Case for the Elfrida Node (January 22, 2009)
- "Events, Dear
Boy, Events" (January 19, 2009)
- The Burdens of Office
(January 13, 2009)
- Federal NDP Caucus
Lets Hamilton Down (January 12, 2009)
- The South Pole and
Anti-Business: A Relationship? (January 9, 2009)
- Hamilton's Future Fund:
A Success Story (January 7, 2009)
- Forecasts for the Year
2009 (January 2, 2009)
- New Year's Resolutions
for Local and World Leaders (December 30, 2008)
- NDP Convention May
be a Barn-burner! (December 26, 2008)
- Peak Oil and Airport
Lands Development in the City of Hamilton (December 23, 2008)
- A Christmas Story
(December 19, 2008)
- Hamilton Economic Summit
and Hamiltonians For Progressive Development: A Tale of Two Approaches
To Hamilton's Economic Future (December 17, 2008)
- Hamilton Mourns
Chester Waxman (December 15, 2008)
- The Politics of
Division At City Hall (December 12, 2008)
- Sundry Thoughts: On
Local, Provincial and Federal Issues (December 10,
2008)
- The Recurring City
Hall Debate: And It's Not Even Ground Hog Day Yet! (December
8, 2008)
- On The Precipice (December
5, 2008)
- How to Slay the Budget
Dragon in the City of Hamilton (December 2, 2008)
- Ottawa's Constitutional
Crisis May Be Good News For Hamilton (December 1, 2008)
- It is Time to Consider
Changes to How Council Meetings are Chaired (November
27, 2008)
- It's The
Economy, Stupid (November 24, 2008)
- From Business
to Drive-Thrus: Everything is Connected (November
17, 2008)
- Hamilton
and the N.H.L: An Impossible Dream? (November
13, 2008)
- The Role
of Media in the City of Hamilton (November
10, 2008) UPDATED NOVEMBER 18 2008
- Leadership
Politics at the Municipal, Provincial and Federal Levels
(November 5, 2008)
- The City Hall Dilemma
(November 4, 2008)
- Ward Boundaries
Revisited (October 30, 2008)
- Should the Province
Bail Out Hamilton? Again? (October 23, 2008)
- Post Election
Analysis (October 22, 2008)
- A $48M Dollar
Bonanza For Hamilton (August 29, 2008)
- Branding the
City of Hamilton (August 21, 2008)
- The Area Rating
Debate (part 2) (August 14, 2008)
- Harmony or
Fairness: The 'Area Rating' debate (Part One) (August
8, 2008)
- The Royal Connaught:
Crucial to Downtown Redevelopment (August 1, 2008)
- Hamilton Politics
and the Dark Side of the Internet (July 22, 2008)
- Oily Politics
in the City of Hamilton (July 7, 2008)
- The Lister
Re-Born? (July 2, 2008)
- Council Moves
Hamilton Towards the Future (June 25, 2008)
- Soccer Fever
As a Canadian Metaphor (June 23, 2008)
- Tolling roads
in Ontario (June 18, 2008)
- Who Will Lead
Downtown Renewal? (June 11, 2008)
- The Scourge
of Cancer Among Us (June 4, 2008)
- Hamilton's
Downtown Renewal (May 30, 2008)
- A Rapid Transit
System for Hamilton (May 20, 2008)
- Hamilton's
Economic Summit 2 (May 13, 2008)
- Hamilton's
Economic Summit (May 5, 2008)
- The Flamborough
Slot Revenue Debate (April 24, 2008)
- The Caledonia
Dispute Reaches Hamilton (April 21, 2008)
- The Sad Saga
of Lost Opportunities: How We Lost the Maple Leaf Pork Processing
Plant (April 17, 2008)
- Hovercraft
Services For Hamilton? (April 9, 2008)
- VIA Rail Part
2: We've Been Fooled Again! (April 3, 2008)
- VIA Rail: Easy
Come, Easy GO!!! (March 31, 2008)
- Who Should
Be Hamilton's Next City Manager (March 25, 2008)
- How Elusive
is Council Consensus? (March 17, 2008)
- Glen Peace:
A Man of Integrity (March 5, 2008)
- Sundry Winter
Reflections (February 28, 2008)
- A Day and An
Eternity: On Leaving the City for a Week (February
6, 2008)
- An Integrity
Commissioner and Integrity: Both Are Needed (February
6, 2008)
- The Amalgamation
Demon Raises Its Uncomfortable Head (February 1,
2008)
- The Groundhog
Day Debate: What to do about City Hall (January
25, 2008)
- Hamilton Mourns
Conrad Furey (January 24, 2008)
- For Whom the
Bell Tolls: Should the Red Hill Valley Parkway be Tolled?
(January 17, 2008)
- The Lister
Saga Continues (January 8, 2008)
- Out with the
Old, in with the New (December 31, 2007)
- Sprawl: Myth
and Reality (December 18, 2007)
- Towards Sustainable
Transportation (December 13, 2007)
- Assessment Growth and
Job Creation (December 7, 2007)
- On Transit, Bag Limits
and the Running of City Meetings (December 1 , 2007)
- The Importance of Public
Transit (November 28, 2007)
- Some Pre-Christmas
Thoughts (November 26, 2007)
- Airport Employment
Growth District (November 15 , 2007)
- The Red Hill
Parkway (November 5 , 2007)
- The Value of Mission
Statements: the Impossible Dream or Doable Objectives?
(November 2 , 2007)
- The Toronto
Act, More Taxes and the City of Hamilton (October 30, 2007)
- Council Looking
to Increase the Size of Council (October 23, 2007)
- Ontario's Election:
An analysis of the Local Reaction (October 16, 2007)
- A New Stadium for
the City of Hamilton? (October 7, 2007)
- The Mid Peninsula
Corridor and the City of Hamilton (September 27,
2007)
- The Carpenter's
Union And the City of Hamilton (September 21, 2007)
- Provincial
Election: The Local Scene (September 17, 2007)
- Provincial
Election: Some Early Observations (September 12,
2007)
- Philanthropy
is Changing the Face of Capitalism (September 10,
2007)
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LARRY'S CORNER- Hamilton's Former Mayor Speaks
Is the City of Burlington Hamilton’s Friend or Rival?
By Larry Di Ianni
(posted May 5, 2009)
Let me get the full disclosure out of the way: I love the community of Burlington. I lived there for two years when Janet and I first married. I worked there in 5 schools (out of seven) during my 30 year educational career. And next to my community of Stoney Creek and my city of Hamilton, I know Burlington best.
When I became Mayor and interacted with Mayor Rob MacIsaac and Regional Chair Joyce Savoline, we had a great relationship with each other. We collaborated on a number of key issues, not the least important of which was saving the Royal Botanical Gardens. I recall when we three met with the Unions and RBG management on the verge of a strike which would have finished off a teetering operation, the three of us put our heads together and found labour peace. Even the occasionally truculent Hamilton Spectator wrote a brief editorial extolling the virtues of the deal we had brokered suggesting that our roles should be taught in labour studies.
I further had discussions with Mayor MacIsaac on issues of mutual interest, including the road problems in north Burlington and Waterdown, the purported move of Maple Leaf into Hamilton, the Commonwealth Games Bid and public transit. Mayor Rob was great to work with. He knew that I saw Burlington as an ally and had an affinity for it; and I saw that he too valued a strong Hamilton as being good for both of communities. We both understood that we were part of a Bay area; and what was good for one community was good for both.
Now, I read this morning that Burlington has lobbied to be separated out of Hamilton’s census area. Mayor Jackson, an experienced, savvy and competitive politician (also with some Hamilton roots) seems to credit this ‘divorce’ from Hamilton as the reason Burlington is getting more positive attention in national surveys.
In today’s paper, I also note that Burlington may be chasing an NHL team, coming into direct competition with other cities in the GTA and Hamilton. Mayor Jackson confirms that he has had discussions with Jim Balsillie, whom we know has expressed an interest in this city.
McMaster is moving a campus to Burlington. This is causing some acrimony among the educational community at Mac, and some consternation among members of Council who have recently labelled the University as an ‘unwieldy leviathan’.
Burlington is also building a performing arts center, and there are persistent rumours in the community that, once built, Hamilton’s Philharmonic Orchestra or Opera Hamilton, or both may be enticed to move their operations to Burlington. I don’t believe this for a second. I think it is paranoia that is fuelling such talk. It is as idle as the talk a few years ago of the Bulldogs moving to Burlington, which I checked out with some of the current ownership. It was denied, but the state of our downtown was mentioned as problematic.
With all of these rumours, and a more openly competitive Mayor in Cam Jackson, what is our Council and Mayor supposed to do?
I won’t give anyone advice on what steps to take to deal with this dynamic, because the rumours and perceptions may not be accurate. However, I will tell everyone what they should NOT be doing. They should not see Burlington as a rival. Rather, they should see the city as an ally. What is good for the Bay area cities IS good for everyone. I would establish regular meetings with the Mayor and Councillors and staff on issues of mutual concern. I would find a way of dealing with irritants and provide a forum for attending to them before they become confrontations as the road issues in north Burlington had the potential of doing.
And then, I would continue on improving our city so that it can compete with any community near or far. One doesn’t win contests, even informal ones, by seeing others weakened. One only truly wins them by being stronger than the strongest competition. Hamilton is up to the task despite its many challenges.
BACK TO LARRY'S CORNER
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