Donations nothing new for Hamilton City Council

There has been quite the stir recently over a donation made by Mayor Bob Bratina to non-profit organization, the United Way. Charitable donations such as these are nothing new for the City, and in fact are quite common among Councillors who donate to a wide array of organizations, including minor sports, unions, clubs and even Canadian Idol winner Brian Melo. Below is an article from SPEC reporter Andrew Dreschel from 3 years ago on donations from Hamilton City Council. 

Article by Andrew Dreschel: August 13th, 2007

Pork barrel politics by any other name

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Brian McHattie

THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR

(Aug 13, 2007)

I didn't realize that when we elected our city councillors, we were turning them into petty princelings who get to scatter coins to the clamouring masses as the fancy strikes them.

I'd have no issue with that if the largesse came only from their own coffers.

But the policy in place actually allows them to dip into the public purse to dole out dollars to community events and organizations of their choice.

There are few rules and no guidelines as to where the tax dollars fall.

The sponsorship money is drawn from their office budgets and goes where they will, up to $350 per handout.

Best of all, if they choose, they can attach their names to the donations, as if they came from their pockets and not the treasury department.

As Spectator city hall reporter Nicole MacIntyre revealed, Hamilton councillors have disbursed some $31,000 on community sponsorships so far this year, the first of a four-year term.

Though the sum is minuscule in the context of the city's overall budget, the policy clearly gives elected officials the opportunity to curry favour and promote themselves with Hamilton voters.

It's nothing more than small-scale patronage and old-fashioned pork barrelling wearing a friendly community-investment mask.

I'd hate to think that any Hamilton councillors would sink to that self-serving level, of course.

But as Francois de La Rochefoucauld, the king of epigrams, observed, vices often enter into the composition of virtues.

Sure, it may seem innocent enough for a councillor to give $300 here or $200 there to a minor sports team or service club.

But peewee players have parents who vote and goodwill is a priceless commodity in politics.

Fortunately, some councillors are sophisticated enough to see the potential pitfalls in playing the part of selective Santa Claus.

To his credit, Brad Clark won't participate in the taxpayer-funded gifting game. He argues that without guidelines, it's unfair for councillors to decide who benefits and who doesn't. Community sponsorships should come from the private sector, not the public till.

For his part, Brian McHattie prefers to funnel the money into hiring an extra part-time staffer.

Get it? Rather than playing benefactor to a chosen few, he treats all constituents the same.

And Bob Bratina, bless him, says he doesn't feel comfortable using his office budget for self-promotion. (Of course, it might be argued Bratina already has a radio show for that purpose.)

So far, Chad Collins is the biggest sugar daddy of them all.

Collins sprinkled $7,364 among sports clubs, associations, and schools.

Sam Merulla is close behind with $6,550 in donations.

But he probably takes the cake for the most blatant case of self- promotion. Merulla attached his name to the bottom of 3,000 posters he photocopied for Canadian idol contestant Brian Melo.

"Printed by the office of Councillor Sam Merulla," the posters read.

"Paid for by the taxpayers of Hamilton" would be a less puffed up and publicity-sucking tag line.

There are a couple of other curveballs.

Among $1,915 in donations, Scott Duvall, president of Local 5328 of the United Steelworkers of America, gave $100 to the Hamilton Steelworkers Area Council.

And speaking of cozy contributions, Margaret McCarthy found $200 in her office budget for Friends of Rural Communities and the Environment, an anti-quarry group she supports politically.

No doubt cutting cheques for worthy causes and pet crusades is a real buzz for councillors.

But in an age where integrity commissioners and accountability are all the rage, it smells a little too much of palm oil and perks.