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Toronto mayor-elect Rob Ford.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail

Rob Ford is planning to pack his first real council meeting - a session usually reserved for housecleaning - with meaty proposals including axing the vehicle-registration tax, slashing councillors' office and staff budgets and possibly asking council to support "flat-lining" next year's budget.

The mayor-elect's aggressive to-do list, coupled with his decision to dole out top posts almost exclusively to right-leaning, suburban councillors, offer some early glimpses into how he'll govern.

So far, reaching across Toronto's ideological and geographic divide doesn't appear to be high on his priority list, according to some David Miller allies who say they've already been frozen out.

"I hope this is not a sign that he wants to ram his will through council in a blitzkrieg manner," said Councillor Joe Mihevc, a progressive veteran who endorsed George Smitherman for mayor. "This is not a positive early indication."

But Mr. Ford's allies argue that his commanding election win gives him the "moral authority" to push the envelope at the Dec. 16 meeting, the first at which substantive business can be considered. (The new council's debut gathering on Dec. 7 and Dec. 8 is reserved for pomp and the formal filling of committee jobs.)

"Some might want to criticize him for bringing [these items]forward to the first meeting, but [I]would characterize that as keeping his promise and showing leadership," said Denzil Minnan-Wong, a North York councillor who sources say has been tapped to chair the public works and infrastructure committee.

Scarborough's Paul Ainslie, Davenport's Cesar Palacio and Scarborough's Norm Kelly were among the new names confirmed Tuesday as the chairs of government management, licensing and standards and parks and environment, respectively.

Mr. Ford has now picked his deputy mayor, all seven of his standing committee chairs and expressed his preference for budget chief, Speaker and chair of the Toronto Transit Commission, the sources said.

The mayor-elect was expected to formally unveil his picks this week, but that hasn't happened yet. Some of the positions still have to be confirmed by council, committees or the TTC's board.

However, Mr. Ford appointed Jeff Melanson, executive director of the National Ballet School, as his special adviser on arts and culture after a meeting with Toronto arts organizations Tuesday.

Several councillors told The Globe and Mail that Mr. Ford or a member of his team, usually chief-of-staff Nick Kouvalis, have asked them where they stand on the mayor-elect's priorities during the same meetings they were asked about their preferences for committee jobs.

Mr. Ford doesn't intend to tackle some of those priorities until later this year or later in his first term - including cutting council in half, making the TTC an essential service, putting a majority of private-sector experts on the TTC's board and contracting out garbage - but there are other changes he wants to achieve immediately.

Adrienne Batra, Mr. Ford's press secretary, confirmed Mr. Ford intends to try to reduce the councillors' annual office budgets from about $50,445 to $30,000 and to kill the $60 car fee at the Dec. 16 meeting - moves he promised early in his term.

But she wouldn't say when Mr. Ford intends to make good on his campaign pledge to reduce councillors' staff budgets from $207,583.74 to $175,000, or when he'll seek a council pledge to hold the line on spending next year.

There is some precedent for Mr. Ford's ambitious approach out of the gate. Mr. Miller used his first meeting Dec. 3, 2003, to secure a 26-18 vote in favour of reversing council's support for a bridge to the island airport.

At the time, Mr. Miller's opponents complained that forcing the bridge vote so early denied new councillors time to study the issue and prevented public consultations.

"Open council has always meant that we are required to hold public deputations," Councillor Case Ootes said during the 2003 bridge debate. "Mr. Mayor, I'm not sure what you fear … It's inexcusable that there haven't been public consultations."

Now, Mr. Ootes is the head of Mr. Ford's transition team advocating the same early push on a longer list of items.

"If there are proposals that come to the first council meeting without any public input, without any budget committee or standing committee consideration, it would be irresponsible to vote on these items," said Councillor Janet Davis, a staunch progressive who backed Joe Pantalone for mayor.

"I would be quite distressed and dismayed if the mayor-elect was bringing major policy decisions to this housekeeping meeting before new councillors have even been able to find their seats," said Councillor Pam McConnell, who endorsed Mr. Smitherman for mayor.

Josh Matlow, one of 14 new councillors, said he told Mr. Kouvalis that he couldn't pledge to support any of the mayor's priorities so soon after taking office.

"It's not a matter of whether I'm ready or not. I think any thoughtful person, incumbent or new [councillor]would like to have an opportunity to discuss these items at a committee table, weigh the evidence, consider the merits of the argument and actually listen to the proponents and opponents of each item."



FORD'S TEAM

  • Doug Holyday, deputy mayor: A respected former mayor of Etobicoke and veteran penny-pincher, Mr. Holyday is one of the few councillors who consistently voted with Mr. Ford. He endorsed the mayor-elect a week before election day.
  • Frances Nunziata, speaker: A former mayor of York and early backer of Mr. Ford's mayoral bid, Ms. Nunziata will preside over monthly council meetings assuming council ratifies Mr. Ford's selection next month.
  • Mike Del Grande, budget chief: Mr. Del Grande, a chartered accountant from Scarborough, also endorsed Mr. Ford for mayor. He faces the difficult task of finding hundreds of millions of dollars in "efficiencies" in Toronto's budget without cutting any services.
  • Karen Stintz, TTC chair: Ms. Stintz is one of only two picks from the old city of Toronto - and her ward strays into North York. A conservative and member of the unofficial opposition frozen out during the Miller years, she declined to endorse a mayoral candidate.
  • Peter Milczyn, chair of planning and growth: The Etobicoke councillor, who endorsed Mr. Ford late in the race, was a member of the unofficial opposition under Mr. Miller. He's an architect who will help select Toronto's next chief planner, one of the most important jobs in the city.
  • Denzil Minnan-Wong, chair of public works and infrastructure: The North York veteran and long-time Miller opponent will be the point-man on contracting out garbage in his new role. After deciding against running for mayor, Mr. Minnan-Wong declined to endorse a replacement for his old foe.
  • Michael Thompson, chair of economic development: Beloved in his Scarborough ward, Mr. Thompson is a centrist who is expected to have more of a chance to shine in the Ford administration than he did under Mr. Miller. He is occasionally touted as a future mayoral candidate.
  • Norm Kelly, chair of parks and environment: This Scarborough veteran is one of only two of Mr. Ford's picks who sat on Mr. Miller's executive committee. A former Liberal MP, he is also the outgoing chair of council's planning and growth committee.
  • Paul Ainslie, chair of government management: The right-leaning councillor from Scarborough served as vice-chair of the budget committee under Mr. Miller.
  • Cesar Palacio, chair of licensing and standards: The other Toronto councillor on the list (a small part of Ward 17 is in the former city of York), Mr. Palacio considers himself a centrist, but he was also a member of the Responsible Government Group, a coalition of 11 councillors who played unofficial opposition to Mr. Miller.
  • Giorgio Mammoliti, chair of community development and recreation: A North York councillor and erstwhile mayoral candidate, Mr. Mammoliti was an old enemy of Mr. Ford's. All was forgiven when Mr. Mammoliti endorsed his former nemesis in September. Mr. Mammoliti also sat on Mr. Miller's executive.

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