With Former Mayor, Larry DiIanni

Enjoy our chat with former Mayor, Larry DiIanni. Larry- thank-you for engaging with Hamiltonians in The Hamiltonian.

1. Hamilton’s vision statement remains, “The Best place to raise a child and age successfully.” Reflecting on the progress of the last decade, do you believe Hamilton is living up to its vision? In your assessment, where do you think the city has made notable strides, and where does it still fall short of meeting this aspiration?

Vision Statements are aspirational. They are also often grandiose in their expectations. I am always skeptical when anyone or thing or entity claims to be ‘best’ at anything. So I looked at that statement as a goal to be achieved rather than a destination. It is always ongoing and any organization should seek improvement from year to year.

In terms of raising children I would look at schools, employment for parents, medical services, recreational facilities, safe communities. Overall, Hamilton does well in all those categories in spite of some challenges.

As far as aging successfully, one might also look at these yardsticks: medical care, retirement facilities, activities for seniors, fair taxes, dignified retirement resources. Again, in the main, we are blessed as a community in spite of some challenges for some seniors.

2.Given the imposition of tariffs on Canada, particularly in sectors like steel manufacturing, how do you think Hamilton’s industries and businesses, including its steel sector, might be impacted? From a leadership perspective, what strategies can Hamilton adopt to help local industries, businesses, and consumers navigate these challenges and mitigate the negative effects of such tariffs?

Tariffs are a curse imposed by a crazed leader from the supposed leading economy in the world: USA. They will take a toll on our city because of its large footprint in steelmaking and related industries. A Mayor’s authority is limited but I think Hamilton is doing the right thing. The Mayor is apparently meeting with affected groups; she is liaising with the Province and the Federal authorities and is linking up with other mayors in Canada and the USA. I would hope that as the situation becomes clearer, if it ever does, our city would react appropriately and humanely.

3. Homelessness remains a pressing issue in Hamilton, with increasing attention on encampments and the recent discussion around MiniCabins as a potential solution. What, in your opinion, should Hamilton’s long-term strategy be for addressing homelessness? Do you feel that the current leadership at City Hall has a clear, effective plan in place, or do you believe the approach is more reactive and tactical/experimental at this stage?

I think that despite best efforts the city’s actions have not been in the best interests of the city in this regard. The encampment protocol was too permissive from the start which didn’t help the encampment residents and it certainly caused consternation and safety issues for the residents of the city and the businesses near these locations. 

The reported stories of fires, drug use, crimes, violence, in these areas, let alone the refuse accumulated made for some frustrating times. I do understand that there were some do-gooders, misguided even if well-intentioned, that challenged the city legally at every turn. But it shouldn’t have taken a judge to finally decide that the city was acting with compassion and care in trying to deal with the situation. The city should have acted sooner in my estimation.

Having said all this, it should be noted that the social safety net is important for people whose luck runs out or whose personal situations need assistance. There but for the grace of God go any of us. However, helping the marginalized should not hold a whole community hostage. And parts of our city were being disadvantaged. I don’t begrudge the tax dollars spent on the mini residences, but the city cannot do it alone and Hamilton has tried. The city spent more money than the other orders of Government. That isn’t fair to our residents. And what made it worse, the problems didn’t improve. That has to be the definition of imperfect progress on this file.

4. Looking back on your time as Hamilton’s 54th Mayor from 2003 to 2006, how have the city’s priorities and challenges evolved? What were the focal issues during your time in office, and how do they compare to the issues Hamilton faces today, whether they are continuations or new concerns? In light of these changes, what qualities and leadership skills do you believe are essential for a Mayor to effectively guide the city today?

The issues today are different from those of 20 years ago. History marches on and although the themes are similar, the specifics are different. 20 years ago we were putting policies in place to encourage development, especially downtown. I would have rejoiced at seeing one crane in the downtown area, now we are replete with them. Stelco was going belly-up 20 years ago. Now, Stelco has been sold a few times and it is out of bankruptcy protection even if the workforce is a shadow of what it was. Taxes were an issue then and they are an issue now and will be an issue in the minds of residents for years to come. Public safety has become much more fragile. Gun violence has erupted in our city (and others) as the direct result of stopping the street checks by the police, I believe. Younger and younger children are resorting to violent exchanges with weapons. Transportation issues were prominent then and we constructed the Red Hill, and now they are looking at expanding the roads for an expanded community. Things evolve and can be predicted to evolve.

5.From your perspective, how would you assess Mayor Andrea Horwath’s performance thus far? Are there areas where she has been particularly successful, and others where you believe she could improve or adjust her approach?

Full disclosure: Andrea is a friend and I supported her run for the mayoralty. We worked together on Council and I know her strengths. To be fair, as well, she has had to deal with the fallout of the Pandemic and a major cyber attack that put the city on its heels for a long, long time. These two issues alone are enough to sidetrack any agenda. Add then the economic crisis which is at the root of the encampments, the fentanyl crisis which is obvious all around and now the tariff issue and it would not be an understatement to suggest that the mayor’s plate has been very full. Add to that a sometimes obstreperous Council and the symphony is complete. A mayor gets a little of the credit and all of the blame. That goes with the territory. And I have heard a litany of complaints from people who may not know any better. I do know for a fact that Andrea is working very hard at resolving issues. We will find out in the next year what the citizen verdict will be.

6. Hamilton’s city council has seen a shift in composition, with long-standing members like Councillors Jackson and Clark being joined by a significant number of first-time or two-term councillors following the 2022 election. What do you think prompted this shift, and how do you see this new council performing in comparison to previous councils that were dominated by longer-serving members?

Change is good. A number of Councillors did not run again last time beginning with the Mayor followed by Wards 4, 5, 11, 12, 15. That is a total of 6 and add the several who were defeated and you had a wholesale change.

I know most of the Councillors, even the new ones. They are all well-intentioned and bright. Some are more ideological than others and that is a problem. Municipal council work is very practical so if you are not on the same wavelength as the job requires, it can be a problem. The biggest issue I hear about and read about in the local paper is that the council is divided and much more than usual. This is not a positive thing.

7. When it comes to Light Rail Transit, do you believe LRT is a suitable option for Hamilton, independent of past efforts to introduce it? What do you see as the potential benefits and risks? How do you respond to former Mayor Bratina’s concerns regarding LRT, and do you believe that Mayor Horwath and City Council are doing enough to ensure the effective navigation of LRT being implemented in the city, particularly in the absence of former Mayor Eisenberger’s previous leadership in this regard?

The LRT is a multi billion dollar investment in Hamilton. How can that be a bad thing? Do we have the full ridership that it needs? The reports say maybe not. Will we have that ridership? Yes. We are projected to keep growing as a city. Did I say it was a multi billion dollar investment?

8. On your Sussex Strategy website, it states that your firm assists organizations in shaping public opinion, influencing government policy, and advocating for their interests. To what extent is lobbying a key component of your firm’s work, and could you share some recent successes or examples of how your firm has influenced policy or public opinion on behalf of your clients?

I wish the Sussex website was mine. Sussex is a very successful GR, Communications, and Advisory firm under the umbrella of Public Affairs. I have not, to date, done any work directly for Sussex.
I do have a private, small, one-person consulting business and do some work locally mostly. I solve problems for people who run into some difficulty or face issues where they may need advice. It’s a lot of fun.

9.What are your thoughts on the concept of “strong mayor powers”? Do you believe they are necessary for effective governance, and how do you view their implementation in Hamilton? Are there specific examples of how these powers have been used, or not used, in Hamilton that you think warrant attention or reflection?

I think strong mayor’s powers are a very interesting phenomenon. Like everything else there are positives and negatives to having authority. The positive is that you can get things done. The negative is that, if you are not judicious, what you do can have very negative consequences. 

 Not that it is the same but look at the USA now. There is no doubt that Trump has strong executive powers. But he is far from judicious with them and we are seeing the awful consequences world-wide. At a much smaller scale the same can happen municipally although the powers have been very much defined.  

I would have loved to have had them but would have used them sparely. I can recall a situation where we were trying to bring in a pork processing plant that I have negotiated and would have seen 2000 well-paying jobs created in Hamilton. Some over-zealous councillors egged on by some community members created such a fuss that he company passed on the opportunity. Strong powers would have helped? How about the Red Hill that took 54 years to build? Ditto for the strong powers. However consultation with councillors is essential even with the greater authority.

10. Is there any particular question you wish we had asked that we haven’t yet touched on? Feel free to use this opportunity to ask that question and respond to it. 

Passed