[thistleclub]

Bratina could ride LRT issue to re-election
(Hamilton Spectator, Andrew Dreschel, Feb 21 2014)

By now it should be obvious that the best chance for Bob Bratina to be re-elected mayor in October is to make LRT a wedge issue.

By coming out firmly against the $811-million light rail system as either unnecessary or premature, Bratina would corner key opponents such as Brian McHattie and Fred Eisenberger, both LRT advocates, and pull into his camp the rooted opposition and blooming doubters who are uneasy with the proposed project.

The move would hardly be a stretch for Bratina, who has repeatedly undermined LRT directly or through innuendo, even going so far as to incorrectly suggest Hamilton has a choice between light rail and extending all-day GO service.

By turning the issue into a virtual referendum, Bratina could finally come out of the bushes and speak plainly instead of sniping from cover and dragging his tootsies.

Make no mistake, LRT is an issue just waiting to be exploited on the campaign trail. Support for it is waning not just among city councillors but in the hearts and minds of the electorate.

At my last check, this week's online Spectator survey showed 49 per cent of more than 2,100 respondents are against LRT completely, 29 per cent support it if the province pays the full freight, and 22 per cent support it regardless....

Though city council officially still backs a light rail line from McMaster to Eastgate, its support is predicated on the unlikely scenario of full provincial funding exclusive of any impact on the tax base or special taxes, fees or levies.

Council's not-on-our-weary-backs stance is based on two convictions.

It argues the city's pinched finances and reduced ability to pay sets it apart from other GTHA municipalities. And it expects the province to live up to the 100 per cent funding commitment it made in 2008, a commitment which saw Queen's Park pick up the tab for some $16 billion in first wave Big Move projects, mostly in Toronto.

According to the Liberal government, that free carnival ride closed during the economic downturn, leaving the province bobbing for new dollars to pay for the next wave of projects worth $34 billion, including Hamilton's LRT. Metrolinx estimates it will cost the average householder about $477 annually to pay for those projects over the next 20 years.

By bundling the high cost of LRT with a call for improved HSR routes on the Mountain and in the suburbs, and the much cheaper Bus Rapid Transit system, Bratina could seize the initiative and draw thousands of uncommitted voters away from his opponents.


Read it in full here.