Simon Lono for Councillor at Large

Message from Simon

2010-07-15T13:46:00.000-02:30

Friends:

Welcome to this site and thank you for your interest in my campaign. I appreciate this chance to convince you that I can make a solid contribution on the St. John's City Council.

I was born in St. John's, and it's my chosen home. It is the city I know and the city I grew up with, a good place to do business and a great place to live.

That's why I am seeking a seat as Councillor at Large: I want St. John's to embrace growth and still maintain the character and core values that have defined it for so long. I want to help City Council return to the job that it is meant to do, the job that is most important: providing the services that residents and businesses need, want, deserve - and pay for!

Residents and businesses alike need reliable water and sewage; modern waste diversion and disposal; well-maintained and well-ploughed streets; sidewalks that seniors and children can safely walk on; accessible parking; reasonable taxes; timely information on City plans and activities.

We all know what we need. We just need to work together to make sure that happens!

Rogers television statement

2009-09-15T08:03:00.003-02:30

Over the last six weeks, I`ve talked to residents from Airport Heights to Goulds and I`ve been surprised at how the same issues come up over and over again.

People are concerned about how the city spends their money, people are concerned about the quality of the city services they receive and people are concerned about the level of the taxes they pay and especially in light of the recent tax assessments.

To address the assessment issue, I`ve committed to a simple 3 point plan:
1) Lower the mil rate to 9.3 mils, a level that is revenue neutral for the city and hides no tax increase.
2) Phase in over three years the steep changes of up to 80% or more which some people are facing.
3) 15% discount on taxes paid by qualifying seniors

Since day one of this campaign I`ve advocated for a Municipal Auditor General to help oversee city operations. A Municipal Auditor General (MAG) would perform the same role for the city as Auditor General play for the provincial and the federal government – an office armslength from the elected members of Council with the power to conduct independent investigations into city operations and finances.

We are talking about a public sector, value for money audit.

With an annual budget set to break 200million/year, city hall is the largest public institution in the province not subject to an auditor general. It’s time for one now. In fact, we are overdue.

Downtown and related developments is an ongoing issue for every council. It`s probably the noisiest and thorniest issue every council faces. I know that both sides of this debate, preservation of heritage districts and the need for modern development, can be accommodated within St. John`s City limits.

We can balance both sets of interests without sacrificing who we are for where we want to go.

And they have to be in order to continue the prosperity we enjoy.

The question for you is, who do you trust to maintain that balance.

There are roughly 40,000 households in this city and I wish I was able to hit them all but it`s just not humanly possible. So I`ve tried to create the next best thing – virtual door2door. You can go to my website at lonoatlarge.ca and view a collection of very short videos that are my answers to the questions I`ve heard most often: crime, development, Bally Haly, water meters, tax assessments and others. If your question is not answered to your satisfaction, let me know and I`ll answer personally.

City Council needs a change and I want to be your agent for that change. I`m a listener with ideas who cannot be silenced.

I respectfully ask for your vote between now and Sept 29th

And visit Lonoatlarge for the answers to your questions.

Virtual Door2door videos

2009-09-12T23:14:00.007-02:30

Here are my responses to the most common issues and questions I get at the door. There are roughly 36,000 households in the city so I won't be able to visit you all. This is my attempt to provide information to those of you I won't be able to visit!

*New*
Taxes and Services

Comment

*New*
Water Meters and Water Supply

Comment

*New*
Curbside Recycling

Comment

Development and Heritage

Comment

Property Assessments

Comment

Municipal Auditor General

Comment

Bally Hally Development

Comment

A Safer City

Comment

City needs a Municipal Auditor General

2007-08-19T15:05:00.001-02:30

Councillor at Large candidate Simon Lono says
St. John's needs a Municipal Auditor General

St John’s Councillor at Large candidate Simon Lono says he would work to have a Municipal Auditor General (MAG) appointed for the City of St. Johns.

A municipal auditor general would perform independent reviews of city spending and operations and make recommendations on how to improve the way the city spends taxpayer's money. The office would also help make sure taxpayers know how city council is spending their money.

Lono said, “Our city, the city of St. Johns, is the largest public institution in the province still not subject to scrutiny by an autonomous auditor general. We need a MAG that is outside council control with the power of independent investigation and the mandate to share its findings with the citizens and tax-payers of St. Johns. It would go a long way to improve transparency and accountability at City Hall.”

There is a federal auditor general and a provincial auditor general, but there is no equivalent for the municipal level of government in this province. Nova Scotia as recently instituted a province-wide system of municipal auditor generals. In Alberta, a bill is before the provincial legislature to create provincially funded offices. Responsible cities across Canada have taken the initiative to create their own office of MAGs , including Toronto.

“The capital city of a vibrant province with a growing economy needs a Municipal Auditor General, “ says Lono. “This is no time for council to be defensive and cling to old ways of operating. In the next 4 years, the St. Johns municipal budget will exceed $200 million a year. If we are a great city, let’s act like one and be open to an independent public sector audit. Let’s make sure that taxpayers get value for money and residents get the best possible service, the service they deserve.“

- 30 -

St. John's need better results

2007-08-11T09:13:00.000-02:30

In the last few weeks, a city controversy has erupted over where St. John's ranks compared to other cities in Canada.

There are two recent reports which rank municipalities across Canada. The two reports come from very different places using very different approaches.

This is the third annual report on sustainable cities from Corporate Knights magazine. This publication is focused on ethical and sustainable business practices and governance. It is the world’s largest circulation magazine with an explicit focus on corporate responsibility and a mission to humanize the marketplace.

So you could say that the report comes from a leftish perspective*.

This report compared 17 different municipalities in three size categories. Indicators include ecological integrity; economic security; governance and empowerment; infrastructure and built environment; and social well-being. St. John's was lumped in with 6 other cities of under 250,000 population.

Overall compared to all 17 cities and within it's size group, St. John's placed dead last.

The other report is more sophisticated and comes from an AIMS study published in Macleans magazine. AIMS is an Atlantic Canada based policy think tank considered to be more right-wing.*

Macleans/AIMS looked at Canada's best (and worst) run cities looking at which cities provide the best services per taxpayer’s buck in Canada’s first ever study of municipal effectiveness. Again, they broke down cities by size category and looked at a very long list of indicators.

That report placed St. John's 2/3 the way down the national list to just 21 0f 29.

The official response from Council has been to shoot the messenger. Instead of recognising the shortcomings of city policies, management and operations, they criticise Macleans, AIMS and the methodology of the studies. They claim we are unique and special and beyond comparison.

They are wrong.

These reports are important because they tell us how we are doing compared to other parts of the country. Coming from the right and the left, these reports provide light on what St. John's does well. And it tells us where St. John's has room to improve.

They show us that it is possible for us to do better.

That's important because the people of St. John's deserve better.

---------------------

* Not a criticism, just an observation.

Donate!

2007-08-03T22:25:00.005-02:30

Leave a message on our online form (click here) and we will be in touch to make arrangements for pickup.

Call us at 689.0809 and we will make arrangements for pickup.

Mail a cheque to:

Lono at Large Campaign
27 Barnes road
St. John's, NL
A1C 3X1

Important notes:

Donations may only be made by natural persons individually, or by corporations or trade unions individually.
Natural persons individually may in a calendar year make a maximum contribution of $1,000.00 to a candidate.
Corporations and trade unions may in a calendar year make a maximum contribution of $2,000.00 to a candidate.
Further information may be found here (provincial law) and here (city by-law).

Questions? Call us at 689.0809!

Poster

2007-08-03T22:21:00.002-02:30

Colour poster.

Black and white poster

Download these posters suitable for hanging in your window! These can be printed on any colour or black/white printer on letter sized (8.5x11) paper. Just pick the one you want, print and hang!

Thank you very much.

Issues

2007-08-03T21:52:00.002-02:30

Accountability and Transparency

Create an independent Municipal Auditor General to provide regular reviews of city finance and operations
No new taxes or fees prior to a complete financial review to ensure reasonable taxes for residents and businesses

Basic Priorities, Better Services

Reliable water and sewage for all areas of the city
Curbside recycling and waste diversion programs
Well-maintained and well-ploughed streets and sidewalks where seniors and children can safely walk

Community Focus

Respect for a flexible municipal development plan incorporating neighbourhood-scale developments to balance commercial development and residential quality of life
Better communication with residents on city issues and activities

How To Vote

2007-08-03T21:35:00.000-02:30

1. First, make sure you're on the Voters List.

Click here to check if you're listed. Once you're on the list, you simply have to keep an eye tuned to your mailbox

2. Complete the Vote by Mail Kit

By September 14th, you should have received in the mail your Vote by Mail Kit, which contains:

an instruction sheet
ballot
declaration of confidentiality
white secrecy envelope
yellow return envelopes

What you need to do is:

Read the instructions.
Fill in the ballot and insert it in the white secrecy envelope.
Sign the declaration of confidentiality
Insert the declaration and the white secrecy envelope inside the yellow business reply envelope.
Return the yellow postage paid business reply envelope. You can:

Place it in the mail before Friday, September 25th, 2009
Drop it in the mail box outside the main entrance at City Hall up to and including Election Day.
Drop it off to one of the five satellite drop-off centers on Election Day

Click here for a quick video on how to vote, from the City of St. John's

Important Dates:

September 14th - You should have your Vote by Mail Kit
September 25th - Deadline for mailing ballots

Contact me

2007-08-03T15:36:00.000-02:30