Fighting City Hall: My Autistic Perspective on the Stresses of Living Under a Moronic Mayor
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.
"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." - Lord Acton
I try to avoid discussing politics on here, but I must make an exception this time, for my mental well-being. Some big sources of autism-related anxiety for me are my fears of unexpected change and the unknown, as well as feeling powerless to do anything about such situations. Well, City Hall has been fuelling my feelings of dread, as of late. The reason? The incumbent Mayor of the small city my family and I currently reside in, has decided to relocate the inhabitants of a homeless encampment from a downtown park, into a vacant school in our suburban neighbourhood.
The future site of this "transitional housing" project borders elementary schools and a high school, daycare centres, a senior's residence and a long-term care home, playgrounds, parks, and a vibrant residential neighbourhood. There was zero transparency from the Mayor and Council throughout this entire process as they never notified, or consulted the community until after the purchase of the land and the architects were hired. On top of that, the Mayor and Council never sought the community's input.
While we don't object to providing supportive housing for those struggling with homelessness, addiction, and mental health, we do object to placing such housing smack-dab in the middle of a residential neighbourhood, far from the city's supportive services.
Why would any Mayor, City Councillor, or staff in the right mind consider such a location "suitable" for those with serious issues who require assistance, therapy, and 24/7 care that isn't available to them here? This is especially perplexing, as there appears to be plenty of vacant properties for sale in the non-residential part of town, near all the services these individuals require. Also, the individuals from the encampment are currently housed at an appropriate facility in that area. Why would you move these persons so far from the services they need?
Obviously, this behaviour from the Mayor has raised eyebrows in our neighbourhood. Many of us have reached out to express our concerns, but our objections have fallen on deaf ears. The Mayor's response is resorting to name-calling, referring to us all as "NIMBYs" for rejecting his beloved project, and reaffirming his belief that our neighbourhood is the "right location" to build his shelter/half-way house/transitional housing in the suburbs, regardless of how it may affect the children, teenagers, and seniors in our area.
What kind of Mayor resorts to name-calling when receiving pushback from the taxpaying constituents who elected him? Doesn't he work for us? Shouldn't we have a say on which projects he and the City approve and where they can build them? Who does the Mayor answer to, if not the taxpayers?
My father is the kindest soul you could ever hope to meet. He grew up in roach-infested tenements in the slums of Montreal and Toronto, so he's no stranger to poverty. After working his butt off since childhood to improve his life, he saved his pennies, attended university, and dedicated his entire professional career to helping those the Mayor claims to care about (at least when the news cameras are rolling).
Dad has extensive experience in the field of not-for-profit and co-op housing. He's worked around those with severe addiction and mental health issues for years. He's been in the grossest apartments (human feces and urine, roaches, mice, mummified cats, etc.). Found those who had sadly succumbed to their demons and hadn't been found for days, until the smell of decay seeped into the hallways.
He's been shouted at, threatened, insulted, and even had a chair thrown at him. All through this, Dad never once changed his opinion of those he served, nor ever considered changing his line of work. That's how committed he is, and how much he truly believes in helping those who need help the most. I say all this because even Dad, who's helped house the homeless for decades, admits this is the wrong location for such a project.
So, when Dad emailed the Mayor to raise his concerns, the City officer resorted to his usual routine of going on the defensive, accusing Dad of "NIMBYism", and giving him a condescending lecture on the importance of "helping those in need". What a joke. The Mayor was born the same year as me, yet he feels he's qualified to talk down to a respected, well-versed profesional in the field of housing the homeless? What a pompous, and arrogant response from this know-it-all Mayor.
Mr. Mayor then went on to boast about how the downtown condo he resided in while living in Toronto was next to a shelter, yet he never encountered any crime or other issues, and that his property value went up because of this neighbouring shelter. He then said that the City doesn't require input from residents to approve or construct projects and made some lame comparison to putting in sidewalks. Unbelievable. People actually voted for this immature buffoon? I don't get it. Dad rarely gets angry or dislikes others, but he's made an exception for the Mayor.
Our family lived in Toronto for more than forty years. I have no clue in which utopian paradise of Downtown Toronto, next to a shelter, the Mayor resided in, but his version of Toronto is so far removed from reality. Besides, this town cannot compare to Toronto, where even a dump is worth millions. My mother, like my father, also spent her entire professional career helping the disadvantaged. Mom was mugged at knifepoint by a drug addict in Downtown Toronto. My grandmother was also assaulted with a broken bottle and robbed by a drug addict while working in a convenience store, also in Downtown Toronto. Likewise, as a child, I would see lots of discarded drug needles in the parks and playgrounds of Downtown Toronto. What delusional world is this Mayor living in, if he truly believes no crime occurs in Toronto and that the property values skyrocket there on account of the existing shelters?
The whole community feels the exact same way as my family and I do, regarding "his Worship", as the exalted City officer likes to be referred to by his sycophants in Council, and we've formed local committees to fight the Mayor's shelter. We've pooled money to make T-shirts and print flyers to distribute across the neighbourhood. Well, the Mayor saw this, and wrote a ridiculous rebuttal against members of the community in one of the local magazines, denied ever name-calling us "NIMBYs", wasn't fully honest about his project, such as it being apartments, when there will also be micro units (rooming house?) with a shared kitchen and bathrooms. It appears the Mayor ordered his housing staff to include in the City's website that the project will be housing for families. But, according to the information posted there, it will only be at the most 3 families, if that. He then used our tax dollars to print his own, glossy propaganda pamphlets to push his BS project, and had them delivered to all the mailboxes in the neighbourhood. Again, what kind of Mayor resorts to writing silly, childish rebuttals and wasting tax dollars to print revenge pamphlets?
This Mayor takes great pleasure in looking down at us "NIMBYs" from his perch atop his high horse, with his holier-than-thou attitude and air of superiority permeating from his body like cheap dollar store cologne. If he's such a great crusader for the disadvantaged, why doesn't he build his beloved shelter in his own neighbourhood? Make no mistake; this Mayor is out to make a name for himself, in hopes of seeking promotion to a higher plane of government. He's done nothing to address all the bad drivers in town, fix all the potholes on our roads and bicycle trails, or scrub off the recent graffiti from the sides of buildings. This man has such an inflated opinion of himself and is so full of hot air, that he could single-handedly resurrect this town's long-departed hot air balloon festival, simply by tethering ropes from his body to a wicker basket. Why doesn't he do just that if he wants to make a name for himself? It would work, too, as people here really miss that hot air balloon festival (🎶 "Would you like to ride in my beautiful balloon? Up, up, and away in my beautiful, my beautiful balloon!" 🎵).
We left Toronto to get away from the skyrocketing crime rate. We chose this rural town in the middle of the countryside for a more relaxed and laidback lifestyle. When we moved here, you could leave your house, car, or bicycle unlocked overnight without worry. Now, it seems the Mayor wants to change this town for the worse. This is all happening under the "leadership" of Mr. Mayor. Why doesn't he do his job and fix the issues in town? Why doesn't he build not-for-profit housing, housing co-ops, or other type of affordable housing? Why doesn't he invest in housing for people with disabilities, artists, or seniors? Why doesn't he direct his staff to provide accommodations in City-run recreational programs for people with disabilities? Why doesn't he focus on building the infrastructure needed for the waterpark that's coming and will bring in tourism dollars to this sleepy town? The answer is blowing in the wind.
Does Mr. "My Way or the Highway" Mayor have nothing better to do with his time than harass the concerned residents of a neighbourhood who object to a BS project conceived in secrecy and wants to shove it down our throats no matter how hard we oppose it? He's bad for my autism and my health, as he pushes all my buttons, boils my blood, and triggers so much stress and anxiety. I am angry and frustrated with municipal politics and the Mayor. Sorry, I just had to vent and get this off my chest. I'll do my best to avoid discussing politics as much as possible. Until next time, love, peace, and chicken grease.