Transit consultant puts Director of Transit in an awkward position - Councillor Sharman said his numbers didn't add up

News 100 blueBy Pepper Parr

November 5th, 2019

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Burlington Transit has great cred.

Council members love the job that Director of Transit Sue Connor is doing.

The Mayor keeps urging Connor to do even more than she does – and there is nothing shy about the woman.

Bfast love the women.

Stolte + Connor +

Burlington Transit Director Sue Connor at a Bfast meeting.

She is the transit champion they have been waiting years to arrive.

Yesterday evening Sue and a consultant from Dillon were giving Council an overview of their five year business plan. They were expecting the city to approve it in principle so they could go away and begin the detail work that had yet to be done.

Monday evening was the day the transit balloon was burst.

Councillor Sharman had read the report carefully and he had major problems with some of the number.

Sharman on transit

Councillor Sharman didn’t like the math. “The numbers are all completely wrong.”

During committee meetings council members get to ask two questions and then have to wait until all the other members of Council had a chance to ask their questions. Paul Sharman went through three rounds of questions – and he was scathing.

There are he said “a number of things where the numbers don’t make sense”

“The numbers are all completely wrong.”

Table 5

Table 5

“Table 5 is completely wrong” – it didn’t get any better.

A number of other Councillors had concerns but none was as probing or direct as Sharman.

Reports to Committee usually get approved – not this one. Sharman would not move the report – he said he wanted it to be referred to Council.

connor and Dennis 2

Director Connor – does not appear to be very happy with her consultant.

Sue Connor was not happy with her consultant. During much of the discussion he was hovering over a device re-working his numbers.
The vote to refer the report to Council where new, hopefully supportable data will be put forward was not unanimous.

Councillors Nisan and Stolte were prepared to go with the report. Galbraith, Sharman, the Mayor Kearns and Bentivegna wanted it to be referred to council

Connors got many complimentary remarks about her work; Councillor Sharman said his comments were not personal – but the numbers didn’t add up and they were going to have to add up if the Business Plan was to be adopted.

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3 comments to Transit consultant puts Director of Transit in an awkward position – Councillor Sharman said his numbers didn’t add up

  • Penny Hersh

    I watched the meeting last evening and having met Sue Connor I can only imagine how upset she would have been with the consultant’s report.

    Sue Connor if given the necessary funding could make major changes to Burlington’s Transit System.

    One of the suggestions that Sue Connor mentioned was that some municipalities are adding a transit surcharge to their budgets to make certain that the transit needs in their communities are being met.

    Perhaps residents need to be asked to do the same thing?

  • Jim Barnett

    The exhibit shown clearly gives reason for Paul (the abacus ) Sharman to be concerned. For example, to show revenue more than doubling in 5 years suggests the creator of the document also knows where the Burlington Cannabis stores are located. Stolte is an ardent promoter of transit, which is good, but she should use reality rather than dreams to promote her position.

  • David

    I read a comment from a recent Gazette story where the first sentence was; (Councilor Sharman is living in past decades.) I on the other hand am really starting to like this councillor.
    One plus One really does equal Two, you can sprinkle it with fairy dust all you like, but at the end of the day when you put your hand in your pocket to get the Two dollars you know you had this morning, you will either find Four dollars or you will find your pockets empty.