City council asked Mayor Rob Ford to think twice about cutting several citizen committees Thursday. Councillors were set to kill around 20 of the volunteer committees — including the pedestrian and cycling advisory committees — but instead voted to send them to the mayor "for consideration." Ford and city manager Joe Pennachetti will have to report back to council about the committees in July. Councillors did vote to save the city's aboriginal affairs committee outright although Ford and several members of his executive voted against the move. Councillor Adam Vaughan said the fact the mayor dodged having an outright vote to kill all the committees Thursday shows he's losing his grip on council. "Not only did he not kill all of them, we've asked them all to come back and have the mayor do his homework and have a sober second thought on this if it is possible," Vaughan said. Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti denied the mayor lost anything Thursday, saying all the committees are worth a second look. "It's called managing the city," Mammoliti said. But Mammoliti said the city doesn't need most of the committees. "I think for the most part we are on a path, the right path, in revisiting how we do business at city hall and how much money it is costing us and then we'll reflect on whether the committees should come back and in what form," he said. "His intent is to come back with recommendations. We just want to step back, manage the city the way we think it should be managed, not how previous mayors want to manage the city today."
Dylan Reid, co-chairman of the Toronto Pedestrian Committee, welcomed a reprieve from council. "I'm hoping that this will give us a chance to actually get closer, deeper thought about what committees are useful," he said. "The committees that are being really active, such as the Task Force to Bring Back the Don and the pedestrian committee, will actually get reestablished." During the debate, which stretched over two days, Councillor Anthony Perruzza argued against "deep sixing" the citizen committees. "This isn't where you reduce government," he said. "You don't reduce government where citizens want to participate in the democratic process."
Dylan Reid, co-chairman of the Toronto Pedestrian Committee, welcomed a reprieve from council. "I'm hoping that this will give us a chance to actually get closer, deeper thought about what committees are useful," he said. "The committees that are being really active, such as the Task Force to Bring Back the Don and the pedestrian committee, will actually get reestablished." During the debate, which stretched over two days, Councillor Anthony Perruzza argued against "deep sixing" the citizen committees. "This isn't where you reduce government," he said. "You don't reduce government where citizens want to participate in the democratic process."
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