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Niagara Alarm Ordinace Causing Political Row

When Niagara, Ontario, city councillors voted March 29, 2010, to review their policy of charging property owners when the fire department responds to false alarms, it was easy to imagine why politicians might like to leave it on the backburner for a long time. 

When faced with a request to waive $90,900 in charges the fire department levied against 67 properties last year, city politicians did what they do so well. Nothing. 

Instead, council voted Monday to have fire Chief Lee Smith's staff meet with owners of commercial properties facing the charges that range between $300 and $20,000 and, as Coun. Vince Kerrio suggested: "Maybe soften it up a bit." 

A cynic might wonder how long that process will take and might see the political advantages of having that review not see the light of day for months -- say until after October's election. 

Some councillors, including Wayne Thomson and Janice Wing, occasionally complain about the way reports disappear after councillors have voted to have their staff prepare them. In this case, that might be convenient because it would relieve politicians of having to choose between backing their own fire department or backing hotel owners. 

It's a good lesson in how city council works, especially because councillors often hand off thorny issues, despite repeatedly thumping their chests about being the ones who run the city, the ones who make the decisions, the ones who are accountable. 

When faced with a tricky, but clear-cut decision to back the fire department and uphold the bills or give some relief to hoteliers pleading poverty, they conveniently found a way to do neither. 

It's too bad no one suggested hotel owners pay their false-alarm bills out of the 3% "destination marketing fee" a lot of hotels charge now, but no one really understands where the revenue goes. 

Smith said the fire department "resurrected" its false-alarm billings last year to promote public and firefighter safety, but also because all department heads were instructed -- by council -- to look under every rock for potential revenue sources. 

So, Smith found one. Although it doesn't generate big bucks, it's something, at a time the city is pinching pennies. Plus, it addresses a genuine safety issue. When firefighters get tied up with false alarms because a hotel's alarm system malfunctions, it could delay their response to a real emergency elsewhere. 

If councillors side with the fire chief, they'll be seen imposing a hardship on the hotel sector (and other businesses) during tough times.

It's no secret many city councillors are friendly with hotel owners. Wayne Thomson works at the Embassy Suites, Carolynn Ioannoni has done consulting for Niagara 21st Group and Janice Wing has occasionally declares conflicts of interest on hotel matters because her spouse has done consulting work for hotel companies. Vince Kerrio is a hotel owner, and his company is one of the ones facing a false-alarm bill (albeit a small one). 

Vic Pietrangelo is personally chummy with some hoteliers and Jim Diodati works closely with the hotel sector on the Sleep Cheap, Charities Reap event that boosted his profile and sure won't hurt his bid to be mayor. 

It's also no secret that at election time hotel companies regularly show up on the list of donors to candidates' re-election bids. 

All that aside, politicians genuinely understand the pitfalls of adding to a hotel's cost of doing business. 

On the other hand, if they side with the hotel owners and waive the false alarm charges, they'll be seen to be undermining public safety and going against their own fire chief. 

It's also no secret firefighters have some political clout, by word of mouth and through their active professional association whose support candidates court during campaigns. Politicians would rather have firefighters on side with them than have them critical of them. 

So, defer. Defer. Defer. Keep in mind, these same councillors vowed, at the start of their term in 2007, to be more directly involved in managing the city. They were tired of being led around by staff and the mayor -- an implication that happened in Ted Salci's first term as mayor and during the Thomson era before that. 

But it makes you wonder what more they're going to study on the false-alarm bills. On the face of it, there are only two options -- uphold the bills and invoke the wrath of the hoteliers, or waive the bills and tell the world the bylaw isn't worth paper it's printed on.