Eisenberger makes tax pledge while Clark wants to harness efforts of CEOs

Mayoral candidate Fred Eisenberger signed a draft of what he’s calling a "Hamilton Taxpayers Bill of Rights" on Wednesday morning at a campaign event in Waterdown.

Across town, mayoral rival Brad Clark talked about using the clout of Hamilton's COEs to attract business to the city.

The 11 pledges in the bill — a document Eisenberger said he would bring before council if he wins the Oct. 27 election — include:

• "You have the right to a responsible, responsive and accountable local government."
• "You have a right to receive a timely and courteous response when lodging a complaint about municipal services."
• "You have the right to know the value of tax dollars assigned to each municipal department."

Eisenberger, who was mayor from 2006-2010, said how the city spends taxpayer money is a “perennial” issue and hopes his plan helps the community engage in the process.

He called taxes a matter of "kitchen table economics," but while they're a popular topic at at election time, Eisenberger said he isn't making them focal point of his election campaign. He said economic development is a more crucial issue for the city, which needs new businesses to set up to rebalance the revenue coming into the city.

Eisenberger said his goal is for 60 per cent of the city’s tax base to come from businesses, with the other 40 per cent coming from people’s property.

He also answered questions about a recent poll that put him ahead of other mayoral forerunners Brian McHattie and Brad Clark.

"I’m still running as if I’m losing," he said.

Eisenberger said he always takes this approach to campaigns, before cracking a joke that last time he actually lost and was hoping to avoid that this time around.

He also said his campaign is putting the final touches on his platform, which he said would likely be published in the coming weeks. Eisenberger, who has held relatively few news conferences up to this point in the campaign, said he will plans to make several key announcements in the coming weeks.

Clark campaign seeks CEO support

Brad Clark, meanwhile, held a news conference at Juch-Tech Inc., a satellite communications company in Stoney Creek, to tout a program he’s calling "Team Hamilton."

Clark didn’t unveil the team’s roster, but said as mayor he would ask top CEOs from Hamilton to talk up the city while abroad with hopes of attracting new business.

"Business attracts business,” Clark said, adding the program would be led by the mayor's office and wouldn't require any city resources.

"In Hamilton, we have some of the best property values in Ontario. We have very competitive taxes, and very competitive development charges. Put all of that together, you have a hell of a package to sell about Hamilton," Clark said.

But, he said, Hamilton lacks a foreign investment plan, something he’s been calling for.

Meanwhile, other GTA cities like Brampton and Vaughan have enjoyed success by employing a similar approach. Plus, Clark said, attracting international business will decrease the tension caused by luring jobs away from Toronto or other nearby municipalities.

Better still, Clark said, CEOs will do this work for free.

"I wouldn't expect the CEOs to ask for any money. I know from when I was an Ontario cabinet minister, CEOs would go abroad and sell Ontario all the time for us ... they were very pleased to be a participant in that," he said.

When asked if his "Team Hamilton" plan would resonate with voters, Clark said "absolutely."

He also dismissed Eisenberger’s tax pledge, saying there was “no meat to it.”