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Duly Quoted: James Pasternak
“Look, we’re not talking about a 50-foot, Las Vegas-style, all-you-can-eat buffet. We are talking about a coffee, a few soft drinks, and maybe some granola bars or a sandwich. I can assure people: this will not be a gorge.”
—Councillor James Pasternak (Ward 10, York Centre) told the Star that what Toronto councillors need to stay in their seats and get along during council meetings is something to munch on. Council voted to get rid of the perk back in December, marking a victory for Mayor Ford and saving $48,000, but Pasternak now perceives there is a rumbling, gurgling void at council that needs filling. He proposes bringing food back only at full council meetings and paying for it out of councillors’ office budgets. For his part, Councillor Adam Vaughan (Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina) is unimpressed: “If I’m a part of a council that’s taking the necessities of life literally away from people, everything from transit to housing, I’m not gonna jump up and down and complain that I’m not getting cookies and coffee. I’ve got other priorities,” he said.