Elections
Tone Marrone, Candidate for Mayor in Hamilton Municipal Election 2010
Details page for this candidate.
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Candidate Details (top)
| Name | Marrone, Tone |
|---|---|
| Election | Hamilton Municipal Election 2010 |
| Area | Mayor |
| Party | N/A |
| Votes | 1052 |
| tonemarrone@hotmail.com | |
| Website | http://www.vote4tone4mayor.ca |
| Home | |
| Business | |
| Fax | |
| Bio | Born Antoni Marrone at St Joseph's Hospital on October 8th, 1961, Tone Marrone was the 7th son, and last of 10 children born to Sabina and Francesco Marrone. Immigrating to Canada in the early fifties, Sabina and Francesco raised their family in Hamilton's North End near Sherman Ave. Tone attended St. Ann's Elementary School, and then went on to Scott Park and Cathedral High school, where he graduated. After High School he attended Concordia University in Montreal where he majored in political science.
Athletics Tone's strong passion for sports began at an early age, and his leadership qualities became his trademark. He captained every team he played on, and motivated his teammates with his 'never-quit' attitude and dogged determination. Tone participated in many different sports in his youth, and was a star athlete throughout his childhood. His dream of one day playing professional football came true when the Tiger Cats selected him with their first pick in the C.F.L. draft in 1984. Although his playing career was cut short by injures, his passion for the sport lived on. He soon began coaching football at Ancaster High school-where he discovered he loved coaching even more than playing. He guided every team he coached to the championship game, compiling a sensational record. His success did not go unnoticed, and he soon began coaching university ball at St. Mary's University. However, with a young family back in Hamilton, Tone eventually let go of his passion for coaching so he could spend more time with his children. Family Life Tone and his wife Denise raised four beautiful children: Sabina, Anthony, Veronica and Oriana. Tone spent a great deal of time with his children as they grew up, and he has maintained a great relationship with his children. Following his sports career, Tone has had a variety of other job descriptions in his life-ranging from bricklayer to educational assistant to youth social worker, and most recently, as greens keeper at Hamilton's municipal golf courses- and all of them were in his beloved Hamilton. Acting Career Tone began acting by chance, when a teacher buddy he worked with asked him if he wanted to make some extra money over the holidays by being a bodyguard for someone. Little did he know that the bodyguard role was on the set of the television show Boogie's Diner, which was set up in the CHCH building downtown. Being a special service extra on set, Tone got to 'rub elbows' with all the stars and the director. He became enamoured with the lavish atmosphere, and decided to get an agent and begin auditioning for parts. After a number of 'bit parts', Tone got his first break when a director liked him so much that he cast him as a principal in an Ultramatic Bed Commercial. It did not take long before he became the company's spokesperson, and he began filming additional spots. Strangely enough, his commercials have a huge cult-following and continue to be played nation-wide. His biggest professional opportunity came some years later when he received a phone call from his best buddy. His friend's barber shop had been picked as a location for a History Channel production called Mob Stories 2, which was a series of docudramas chronicling the lives of notorious Canadian underworld figures. Tone went to Atlantis Alliance Studios in Toronto, and was given the part immediately. Since appearing in the Mob Stories series, Tone has had roles in various productions, including Cold Case Murder Mysteries and Forensic Factor. Screenwriting Tone began screenwriting with his great friend and writing mentor, Peter Tassi. In 1999 Peter realized Tone's gift for story-telling and asked if he would collaborate on a screenplay based on a good friend of Peter's father. "The Beast" was a story set in the 1950s about the son of an Italian immigrant who leaves the comforts of home to pursue a life in professional wrestling. Tone and Peter later collaborated on another script in 2006 entitled, "Canoe", which found its way to Kevin Costner. Most recently, Tone and Peter have been contemplating their third project together. Decision to Run For Mayor of Hamilton Even though Tone was a political science major in university, he never really thought of running for political office. It wasn't until city council proved itself incapable of proper management that Tone felt the need to step up for the job. The final decision to run for mayor came at the possibility of losing Hamilton's beloved Tiger-Cats due to city mis-management. With Tone's natural leadership abilities, his keen intellect and his amazing ability to devise creative solutions, he is committed to revitalizing the city and restoring city council to it's proper course. Tone Marrone would be honoured to serve as mayor of the great city of Hamilton, and promises to uphold the highest standards while in office. |
Responses to Questions (top)
| Question | Brief Response | Full Response |
|---|---|---|
| Will your term change people's first impression of Hamilton, and make that first impression more attractive to visitors, students, commuters and newcomers? If so, how? | Yes | I believe that our city's image is the most critical issue facing this city. Poverty has helped develop the image we have,so in a round about way,poverty is the most critical issue facing Hamilton today. People in poverty need to have a sense of purpose in life. We as a municipal government have to help facilitate programs that will enrich the lives of the less fortunate and develop a renewed sense of belonging and purpose.
My platform has been based on a rejuvenated city that will be pleasing to the senses. A city that looks beautiful will attract people and business. Making that ideal a priority is exactly why I'm running for Mayor. Hamilton needs a new image. My term as mayor will concentrate on bringing the arts and entertainment world to our community. I envision a major film festival,studios in our brownfields, a vibrant clean downtown, a major theme park somewhere on our waterfront and a state of the art Pan American stadium at confederation park. I would like to have a consensus on bringing a casino to Hamilton ,if the people want it, why not. Tourism is big business that our community is missing out on. It's time for a change. |
| For your campaign, will you be accepting donations from corporations or unions? If so, why? If not, why not? | No | Thank you for asking such a pertinent question. I am not excepting any donations fron corporations or unions for the simple reason that Im running for office to be a public servant. In my interpretation of such a vocation it means to serve the constituents not the private sector. My slogan for the campaign is "the peoples mayor". My whole life has been lined with integrity, I'm real, not phoney. Nobody is going to tie strings on my back, count on that. Again, thanks for asking. |
| Some cities have committed recently to publishing their public data in an open format that citizens can directly access. Should Hamilton pledge to become an "open source city"? Why or why not? | Yes | Yes, definitely. I can't think of a better way to keep the finances of the city honest. There is a widespread belief that Hamilton City Hall is corrupted, and whatever the actual truth may be, giving the public much greater access to city data will help to restore confidence in the government of Hamilton.
Admittedly, there will still be some things that must be kept confidential, and we cannot release data that would prejudice public works tendering, but the vast majority of city documents should be available to the public. The Internet has made the delivery of this material much more practical. |
| Should we spend the Future Fund to build a Pan Am / Ticat stadium on the CP Rail Yard lands? Why or why not? | No | No, definitely not. Especially not since there is a way to save one-half of the cost of the stadium construction at a better location.
I am not against dipping into the Hamilton Future Fund for projects that justify the expenditure, but this is not such scenario. Consider my proposal: The City is planning to spend $160 million when we need only one-half that amount. The location is Confederation Park. In order to put Confederation Park on the 'table' again, it would require a two-thirds vote in council, but this is certainly worth the effort in order to save $80 million. (Note: the $80 million savings is extrapolated from the cost of the original construction and proposed 8,000 seat upgrade of BMO field in Toronto). The Confederation Park offers many advantages: a) The city already controls the entire Confederation Park location, so there will be no need to purchase lands. b) The soil is clean and will not need remediation, which will save a great deal of money. c) It has excellent highway access. d) There is plenty of space for parking. e) Looking out over the water, it would be a marvelous location for a stadium. f) It would enhance the area's existing recreational focus. g) Bob Young loves the idea. It is true that Ducks Unlimited et al. may be upset at our reclaiming a portion of the area's marshlands, but we could help the local waterfowl by enhancing an existing location along the lake. |
| Is Hamilton doing enough to support and encourage new investment in our older neighbourhoods? If not, what should the City be doing? | No | The city has been neglecting the core neighborhoods for sometime now. They seem to be like the black sheep of the family that nobody wants to talk about. Administration continues to bring up subjects like LRT and aerotropolis, when the inner city neighborhoods are decaying right in front of them. Until council finds a leader with some command presence, we Hamiltonians will be in for another four years of turmoil. Who wants to invest in a city with a dysfunctional council and decrepit core?
This city's council mandate should be nothing but revitalization of neighborhoods that have suffered years of neglect. People crawl before they walk and walk before they run. A little common sense goes a long way, an attribute I'm afraid to say that seems to be absent from the existing regime. Ask yourself a question, would you want to risk investment in a place that doesn't appeal to the senses first and foremost? Prioritizing how tax dollars should be spent is of paramount importance. Where have your tax dollars been spent lately? $70 million on a new city hall that looks exactly the same, less the beautiful marble facade, and consultant fees for things that aren't anywhere near getting of the ground. The time for change is now. |
| The City of Hamilton has committed to doubling transit ridership by 2020. Do you support this goal? If so, how would you realize it? | Yes | Yes I support this goal. I'd also like to see us implement the bus rapid transit. Our buses are half empty because I believe the fares are to steep. I'm also an advocate for free senior bus passes at 70 not 80 and affordable teen bus passes. Taking the bus is great for the environment and promotes the sense of community. I'm all for it. |
| Many observers argue that Council meetings could be more respectful and professional. Do you agree? If so, what will you do to change this? | Yes | It has become obvious that council is lacking the leadership necessary to properly govern in the best interests of the public. Council needs direction and leadership, which is really the mayor's most important role. The word 'govern' comes from the Latin word 'gubernare', which means to 'to steer or direct', like the rudder of a ship. Unfortunately, the previous councils seem to have been drifting without a real captain.
Strength of leadership is what sets me above all the other candidates, and it will be my mission to control the decorum and steer the council towards a properly functioning team acting always in the best interests of the city. I would also implement an online 'report card' system where the public can rate the performance of each Councillor and the mayor. I believe that Councillors and the mayor need to be more accountable for their performance and actions. |
| Hamilton's Cycling Master Plan has Council approval. However, the implementation timeline is very long and ward councillors can block individual bike lane projects. Do you support accelerating the completion of a continuous bicycle network and other initiatives like a bike sharing program and better access up and down the Escarpment? Why or why not? | Yes | I'm a strong advocate of interconnecting bike lanes. I've been a cyclist for years and it is one of my platform objectives to have interconnecting bike lanes. Being a fitness enthusiast my whole life, I've often dreamed of being able to ride without concern of motorist from east to west, north to south, across this beautiful city. I'm all for it and count on any red tape being eliminated after I'm elected into office. Everyone should take the time to exercise for the benefit of all humanity. A healthy body begets a healthy mind. |
| Do you believe that poverty is the most critical issue facing Hamilton today? If so, please outline your solutions. If not, please explain your reasons. | Yes | I believe that our city's image is the most critical issue facing this city. Poverty has helped develop the image we have,so in a round about way,poverty is the most critical issue facing Hamilton today. People in poverty need to have a sense of purpose in life. We as a municipal government have to help facilitate programs that will enrich the lives of the less fortunate and develop a renewed sense of belonging and purpose.
My platform has been based on a rejuvenated city that will be pleasing to the senses. A city that looks beautiful will attract people and business. Making that ideal a priority is exactly why I'm running for Mayor. Hamilton needs a new image. My term as mayor will concentrate on bringing the arts and entertainment world to our community. I envision a major film festival,studios in our brownfields, a vibrant clean downtown, a major theme park somewhere on our waterfront and a state of the art Pan American stadium at confederation park. I would like to have a consensus on bringing a casino to Hamilton ,if the people want it, why not. Tourism is big business that our community is missing out on. It's time for a change. |
| Council is poised to vote on the Airport Employment Growth District, a 3,000 acre plan to expand the urban boundary around Hamilton International Airport for employment lands. Do you support this plan? Why or why not? | No | Council is poised to vote on the Airport Employment Growth District, a 3,000 acre plan to expand the urban boundary around Hamilton International Airport for employment lands. Do you support this plan? Why or why not?
Definitely not. It shows you the out-of-touch ineptitude of the current council. 1. First of all, the existing airport industrial park is already 85% empty. 2. The industrial model they are using to justify the expansion has a dubious validity. 3. We can't afford an increase in taxes to pay for the $350 million project. 4. The type of jobs the Growth District would support would be mostly low-paying jobs. So for $350 million, we need much greater potential. 5. Before we seize any more precious farmland, we better have a darn good reason. This proposal does not meet that expectation. |
| Do you support Hamilton's LRT proposal? If so, what will you do to ensure Hamilton's success in building LRT? If not, why do you oppose it? | No | I disagree with the proposal to construct the Light Rail Transit in Hamilton for the following reasons:
1) The Metrolinx report has determined that it would be much more cost-effective to use a Bus Rapid Transit solution than the LRT. So why not save $800 million to $1 billion, much of it from Hamilton, and improve the downtown in other ways. Why choose a method that is not most cost-effective? With a Bus Rapid Transit solution, we can upgrade our transit system, and still have money available to start making a real effort into repairing our decaying infrastructure. 2) The Province is in worse financial shape than Hamilton, and to expect them to support a transit solution that is much less cost-effective than the alternative is ludicrous. If Hamilton pushes for the LRT, we will likely have to pay much more than one-third of the cost. 3) It seems inevitable that the LRT would mess up Hamilton's synchronized traffic light system if it is located on Main Street. In any eventuality, even with increased transit ridership, it will remove 2 lanes from an east-west corridor, and move us closer to a downtown traffic nightmare like Toronto's. 4) Hamilton downtown is not Toronto downtown! Until the area is cleaned up, not enough people will be willing to move here, shop here, or use the downtown transit system. |
