The report that Team Sternthal does not want you to see

At the Sept. 8 council meeting, David Sternthal tabled a report by a charted accountant, Gina Caliguiri, which made serious allegations about Hampstead’s financial state. When Councillor Sternthal was asked at the meeting if he minded if the Town responded to his report, he replied that he didn’t mind, as “the numbers speak for themselves.” The Town has now responded with three letters from: 1. the Town Treasurer, 2. Goudreau Poirier, the external auditors who prepare Hampstead’s financial statements, and 3. Mercer, the actuary who has administered the Hampstead pension fund for over 30 years.


Why is Team Sternthal trying so hard to keep this report from you?

At the Oct. 1 council meeting, a motion was made to distribute the Town’s report to all Hampstead residents, along with the original Caliguiri report. The only two councillors to vote against the resolution were Sternthal and Gonshor. Having failed to defeat the resolution, Sternthal then filed a complaint the next morning with the Director General of Elections (DGEQ) to block this information from being mailed out. The DGEQ reviewed the documents and ruled that they were factual and not electoral and gave the Town permission to distribute them. The Hampstead report, linked below, should be mailed within a couple of weeks.

When comparing the claims of the Caliguiri report with those of the Town of Hampstead and its external auditors, it is important to know the credentials of the parties. Gina Caliguiri admitted in public, at the Oct. 1 council meeting, that she had never done a financial statement for any municipality and does not know the rules and standards for doing such statements. Furthermore, she admitted that she did not know the rules pertaining to some of the conclusions stated in her report.

In contrast, Jocelyne Poirier, the principal partner, wrote the letter for Goudreau Poirier. She has had 27 years experience auditing municipalities, is the President of the municipal administration committee of the Quebec Order of Chartered Accountants, and plays an active role on the Municipal Finance Committee of the Quebec Municipal Affairs Ministry. Her firm has audited more than 100 public organizations including 40 municipalities.

The 10 most important facts from the Hampstead Response

• Hampstead is in excellent financial health!


• Hampstead does NOT have a deficit of 3.75 million as Team Sternthal claims.


• The Town had a surplus of just under a million dollars in 2008.


• Over the first three years of this mandate the total accumulated surplus has grown to 2.1 million (from an inherited surplus of $300,000).


• The Town has never had a deficit in any year of this mandate.


• The Town’s inherited debt is 9.24 million and NOT 7.5 million as the Team Sternthal implies on their web site.


• Long term debt at the end of 2008 was just under 13 million and it will be 13.72 million at the end of 2009. It is not and has never been 16 million, as Team Sternthal claims.


• The increase in debt is 4.5 million, most of which is from the 4.4 million interest-free loan that Hampstead got from the Quebec government. This will save the Town about 3.3 million in interest over the 20 year life of the loan.


• Debt service, which is the best measure of the Town’s ability to repay its loans, is the fourth lowest of the 14 demerged towns on the island of Montreal.


• Therefore, our town has a solid financial foundation on which we will continue to build a better Hampstead.

All the documents that will be mailed out are linked below. Please read them carefully and judge for yourselves.
Please share this with all the Hampstead residents you can. It is time that the electorate read the real truth about Hampstead’s financial condition.

• Gina Caliguiri's report (http://www.billsteinberg.ca/councillor_david_sternthal/Gina_Caligiuri.pdf)


• Hampstead Treasurer's response (http://www.billsteinberg.ca/councillor_david_sternthal/Town_of_Hampstead_response.pdf)


• Goudreau Poirier's letter (http://www.billsteinberg.ca/councillor_david_sternthal/External_Auditors.pdf)


• Mercer's letter (http://www.billsteinberg.ca/councillor_david_sternthal/Mercer.pdf)
  

The Financial State of the Town of Hampstead - External Auditor's Report, Financial Policies...

The Financial State of the Town of Hampstead, qc - Taxes, Surplus, External Auditor's Report, Financial Policies, Financial Statements

Bill Steinberg: Campaign Posters and Lawn Signs

Dear friends,
I have made a decision NOT to put any of my election signs on public property. I am limiting my signs only to the lawns of supporters who wish to show their backing. I have also reduced the size of the signs by one third compared to the ones I used four years ago.

WHY NOT PUT POSTERS ON PUBLIC PROPERTY?

In the last election, Hampstead was covered with a glut of signs and posters. It was so over the top that the media covered the story. Following the election, the Hampstead council passed a resolution asking the Quebec government to limit the number and the size of signs. I agreed with council then and I still agree that putting posters on every Hydro, pole, light post, Stop sign, etc. is visual pollution and shows nothing other than how much money a candidate wishes to spend.

WHAT MAKES LAWN SIGNS DIFFERENT?

Lawn signs are an expression of the wishes of residents and free expression is valuable in a democracy. They are like the blue ribbons that we tied to our trees in the demerger battle. The signs have started to go up and will continue for several weeks. If you think we missed your lawn, don’t worry we will be back to your area. Everyone who agreed to a sign will get one.

A CHALLENGE TO ALL CANDIDATES

My decision has been announced to the media, my opponent, and my colleagues on council several weeks ago. I have urged them to follow suit in the spirit of the resolution that was unanimously passed in 2006.
Please help me spread my message by forwarding this e-mail to all your contacts in Hampstead.
Thank you very much for your support.
I wish all of you a healthy, happy and prosperous year.

Bill

Dr. William Steinberg
Mayor, Town of Hampstead
www.billsteinberg.ca

Important Links relating to the Hampstead Municipal Election between Mayor Bill Steinberg & Councillor David Sternthal

Important Links relating to the Hampstead, Quebec Municipal Election between Mayor Bill Steinberg & Councillor David Sternthal

Promises Made, Promises Kept

By Mayor William Steinberg
Special to The Suburban

In 2005, when I ran for Mayor, I promised that I would work with the same energy and determination to rebuild Hampstead as I did to get the town demerged.

During my campaign I made 12 major promises. Not only has every single promise been kept but I have gone well beyond those promises.

The first promise was to fix our infrastructure. Almost 40 percent of our roads have been repaved. Water main breaks have been cut in half and flooding caused by overflowing sewers has been cut by over 90 percent. Moreover, this year and next, about $2,000,000 in grants will be spent on water mains. In the next mandate, the priorities will be sidewalks, street lights and roads.

The second promise was to be fiscally responsible. Tax increases have dropped each year and in 2009, 96 percent of residents enjoyed an average tax DECREASE of one percent. At the same time, our surplus climbed five-fold from $300,000 to over $1,500,000.

What has been accomplished in a mere four years is truly exceptional. We have doubled the number of events for kids, doubled enrollment in our day camp and improved five of our nine parks. Our tennis and pool facilities have been improved. We built one of the finest dog runs on the island and it makes the town an annual profit.

Many areas have been beautified, including Fleet and the Finchley Circle. More traffic calming has been implemented than ever before and the result is a 25 percent decrease in accidents with injuries. Police are in town more and crime is down, while tickets for moving violations are up 35 percent. In the next mandate, there will be additional traffic calming, beautification of the town will continue and composting will be introduced.

To read more about what I have accomplished and what I plan to do in the next mandate please visit my web site, billsteinberg.ca.

It has been an honor to be your Mayor and I have been working at least 60 hours per week doing a job that I love. I respond to every e-mail, letter and phone call promptly. Every decision that I have made has been with the best interests of the town in mind. If you appreciate what I have accomplished over this past mandate and want me to continue in this direction, I need your help, your trust, your support, and your vote of confidence.