Posted by Barry Dutton.  email Barry@BarryDutton.com for more info......

OSHAWA — When Oshawa council resumes next week after a 10-week summer recess, Mayor John Gray will take his seat with a mixture of anticipation and dread.

Anticipation, because there are plenty of meaty issues for council to tackle over the remainder of 2009 and into 2010.

Dread, because the next municipal election is just over a year away and many local politicians are already firmly in campaign mode. In Oshawa especially, this is problematic, because the City will be using the general vote process in November 2010, which pits existing councillors against each other for seats.

“Councillors are going to be trying to get their message out and show the voters that they’re working for you,” Mayor Gray said. “We’re going to see a lot more grandstanding and arguing.”â?¨ The mayor said the fact that it is an election year means council will also be less inclined to make tough or unpopular decisions.

And there will be lots of tough decisions on the table.

Property taxes are expected to be the No. 1 issue, both for recession-weary voters and politicians struggling to earn their favour. Last year’s property tax increase was 3.3 per cent and the mayor said council will be working to keep this year’s hike as low as possible, while still balancing the needs of a growing city.

Also expected to be top of mind is the saga at the Oshawa harbour. In May, the federal government announced its plan to create a Canadian Port Authority in Oshawa, which would see the port remain federally owned. Officials from the City and Transport Canada are now in negotiations to hash out how things will move forward.

Mayor Gray said he expects council to get a report on the negotiations within the next two months.

“There has been so much missed opportunity there, I just hope this outcome is something we can work with,” he said.

Another issue likely to spark debate is the Regent Theatre. The downtown venue was sold to Glyn Laverick in 2007 and was supposed to be up and running by the end of 2008. There was a grand opening last fall and brief flurry of activity before the theatre went dark in December.

Mr. Laverick’s contract with the City stipulates the theatre must be open by now and stage 100 events per calendar year. If he doesn’t hold up his end, the City has the option of taking the theatre back from him or giving him the green light to sell to someone else. In any case, council will have to give its OK.

“This is going to cause some angst,” Mayor Gray said, noting the councillors all have strong ideas about how to proceed. “I have no idea what will happen, it would be great if it opened and we didn’t have to make those decisions.”

Rounding out the list of controversial topics expected to land on upcoming council agendas is the need for a new City works depot.

Mayor Gray is among those advocating for a new, multi-million dollar, consolidated facility, saying staff are now working in “precarious” conditions and that simply patching up existing depots isn’t financially sound.

Others on council argue that it doesn’t make sense, when the City could potentially spend less to improve the existing depot.

While it’s not on the average taxpayer’s radar, Mayor Gray also wants to eliminate the practice of allowing council members to make announcements at the beginning of each council meeting, saying it’s become nothing but “shameless self promotion.”

Expect some controversy there too.