Kingston, Ont., is one of 26 cities in the province to receive “strong mayor” powers. According to the province the move will help achieve provincial goals or veto motions or by-laws that interfere with them.
In a couple of weeks the city’s mayor, Bryan Paterson, will have greatly expanded powers. He told Global News he won’t entirely rule out using the powers but says he plans to continue working through consensus with council.
“There might be … unique situations in the future where maybe I would consider it but it’s certainly not a tool that I’m planning to wield immediately,” Paterson says.
The ruling Progressive Conservative party introduced the strong mayor powers to further their goal of building 1.5 million homes by 2031.
A two-thirds vote of council will be necessary to override a mayor’s veto. Coun. Brandon Tozzo says he is disappointed with the Ford government’s decision.
“This speaks to I think really the deterioration of our local democracy and we’ve seen it again and again with this provincial government where they change the rules of the game halfway through with municipalities and they don’t consult and they don’t listen,” Tozzo says.
The mayor will now be able to introduce budgets, and motions in line with provincial priorities and would only need a third of council to pass it.
“If we’re moving to the mayor plus a third that changes the dynamic where yeah his vote matters more than ours and it shouldn’t,” Lakeside district councillor, Wendy Stephen, says.
The mayor will also have the ability to appoint the CAO, hire department heads and restructure departments as well as name the chair and vice-chair of council committees. Councillors Tozzo, Stephen and Jimmy Hassan say they aren’t worried about this council and mayor but the expanded powers could lead to disfunction down the road with a minority of council and the mayor holding the sway of power.
“I don’t believe mayor Paterson will use his power unnecessarily but i’m worried more about the future. It’s very undemocratic giving too much power to one person,” Hassan says.
The strong mayor powers will come into effect in Kingston and 25 other cities in Ontario on July 1st.