By Eric Stern

April 6^th, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

On March 30^th Mayor Meed Ward wrote the following commentary piece in the Spectator:

“It is truly unfortunate to see the misinformation, speculation and rumour circulating in the community on these matters, and more discouraging to see some of those same rumours repeated in a column in The Spec on March 28.”

On March 28^th, Spectator columnist Joan Little had asked a simple question:

“Why is all this happening at once? Because of the power a mayor has to hire and fire?”

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward: “It is truly unfortunate to see the misinformation, speculation and rumour circulating in the community on these matters…”

In the mayor’s commentary, she makes no attempt to answer Little’s question or to provide any information to stop the speculation and rumours surrounding multiple senior leadership departures at city hall. The mayor goes on to state “our residents deserve accurate and fact-based news and opinion coverage”.

Given that the City of Burlington employs people with serious communication skills it’s really surprising that, quoting the mayor, “misinformation, speculation and rumour” cannot simply be explained by someone, anyone, from the city providing “accurate and fact-based” information.

If Brynn Nheiley and Sheila Jones were fired, the severance and legal costs will be in the six-figure range for each one of them. Do taxpayers have a right to know how their money is being spent?

As a taxpayer, I have to wonder if the communications department is nothing but a taxpayer-funded PR organization for the mayor.

Something unusual is happening in politics and there are echoes in history. Napolean owned two military newspapers, allowing him to directly communicate with the military and public. After coming to power, he closed down 60 of the 73 newspapers in Paris.

Germany, in 1923, had 467 radio listeners. By 1932, there were over four million paying radio subscribers in Germany. Hitler was able to use this new technology to directly communicate with the public.

With changes in technology come political shifts.

We are at the beginning of the social media age. A new technology that allows our leaders to directly communicate with the public. Both Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre make extensive use of social media.

Eric Stern: “I am suggesting that without the balance of editors and reporters, the direct messages from our politicians and their PR professionals have the potential to be misleading.”

I’m not suggesting either will become dictators. I am suggesting that without the balance of editors and reporters, the direct messages from our politicians and their PR professionals have the potential to be misleading. Should we be looking at these direct messages from our politicians with a healthy dose of skepticism? Should we check the information with other sources, including newspapers and TV news and form our own opinions?

Newspapers were new in the late 1700s, radio was new in the 1930s. Do we place more trust in what we read or hear from a new technology source simply because it’s new?

Quoting the University of Chicago Press, “in the case of Donald Trump, Twitter seems to have been one of the key enablers for his meteoric rise to power, rather than the means to challenge or take away that power”.

Kellyanne Conway,  Advisor to President Trump, coined the term “alternative facts”.

As  a taxpayer, I expect facts.

Mayor Meed Ward, or her communications team, posts directly to LinkedIn, FaceBook, Instagram, X (Twitter), Threads and on https://mariannemeedward.ca/

The startling lack of information about the recent departures from city hall is a form of misinformation. With all of this ability to directly communicate with city staff and the public Mayor Meed Ward should be using information to counter misinformation instead of accusing Joan Little of spreading rumours.

By Pepper Parr

April 1^st, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

Well then – who did fire two of the top level city hall staff?

There are only two people who can fire a city employee:  The City Manager and the Mayor IF shes uses her Strong Mayor Powers.

IF the Mayor fires a staff member using her Strong Mayor powers she is required to post a notice on the city web site saying what she did and why she did it.

Now here is where it gets tricky.

Mayors says: “misinformation, speculation, rumour and fear mongering out in the community.”

The Mayor appears to have taken the position that she cannot write about the people who were fired because that would identify who they are and the rules the Mayor uses is that Burlington doesn’t name people publicly when there is a human resources matter.

The Mayor probably did not do the actual hiring herself: she would have directed the Executive Director of Human Resources to do the dirty – and, because that Executive is in place as an “interim” Executive Director, there was no way she was going to tell the Mayor it was not a task she was prepared to carry out.

We know the City Manager didn’t do the firing.  He told us via a message from the City’s Communications department on March 22nd.

City Manager Tim Commisso: not what he thought was going to happen when the Mayor chose him as City Manager after firing former City Manager James Ridge.

Here is what we were sent:

“Responding on behalf of Tim Commisso, City Manager – Further to your requests to Council members and Corporate Communications, I can confirm Brynn Nheiley and Sheila Jones are no longer working for the City.

“As you know, it’s our policy not to comment on personnel matters, but I would like to note that the City is grateful to Brynn and Sheila for their many important contributions over the years and we wish them the very best in their future endeavours.”

Mayor Meed Ward is telling anyone who will listen that there is “misinformation, speculation, rumour and fear mongering out in the community.”

The misinformation is coming out of the mouth of the Mayor; speculation and rumour are the result of the elected leadership failing to be accountable and transparent.

The fear that has infected city hall is the result of a Mayor that hides behind procedures.  Can you imagine the conversations that took place around the dinner tables of every single city employee during the Easter holiday?   How many have decided that it is perhaps time to move on and fined a greener pasture?

There are those that know the full story – but they aren’t ready to speak – they do not want to incur the wrath of a Mayor who has let the power she has to go to her head.

Power does reveal – doesn’t it?

Now to find out more of the why.

Related News story

At best Mayor’s response

Salt with Pepper is the musings, reflections and opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette, an online newspaper that was formed in 2010 and is a member of the National Newsmedia Council.

By James Portside

March 28th, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

The province of Ontario released the 2023 Sunshine list; the document that sets all those who earned more than $100,000 in the year 2023.

In 2023 Burlington’s operating budget was $314.3 million dollars and the capital budget was $72.6 million dollars.  Salaries come out of the Operating budget

The number of people working for the city and making over $100,000 per year increased by 16%. The 2022 list contained 393 names, the 2023 list contains 457 names.

Of the roughly 850 full time employees 458 people now earn over $100,000 per year. I’m wondering what the politically correct version of “too many chiefs and not enough Indians” is.

The 2023 list includes nine people with the job title “Transit Operator”, four people with the job title “Mechanic” and one person with the title “Officer, Animal Control”.

Of the people we elect to manage our tax dollars the one person with the job title “Mayor” earned $202,712.10 after a 5.79% raise and the six people with the job title “Councillor” each had an average income of $119,802.70 after a 6.28% increase.

A total of 84 people, outside of the fire department, received raises of more than 10%. Only 16 of these people had changes in their job titles.

Our city manager, who has resigned, received a 9.67% increase.

In first place is Emilie Cote as our “Director, Recreation, Community and Culture”. Emilie received a 37.34% salary increase in 2023.

In second place is Kevin Schustyk. Kevin is our “Senior Traffic Signal Technician” and received a 31.77% increase. Someone should tell Kevin that the traffic lights have yet to be  synchronized.

Rounding out the trifecta is Brynn Nheiley with a 28.58% increase bringing Brynn’s salary to $215,826.  (More than the Mayor) As reported in the Burlington Gazette, Brynn recently left the city and, assuming there is a severance package, the package will be based on the $215,826 salary. Brynn left the City of Hamilton and started working for Burlington in March of 2019. Brynn first appears on the sunshine list in 2020 meaning her salary moved from less than $100,000 in 2019 to $215,826 in 2023.

Meanwhile the number of taxpayers unable to pay their property taxes increase to 2.9% in 2023. The highest level in the past six years.

Obviously, all is well at city hall. After pushing through a 15.5% increase to property tax revenue in 2023, with almost no population growth staff have been richly rewarded.  Our mayor likes to call the 15.5% increase a 7.5% impact on our total tax bill but the reality is the city receives 15.5% more revenue from taxpayers in 2023 and, based on the sunshine list, they know how to spend the money.

Jim has lived in Burlington for much of his life and has watched the city change and grow over the years. With over 1,000 people working for the city there is a lot going on. As a now retired, successful business owner, Jim is interested in exploring and sharing some of what our local government is working on. You can reach Jim by emailing Jim.Portside@gmail.com

By Staff

January 15th, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

City responds to the $21 million the Government of Canada provided to encourage more affordable homes for Burlington, built faster.

Local and federal politicians take part in $21 million funding announcement.

Representing the city at the announcement event were: the Honourable Minister Karina Gould, MP for Oakville North – Burlington Pam Damoff, Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward and Deputy Mayor of Housing, Burlington Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte.

The funding is through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)’s Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF). HAF is an application-based program that provides funding directly to municipalities across the country to incentivize and support initiatives that will accelerate the supply of housing.

Action Plan for this investment in Burlington

These funds will support the implementation of some of the key actions in the City’s Housing Strategy, including expanding housing opportunities for Burlington residents by cutting red tape and implementing updated zoning.

As Burlington continues to grow, this significant investment will support the development of complete, low-carbon, and climate-resilient communities that are affordable, inclusive, equitable and diverse.

The City’s HAF Action Plan includes seven initiatives:

1. 1. 1. Streamlining planning and building approval process.
      2. Implementing Major Transit Station Areas and Community Planning Permit System.
      3. Support and encourage the creation of additional residential units and consider opportunities to increase as of right permissions. Burlington is proposing four units as of right and a no parking minimum pilot within a specific geographic area.
      4. Identify opportunities to incentivize the creation of rental and non-market housing.
      5. Build community and partner capacity by creating a Housing Connections Centre.
      6. Public lands and partnerships.

One of the City’s proposed projects focuses around Major Transit Station Areas (MTSAs) and the development of a new tool, the Community Planning Permit System (CPPS). This will allow for quicker approvals on high-density developments without the need for re-zoning.

Housing Connections Centre

Another key initiative to support this Action Plan is the Housing Connections Centre. This centre will provide residents and developers resources like:

• • • standard unit designs
    • ways to connect with partners,
    • access to incentives, and
    • information about
      • the benefits of diverse neighbourhoods and
      • how creating new housing can provide options for all Burlington residents.
• The Housing Accelerator Fund helps cut red tape and fast track at least 100,000 new homes for people in towns, cities, and Indigenous communities across the country. It asks for innovative action plans from local governments, and once approved, provides upfront funding to ensure the timely building of new homes, as well as additional funds upon delivering results. Every agreement under the Housing Accelerator Fund will require municipalities to end exclusionary zoning and encourage apartment building around public transit in order to help seniors, students, and families. Local governments are encouraged to think big and be bold in their approaches, which could include accelerating project timelines, allowing increased housing density, and encouraging affordable housing units.
• Burlington’s Housing Strategy was approved by Council in June 2022. This strategy creates a road map and acts as a guiding document for housing needs in the City of Burlington. It will help the City to work towards meeting the housing needs of the community and move us closer to reaching our Vision for housing in Burlington.
• In October, 2023, Burlington City Council unanimously approved a motion to declare its intention to allow four residential units per lot. The motion builds on the City’s recent update to the Additional Residential Unit policies of the Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw to permit up to three residential units per urban residential lot which was approved by Council in September 2023. The motion also supported the City’s application to the Housing Accelerator Fund.

Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward:  “This is a huge investment in building more homes, and especially more affordable homes, for our growing city. We can only do this with partnerships with all levels of government and the building industry. Together, we’re creating the Burlington of the future – a thriving community where everyone has access to a home they can afford. The funding will help us begin implementing some of the key actions identified in our City’s Housing Strategy. This is key to making sure we remain one of the most livable cities in Canada.”

Burlington Deputy Mayor of Housing, Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte.

Burlington Deputy Mayor of Housing, Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte: “The Housing Accelerator Fund is a tremendous opportunity for the City to begin to implement key actions identified in the City’s Housing Strategy. This funding is a testament to the contributions from the community and development partners who worked together to create a robust Housing Strategy to work toward our vision for housing: “Everyone is welcome in Burlington”. This program will drive systemic change and create the conditions needed to increase housing supply and affordability over both the short and long term.”

Executive Director of Community Planning, Regulation and Mobility, Brynn Nheiley.

Executive Director of Community Planning, Regulation and Mobility, Brynn Nheiley: “The Housing Accelerator Fund will allow us to focus on further streamlining our planning and building permit approvals process; implement the MTSA program; update our Zoning Bylaw and consider incentives for certain types of development. Under this funding, the City’s Action Plan includes a mix of initiatives that will result in some immediate increases in housing supply. Other projects will support improvements to the broader housing system and will take us into the future of housing in Burlington.”

By JONATHAN J. COOPER

August 25th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

A camera clicks. In a fraction of a second, the shutter opens and then closes, freezing forever the image in front of it.

Associated Press

When the camera shutter blinked inside a jail in downtown Atlanta on Thursday, it both created and documented a tiny inflection point in American life. Captured for posterity, there was a former president of the United States, for the first time in history, under arrest and captured in the sort of frame more commonly associated with drug dealers or drunken drivers. The trappings of power gone, for that split second.

Left behind: an enduring image that will appear in history books long after Donald Trump is gone.

“It will be forever part of the iconography of being alive in this time,” said Marty Kaplan, a professor at the University of Southern California Annenberg School of Communications.

Mug shot of Donald Trump shows scowling former president during speedy booking at Atlanta jail

This booking photo provided by Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, shows former President Donald Trump on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023, after he surrendered and was booked at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta. Trump is accused by District Attorney Fani Willis of scheming to subvert the will of Georgia voters in a desperate bid to keep Joe Biden out of the White House. (Fulton County Sheriff’s Office via AP)

Trump has surrendered for a fourth time this year. Here’s where all the cases against him stand

Former President Donald Trump’s supporters gather outside of the Fulton County Jail, Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Dozens of Trump supporters cheer him on as former president turns himself in at Georgia jail

In the photo, Trump confronts the camera in front of a bland gray backdrop, his eyes meeting the lens in an intense glare. He’s wearing a blue suit, white shirt and red tie, his shoulders squared, his head tilted slightly toward the camera. The sheriff’s logo has been digitally added above his right shoulder.

Some of the 18 others charged with him in Georgia smiled in their booking photos like they were posing for a yearbook. Not Trump. His defiance is palpable, as if he’s staring down a nemesis through the lens.

“It is not a comfortable feeling — especially when you’ve done nothing wrong,” he later told Fox News Digital about the moment.

NOT LIKE ANY OTHER PHOTOGRAPH

Trump facing charges is by now a familiar sight of 2023 to Americans who watched him stand before a judge in a New York courtroom or saw watercolor sketches from the inside of federal courthouses in Miami and Washington, where cameras aren’t allowed.

This is different.

As Anderson Cooper put it on CNN: “The former president of the United States has an inmate number.” P01135809, to be exact. But until he surrendered to face charges of trying to steal the 2020 election in Georgia, his fourth indictment this year, he avoided having to pose for the iconic booking photo like millions accused of crimes before him.

Never mind that Trump, like all Americans, is innocent until proven guilty in court; the mug shot, and all it connotes, packs an extra emotional and cultural punch.

A mug shot is a visceral representation of the criminal justice system, a symbol of lost freedom. It permanently memorializes one of the worst days of a person’s life, a moment not meant for a scrapbook. It must be particularly foreign to a man born into privilege, who famously loves to be in control, who is highly attentive to his image and who rose to be the most powerful figure in the world.

“`Indictment’ is a sort of bloodless word. And words are pale compared to images,” said Kaplan, a former speechwriter for Vice President Walter Mondale and Hollywood screenwriter. “A mug shot is a genre. Its frame is, `This is a deer caught in the headlights. This is the crook being nailed.’ It’s the walk of shame moment.”

HE IS ALREADY LEVERAGING THE MOMENT

Trump is unlikely to treat the mug shot as a moment of shame as he seeks a second term in the White House while fighting criminal charges in four jurisdictions. His campaign has reported a spike in contributions each time he’s been indicted.

And the imagery itself? Trump hasn’t shied away from it. In fact, his campaign concocted one long before it became real.

Months before he was photographed in Georgia on Thursday evening, his campaign used the prospect of a mug shot as a fundraising opportunity. For $36, anyone can buy a T-shirt with a fake booking photo of Trump and the words “not guilty.” Dozens of similar designs are available to purchase online, including many that appeal to Trump’s critics.

Now they have a real one to work with. Within minutes of the mug shot’s release, Trump’s campaign used it in a fundraising appeal on its website. “BREAKING NEWS: THE MUGSHOT IS HERE,” reads the subject line of the campaign’s latest fundraising email, which advertises a new T-shirt with the image. And this quote: “This mugshot will forever go down in history as a symbol of America’s defiance of tyranny.”

In a show of solidarity, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene posted to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, a photo of herself smiling broadly in front of a gray background, the sheriff’s logo in the top left corner to mimic the jail’s style — essentially her DIY mug. “I stand with President Trump against the commie DA Fani Willis,” she said, a swipe at the Fulton County, Georgia, district attorney who persuaded a grand jury to indict Trump.

Recent history is full of politicians seeking political dividends from their booking photos. They’ve offered large smiles or defiant smirks and tried to make the best of their predicament.

Yet this is one of just 45 presidents in all of U.S. history — not only someone who held the keys to the most powerful government in the world, but who held a position that for many these days, both at home and overseas, personifies the United States. To see that face looking at a camera whose lens he is not seeking out — that’s a potent moment.

“There’s a power to the still image, which is inarguable,” said Mitchell Stevens, a professor emeritus at New York University who has written a book about the place imagery holds in modern society and how it is supplanting the word.

“It kind of freezes a moment, and in this case it’s freezing an unhappy moment for Donald Trump,” Stevens said. “And it’s not something he can click away. It’s not something he can simply brush off. That moment is going to live on. And it’s entirely possible that it will end up as the image that history preserves of this man.”

By Pepper Parr

August 9^th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

The response to the article on the woman who had a garden at the front and back of her house  weed-whacked by the city has been interesting.

We will follow the steps that her legal counsel takes to right what many see as a serious wrong.

Our interest at this point is – how did this happen?

Brynn Nheiley, Executive Director of Community Planning, Regulation and Mobility

Kerry Davren, Director of Bylaw Enforcement .

Who made the decisions?

Where was the oversight?

Burlington’s bylaw compliance policy is – or was at one point, to respond to complaints. “We don’t go looking for situations where a bylaw is not being conformed to.  We get a complaint and we investigate and try very hard to explain to people where the problems is and what they need to do.”

The impression we got at the time was that the bylaw enforcement people look for ways to solve a problem assuming in many cases people were just not aware that they were not conforming to the bylaw.

Let’s follow that thread.

Someone calls the bylaw department and registers a complaint.  Someone in the department takes down the details (is there a form they use – some way of capturing the information?)

A naturalized area is defined as “an area or vegetation deliberately planted or cultivated with one or more species of wildflowers, shrubs, annuals, perennials, ornamental grasses, or combination of them, that is monitored and maintained by a person.

Then a bylaw officer is assigned the task of meeting with the person making the complaint.

Did that happen in this instance ?

At some point Kerry Devron, who at the time was the Manager of Bylaw Enforcement, has to make a decision.

There is little doubt in our mind that Ms Devron would have taken the complaint to the Executive Director of Community Planning, Regulation and Mobility  and sought some direction.

Back in October when the issue became real – by which we mean there was a complaint and some action was taken by the department and that at some point the Executive Director was brought into the loop.

We now know that the City legal department was in the loop as far back is as last October.  David Donnelly, a lawyer, who was very familiar with the issue – he had in the past defended, successfully we might add, provided the legal department with the existing case law.

All this happened before the beginning of August.

Why is that important?  On August 3^rd, the City announced that Kerry Devron was being promoted to the position of Director of the newly created By Law Enforcement Department.

We the elected and the staff that serve the public are not punching bags. Tax payers – that’s a different issue.

So, everything Ms Devron did was as a Manager.

Managers don’t make decisions that advise a citizen that they could be facing a fine of $10,000 per day.

And Managers don’t advise a citizen that should they obstruct city staff from doing what they were required to do that they could be facing a fine of $100,000

So, if Ms Devron, a manager didn’t make the decisions – who did?

Move up the food chain to the Executive Director.

One final question?  Who decided to inform the company that holds the mortgage on the property that Karen Barnes might not be complying with the City bylaws?

Who sent that issue to the legal department – and why did the legal department accept the assignment?

That’s enough in the way of questions for today.

We expect to be moving further up the food chain on this one.

Mayor Meed Ward along with Councillors Nisan and Bentivegna issued the following Joint Statement:

Our offices have been receiving questions from residents regarding the City of Burlington allowing for naturalized gardens on properties, based on an article that appeared in the Toronto Star over the weekend. We appreciate the concerns members of the community have been raising regarding naturalized gardens and environmental protections in Burlington – we share them. That is why the City of Burlington updated our Lot Maintenance Bylaw in 2018 to allow for naturalized gardens and again in 2022 to clarify regulations that apply to naturalized gardens.

There are numerous examples of naturalized gardens in neighbourhoods across our City that are operating within our bylaw. Such gardens are regularly maintained and pruned, have no other non-conforming weeds growing, and no invasive species being grown. Examples of non-conforming weeds come from the definitions of noxious weeds that are set by the Province of Ontario under the Weed Control Act.

We welcome and support these gardens and appreciate residents who maintain them within City and Provincial standards.

We will do our best to continue to educate residents about naturalized gardens, invasive species, and lot maintenance responsibilities. Our bylaw allows for naturalized gardens and those gardens must conform to lot maintenance standards. Each complaint the City receives is investigated and treated the same under the terms of our bylaw. We will also defend our City bylaws in a balanced and impartial manner. When the City investigates a complaint, it provides the property owner with information regarding the requirements of the bylaw, where they may not be in compliance, and continues to work with them until compliance is achieved within reasonable timelines.

Only when that process fails, and as a last resort, would charges be filed with the court. Fines, up to a maximum, established by the Province and adopted by the City, may be imposed by a Court on an owner of any property found in non-compliance with the bylaw. The amount of the potential fines is included in all notices for transparency.

The recent Star story listed a property that does not comply with our bylaw for naturalized gardens. It has been under formal and extensive City of Burlington bylaw investigation and enforcement since 2015. The City has attempted to work closely with the property owners to bring their property into compliance with our bylaws. In doing so, the City consulted with experts in naturalized gardens. This matter was recently before the courts and the ruling was in the City’s favour.

We invite Burlington residents to review our bylaws and provide feedback and suggestions, if they have any. We also recommend the community reviews the Province’s Table of Noxious Weeds and shares any suggestions they have regarding those regulations with their local MPP.

We appreciate the opportunity to engage with the community on this important environmental matter, to reassure residents that naturalized gardens are welcome in Burlington and to share information about how residents can ensure these conform with our City’s bylaws.

The Joint Statement doesn’t appear to suggest that this issue can be worked out amicably.  Karen Barnes is going to need financial support.  She has created a site where the environmentalist can help.

Click on the image if you think you want to help.

By Staff

August 3rd, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

Kerry Davren is the new Director of Bylaw Compliance.

Kerry Davren, new Director of Bylaw Compliance. Brings a measure of compassion to the job – always nice to see.

Davren has been employed by the City of Burlington for a total of 14 years. In her time at the City, Davren has held various positions including Transportation Planner & Technologist and Manager of Transportation Planning & Parking. In her most recent position as Manager of Bylaw Services, Davren oversaw the development, interpretation and administration of enforcement activities related to municipal bylaws, as well as provincial and federal legislation.

Davren has a total of 26 years of experience working in municipal government, including at the City of Hamilton as the Manager of Parking Operations and Strategic Initiatives where she supported the development and implementation of a city-wide Parking Master Plan. Davren also worked for the Town of Oakville as a Project Leader supporting projects related to roadway design and construction. Her extensive municipal experience enables her to navigate the complexities of regulatory enforcement, liaise effectively with various stakeholders, and develop policies that support the Burlington community.

As Director of the Bylaw Compliance Department, Davren will oversee the enforcement and compliance of municipal bylaws and provide recommendations to City Council and City’s leadership team related to implementing policies that support the City’s strategic goals.

Within this portfolio, Davren will support Bylaw Compliance, Animal Control and Licensing & Regulatory Services.

Davren has a Bachelor of Arts from McMaster University and a Diploma in Transportation Engineering Technology from Mohawk College. Davren is also a Certified Engineering Technologist.

Davren will begin in her new role on Aug. 8.

Brynn Nheiley, Executive Director of Community Planning, Regulation and Mobility explains why she hired the woman: “Kerry’s breadth of experiences will be a great asset to the City of Burlington as she leads the newly established Bylaw Compliance Department. Demonstrating compassion, logic and professionalism, Kerry continues to highlight and respond to evolving needs of the Burlington community. She is highly respected by her staff, City Council and the Burlington Leadership Team. I extend my congratulations to Kerry as the successful candidate.”