By Staff
April 5th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
The following is a note Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns sent out to the people who get her newsletter. It is a start but it is going to take more than polite notes when you are up against a Mayor who “Never apologizes, Never retracts and Never explains”
I am writing to alert you to a pressing concern in Burlington City Hall. The regular April Newsletter will arrive to your inbox tomorrow. Please see below and share. Reach out to me with any additional questions or commentary.
Councillor Kearns
The recent amendments to the Municipal Act have opened a door that Burlington residents should be cautious about walking through. At the heart of the matter is the significant expansion of powers to mayoral authority—often referred to as “strong mayor” powers—which puts into question the balance of power that is fundamental to the nature of our local government. It is true, we have had these in place for a while now, but we should have been more vigilant around how far we could push back and to have commended more vocally the mayors who willingly shed these on receipt (Guelph, Milton, Halton Hills, Kingston, Kitchener).
Our City Council has requested Mayor Marianne Meed Ward to consider delegating/giving back powers allowed under the new legislation. These powers include appointing key administrative positions, leading the structural organization of the municipality, and directing council committees.
Councillor Kearns: Does the “Whammo – Yikes” routine to make her point.
It is a dangerous mix for one person to have the unilateral ability to hire or fire senior staff (as well as the City Manager!), configure decision making committees of council AND the immovable powers of dictating the City Budget! Yikes, what an environment to work in. Imagine being a civil servant carrying out the work supported by Council as a whole…then, whammo a mayor could come in and tell you to go in a different direction that aligns with their agenda.
What a difficult position to be in! Of course anyone who wants to keep their job would bend to the political will. And that is the crux, staff aren’t political. They operate under the checks and balances that the City Manager gatekeeps to ensure that resourcing and finances remain in check with what the Council as a whole make political decisions on. This is how democracy works. These ‘strong mayor powers’ turn that upside down and threaten the governance structure that Council as a whole must be ruled by. In essence, such consolidated power could upset the very fabric of our city’s democratic processes.
Why Should Burlington Resist Strong Mayor Powers?
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- Collective Wisdom Over Centralized Decision-Making
The strength of a council lies in its diverse representation of all residents and its collective wisdom in decision making. When power is concentrated in the hands of a single individual, we detract from the benefits of having multiple perspectives that can challenge, refine, and improve decisions impacting our community. We must ask who we are there to serve at every decision. - Transparency and Accountability
With strong mayor powers, the transparency of appointments and organizational changes risks becoming obscured. Residents deserve a clear view into how and why decisions are made, ensuring accountability across all actions of local government. - Checks and Balances
Checks and balances are vital to prevent any form of governance from overreaching. By allowing Mayor Meed Ward—or any mayor—the ability to make unilateral decisions without the council’s majority support, we risk undermining this safeguard. Power without boundaries must not be allowed in our community. - Community Representation
Council members are elected to be the voice of their constituents. Diminishing their roles in key committee leadership dilutes their capacity to represent the interests of the people who elected them. Councillors will be reduced to observers of the decision-making process – that means your voice and ours is gone.
- Collective Wisdom Over Centralized Decision-Making
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Lisa Kearns at a public meeting before she was elected a city Councillor.
Your Voice is Vital
The question of strong mayor powers is not just about governance structures; it’s about the values upon which Burlington was built—a city that thrives on active citizenry and community-based decision-making. The reality is, sure we do make many decisions that are ‘unanimous’, but that is not an indicator of a collaborative council and should not be used to dismiss this call to action. We also disagree – and very few see the constructive challenges that occur behind the scenes to get to the best outcome for our community. Also, listing mayoral decisions is not transparency. Some of the decisions shouldn’t be made in the first place – that’s what we are asking you to help advocate for.
We urge Burlington residents to engage with this topic actively, to understand the ramifications of holding onto mayoral powers that may irreversibly alter how our city is managed.
Act Now for Burlington’s Future
Don’t be a silent observer amidst these changes. The mayor says she is in ‘thoughtful consideration’ of the matter – tell her to give it up. Already a majority of Council support this because we know you care about democracy and that your voice must be heard. We cannot allow actions that have the momentum to create a toxic work environment to take hold of our City Hall. You are the taxpayer and this Council and the actions of Staff are your investment – don’t you want to ensure that power is not concentrated in the hands of one position? Imagine a bigwig executive at a big company that has the ability to override or dismiss employees without consultation – would you think of that company as a good investment? Probably not!
Attend the upcoming City Council meeting April 16th where your voice can have impact. Be part of a collective effort to ensure that our governance remains equitable, transparent, and representative.
Email Clerks@Burlington.ca and my office Ward2@Burlington.ca and say:
My name is __________________ I live at ________________and I request that Mayor Meed Ward delegate those powers she is permitted to under the amended Municipal Act, including: appointing a chief administrative officer; appointing chairs and vice-chairs of local boards; creating, dissolving, assigning functions and appointing chairs and vice-chairs of council committees; hiring municipal division heads; and changing the organizational structure of the municipality.
Please include this email as correspondence in the April 16th Council Agenda.
Sign the petition: https://www.change.org/p/restoration-of-democracy-at-burlington-city-council
Burlington deserves governance that reflects its community’s integrity, not the unchecked power of a single office holder. Join us in upholding the values that make Burlington strong.
Together, we can keep Burlington a city of unified vision, not divided authority. Let’s keep our checks and balances intact for the betterment of Burlington now, and for generations to come.
Related news stories:
Councillors have more than words in their tool kit
Mayor stalls despite intense pressure from members of Council
I hope residents take control of their City by reading this newsletter and responding appropriately. City Hall must be a difficult place to go to work every day right now.
I give full marks to Councillors Kearns and Nisan. They are showing remarkable courage and integrity putting themselves on the line “to do the right thing”. Councillor Galbraith, although one of the original motioners, appears to be riding the fence, hoping that he can both surf the democratic wave and have some form of his past relationship with the Mayor. That boat has sailed Kelvin – best you recognize that Meed Ward, in my opinion and experience, never apologizes, never forgets and never forgives. Councillor Stolte is MIA, even with the incorrect attribution of Kearns’ newsletter to her that appeared in the Bay Observer (a usually very credible source).
It is a sad state of affairs when it takes a revolt from a majority of council members and residents to ask our mayor to do the right thing and delegate some of her “super powers” back to council.
Every resident who reads Councillor Kearn’s newsletter spelling out in simple language what is happening at City Hall and feels the same way needs to take the time to send an email to the clerk’s office and the ward 2 councillor’s office and or attend the April 16th council meeting.
Councillor Kearn’s has made it very easy to do this. Simply copy and paste the information provided and email it. It is not too much to ask.
Editor’s note: Did the other Councillors who brought forward the Motion asking the Mayor to relinquich the Strong Mayor powers lose their tongues or forgot where their keyboards are?