Did Bentivegna & Sharman, along with Stolte conspire with Mayor to put Shawna Stolte in as Chair for the remaining Standing Committee meetings

By Pepper Parr

July 16th, 2026

BURLINGTON, ON

OPINION

It was slick.

The Mayor wanted more control over what was said at Council meetings now that we are getting closer to the day we have a ballot in our hands.

With three members of Council wanting to wear the Chain of Office, there is some scrambling being done.

Neither Lisa Kearns or Rory Nisan saw the switheroo coming.

Councillors Lisa Kearns and Rory Nisan are running for the office of Mayor, and Marianne Meed Ward has decided she would like to keep the job she has had for the last eight years.

It was becoming necessary to have a firm hand in the Chair.

Did Councillors Bentivegna and Sharman, along with Councillor Stolte conspire with the Mayor to put Shawna Stole in as the Chair for the remaining Standing Committee meetings for the balance of this term? That would be a stretch, but it was certainly an event that each of the four knew what was going to happen and equally certain that Nisan and Kearns were in the dark.

There was no Notice of Motion issued.

The first thing Sharman said was that he needed a two-thirds vote to get him out of the Chair and Shawn Stolte into the chair.

The first clue was seeing Councillor Sharman as Chair and the first words uttered, once a quorum was confirmed, was to advise Council that a two-thirds vote was required to replace the Chair.

The Mayor and her, how should we describe them, hand-in-glove colleagues? Whatever, they had had ganged up to get Stolte in the Chair.

Despite several protestations on how firm she was going to be as Chair – Stolte doesn’t dare to go up against Meed Ward. That despite the raking over the Mayor gave Stole during the first term of office on how an administrative assistant was treated.  For those that don’t remember that rant, let me give you a chance to review it. It’s a beauty – Click here

Meed Ward was going to get her way.

Meed Ward was so determined to nail Stole that she took time during the graduation event at Western University to chair a meeting of Council virtually from London, Ontario. The kind of behaviour gives vengeance a different taste.

The only one that isn’t in the puddle of mud was Councillor Galbraith – life for him will be easier with Meed Ward as Mayor.

The losers are the tens of thousands of Burlingtonians who pay the taxes.