By Pepper Parr
April 24th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Ward 3 Councillor Rory Nisan
Last June, Roderick (Rory) Steiner Nisan, together with his partner, purchased a home in Ward 2; one long block from the Lakeshore and close to the downtown. It’s a quiet little neighbourhood and the house would struggle to be even “unassuming”. So, why is this noteworthy and why should we care? Well, we should care for exactly the same reasons and in exactly the same measure that we care about open, honest and honourable behaviour on the part of our elected representatives.
At the time of purchase, Mr. Nisan was the Councillor for Ward 3 and was running for re-election. He was living in a rental house on Ruth Dene Crescent in the Mountainside area of Ward 3.
The campaign period had barely started, election day being some four months away but things were definitely heating up. There is no requirement that a municipal Councillor must live in the constituency that he or she represents, but it is generally seen to be a very strong “should”.
Rory Nisan at a City Council meeting before the pandemic.
So strong, in fact, that campaigns have been fought and many heated criticisms levied over exactly this “domicile” issue. Indeed, Rory’s 2018 campaign was plagued with voter concern when it was reported that he didn’t reside in Ward 3 but in Ward 6. He assured voters then that he knew it was important to live in the Ward and promised, in a November 2018 Gazette article, that he would become a resident of Ward 3. So where does this lead us; to the second part of this article?
It is worth noting that the Gazette reached out to Mr. Nisan for comment but, at the time of publication, no response has been received.
You don’t have a home until you leave it and then, when you have left it, you never can go back.”
… James Baldwin, Giovanni’s Room
I too value my councillor living in my ward. I’m sure Rory remembers I asked him where he lived (even as a renter) before giving him my support in 2018. It had to be in Ward 3. I haven’t changed my view.
As I commented last week with the post on Nisan’s campaign expenditures:
“If Councillor Nisan moves into his new house in Ward 2 then that will leave Ward 3 without a resident Councillor. As important, I think, is the fact that he bought the house when the 2022 campaign had barely started and yet, to my knowledge, no public mention of his intent to move was made during the campaign. Although living outside the ward that one represents is not prohibited by the election rules, it is generally not seen as a positive thing.
By way of disclosure, I worked on the 2022 campaign of Jennifer Hounslow in Ward 3. Had there been any mention of Mr. Nisan’s intent to move out of the ward I’m quite sure we would have known about it – and made it an issue.”
I guess I can make a stronger statement now. I believe that the fact that this was not known during the 2022 election was a deliberate omission by Nisan. Speaks to character.
Hmmmm. Look forward to part 2 … so Rory, are you living in Ward 2? Hey, if you are, we’re practically neighbours! Sorry, but Lisa Kearns is my councillor, not you. And it will stay that way. You’re supposed to be working for Ward 3 …. try to remember that.