By Pepper Parr
May 2nd, 2026
BURLINGTON, ON
A Gazette reader commented yesterday that what Burlington needs on City Council is a lawyer and some businessmen.
The City has a lawyer to manage the legal problems.
A municipality is not a business. A business is owned by people who expect it to make a profit.
Council members are elected to create policy and give Staff directions and to represent the interests of the people who elected them.
Municipalities strive to ensure there is a surplus at the end of each fiscal year.
Municipal Councillors have one job: to serve their constituents. To know their constituents and to live in the ward they represent.
They are not elected to run the city. Staff are hired to do that
No personal agendas – they are there to listen and to lead – when it is appropriate.
When we bow our heads and listen to the Last Post and Reveille, we are promising the men and women who gave their lives to protect the democracy we have that we will do the job. That is what you are expected to do on October 26th.
When an individual casts a ballot, they are underlining what they feel on Remembrance Day: honouring the tens of thousands of men and women who died in the two World Wars to ensure that we could live in a democracy.
The citizens vote to ensure that the promise is kept by electing people who understand grassroots democracy.
On election day, voters give the power they have; their inalienable right to decide for themselves, to whichever government level they are electing and expect that person to represent them honestly.
It is as simple as that. When we wander off that path – well look to the south of us to see what can happen.
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We need a whole new Council, mayor included, who will be fiscally responsible with our property tax dollars. Including spending on “Needs only and not wants”.
And stop giving away our tax dollars on various interest groups; as well as “Love your Neighbour”; “Community Projects at $10,000 each; the “Food for Feedback Event” that serves no one but the mayor and incumbents and definitely not the tax paying residents who are forced to pay for it year over year; FIFA; and numerous other unnecessary projects; as well as unnecessary art projects such as “Hoarding Art” at Civic Square, etc. etc.
Property taxpayers should not be on the hook for any frivolous and unnecessary spending that the current mayor and council have insisted on soending since October 2018.
Time for a big change in our municipal government in October 2026.
Please get out and Vote.
These elected people rarely have the background and experience to create policy.The civil servants with decades of experience present policy options for the elected review(hopefully) and decide on the path to take.
Totally agree with Jacques.
Having a lawyer on council would be very beneficial. Council would be able to have another approach and be able to make an education decision rather than simply taking the word of the lawyer hired as staff.
I disagree.
Yes the City does not need to make a huge profit but a small excess is prudent to build up contingency funds
Also, Councillors need to have enough business acumen so they know they have to be fiscally responsible.