By Staff
April 25th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
The following is a recent opinion column by Joan Little.
When I read Mayor Marianne Meed Ward’s lengthy letter to colleagues, I grinned, instantly thinking of a late jovial council colleague, Ward 1 Coun. Jack Cowman.
He regularly urged us to follow the K.I.S.S. principle: “Keep it simple, stupid!”
The mayor’s long letter was sermon-like — a lecture, two councillors said. She has lost support from councillors and the public. Worse, city followers will carefully check the dynamics between her and our new city manager, who doesn’t need this rain cloud.
From what I know of Hassaan Basit, who was to arrive Monday, he’s his own man, with a stellar reputation for improving organizations, but he arrived to an unhappy council.
We wish outgoing city manager Tim Commisso a fulfilling retirement. He was the right man at the right time, and led council forward through the rough COVID-19 years. With the city from 1988 until 2008, he had ever-expanding managerial roles, and returned as city manager in 2019. His foresight and long corporate memory will be missed.
The April 16 council meeting was not the mayor’s finest hour. Three delegations asked her to return eligible strong-mayor powers (SMP) and a petition was presented by Lynn Crosby, signed by 633 people.
Software engineer Michael Bator was clear and impressive. The issue, he said, is that you don’t put all your eggs in one basket — there’s too much risk because a person can make a mistake.
The motion last week asked the mayor to delegate eligible powers back to council. She’s open and transparent, she said. She delegated the city’s organizational structure, and hiring and firing of key staff to the city manager and kept the power to hire and fire him (or her). Preparing a budget is done by a mayor under SMP. She agreed to allow council to establish committees.
A link to the Mayor’s performance that Joan Little refers to is HERE
Joan Little has been covering Burlington for the Hamilton Spectator for years. She was a former Burlington city councillor
What we have on lower Brant Street is Meed Ward Hall. It used to be called Burlington City Hall. Its turned into a fiasco, a super-power mayor intent on forcing her ideas on how things are to be done in running the city & to blazes that some council members & majority of the public feel differently. Ford definitely made a mistake by giving such power to one person.
Cue the usual and tiresome backlash article by the Mayor …
Joan is right on that the mayor has lost the trust of most of her council – the ones who aren’t afraid to speak up or who automatically side with the one with the power – and the public. I can’t think the staff likes her having strong mayor powers either.
The “not her finest hour” line was familiar. It seems these hours are adding up.