By Pepper Parr
January 31st, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
It was a comment made during a meeting of the Ontario Big City Mayors (OBCM) – Mayor Marianne Meed Ward serves is as the Chair of that organization.
The remark wasn’t made during the formal part of the meeting – it was a comment made to another Mayor who mentioned what he heard to others and it eventually worked its way back to Tim Commisso.
Tim Commisso has made some very significant and positive changes to the way the city operates. A new city manager might not continue the work he started – which would be unfortunate.
Commisso advised Council that he was not going to look for a renewal of his contract and will leave the City on June 10th. At the time he said he wanted to spend more time with his family.
A month or more before, Council did a performance review of Commisso as a City Manager (it was done in a CLOSED session of Council).
Commisso said in an open session of Council that he was humbled by the support from Council. Shortly after that Commisso was given a salary increase of $63,000 which was part of his contract.
Sometime later Commisso announced that he would not seek a contract renewal.
Marianne Meed Ward is not the person people elected as Mayor in 2018. Power does reveal.
Meed Ward had said to another Mayor at the OBCM meeting that she was looking for a better leader, someone who would be more effective.
Comments like that race through the small community of large cities – it was more than Commisso wanted to live with.
His announcement that he would not seek a new contract followed.
