Update: The motion was originally set to be voted on during the council meeting on July 8, however, the meeting was reccessed until Thursday as it ran long and the motion will be revistited then.
A Dartmouth councillor is about to table a motion Tuesday evening, that pushes for a discussion between the province and municipalities on strong mayor powers.
According to Municipal Affairs Minister John Lohr, strong mayor powers are being looked all over Canada, including for Mayor Andy Fillmore.
It would mean the mayor would have the authority to hire or fire staff, veto council decisions, and fast-track certain proposals with limited council support.
Sam Austin tells our newsroom a move like this should require consultation.
“Because,” he says, “it would be a reworking of how municipal government works in this province.”
Ontario uses strong mayor powers and Austin says if it looks anything like it does there, it boils down to two things – keeping civil service impartial and representation.
“If you concentrate power, you potentially undermine representation for other points of view,” says Austin.
“On the impartiality piece, if the mayor gets to appoint the senior staff, they become subject to him, rather than council as a whole.”
Essentially, Austin says, writing reports that are “crafted” to say what the mayor wants to hear.
He adds, he is not surprised the idea of strong mayor powers has come up, only more disappointed in the lack of discussion around it.
“This should be a public thing, if we want to reform government in Nova Scotia in such a dramatic way. The public and municipal government should be included in that process,” says Austin.
If the motion passes, city staff writes a letter to the province requesting a say on the matter.
