SPRINGWATER TWP. — The oft-heard argument against strong mayor powers is that they are undemocratic — that they take away the power that was bestowed upon a council by voters and place it squarely in the hands of the mayor and only one-third of council.
For many, that flies in the face of logic. They argue that in a democracy, "majority rule" is the standard and accepted measure. It’s black and white.
“It’s an erosion of democracy,” Springwater Township Coun. Phil Fisher said of strong mayor powers during a recent council meeting. “We are elected to represent the people within our wards, the people who elected us.
“When the premier steps in and awards one person more power than the rest, the voices of the people we represent are then null and void," he added.
On May 1, Springwater Mayor Jennifer Coughlin and almost 170 other heads of council in Ontario were granted strong mayor powers by the premier.
Initially introduced for Toronto and Ottawa in 2022, strong mayor powers have been gradually rolled out across the province.
Prior to May 1, the province had 47 municipalities with these enhanced powers, which include:
- Choosing to appoint the municipality’s chief administrative officer (CAO)
- Hiring certain municipal department heads and establishing and re-organizing departments
- Creating committees of council, assigning their functions and appointing the chairs and vice-chairs of committees of council
- Proposing the municipal budget, which would be subject to council amendments and a separate head of council veto and council override process
- Proposing certain municipal bylaws if the mayor is of the opinion that the proposed bylaw could potentially advance a provincial priority identified in regulation. Council can pass these bylaws if more than one-third of all council members vote in favour
- Vetoing certain bylaws if the head of council is of the opinion that all or part of the bylaw could potentially interfere with a provincial priority
- Bringing forward matters for council consideration if the head of council is of the opinion that considering the matter could potentially advance a provincial priority.
One member of Springwater council welcomed strong mayor powers, arguing the powers actually enable the council to do the people’s work.
Coun. Brad Thompson said Springwater council is divided, with four members — Deputy Mayor Cabral and Couns. Danielle Alexander, Anita Moore and Phil Fisher — voting together on significant initiatives.
While he acknowledges the four votes are the majority on council, Thompson argues those four votes don’t represent the majority of the township’s eligible voters.
“If you add up the total number of votes each member of council got, you’ll discover the combined total of those four is far less than the total of the other three,” he said, referring to Coughlin, Coun. Matt Garwood and himself.
“Strong mayor powers, at least in Springwater, actually put the decision-making process back in the hands of the people the majority of the residents voted for,” he added.
According to the certified summary of election results for the 2022-26 term of council in Springwater, Coughlin received 3,472 votes, Garwood received 788 and Thompson earned 542, for a combined total of 4,802 votes.
Cabral received 2,409 votes, Moore earned 577, Fisher had 744 and Alexander had zero, as she was acclaimed, for a total of 3,730 votes.
Fisher took umbrage with Thompson’s characterization of the situation.
“The tired narrative of the 4-3 split, I’ll say it’s annoying, frankly, to hear it constantly,” he said. “When I vote, I like to think that I'm voting for the people who elected me and the people whose voice I am a conduit for.
“If I happen to vote that way it’s because I’ve been asked to or I feel strongly about or I’ve consulted people in the community," Fisher added.
Of the more than 20 recorded votes this council has entered into the record, the vast majority of the 4-3 split decisions were decided with votes cast by Cabral, Alexander, Moore and Fisher.
