This article was first published by OrilliaMatters, a Village Media publication.
Orillia Mayor Don McIsaac sparked a firestorm of criticism when he used new strong mayor powers — granted temporarily to deal with the aftermath of the ice storm — to rescind the hiring of new CAO Trevor Lee.
Lee was the candidate chosen through a lengthy process; he had left his job as deputy CAO in Guelph, listed his house for sale and started his onboarding process with Orillia when McIsaac made the surprising move. He opted to appoint Amanpreet Singh Sidhu, who was the city's deputy CAO/solicitor, instead.
The move prompted a majority of city council to ask the province to revoke the strong mayor powers. The province did not respond but, two days later, granted the powers permanently to Orillia and 169 other municipalities.
Many in Orillia have been outspoken about the mayor's use of the powers, specifically, and, more generally, the powers. To date, 10 letters have been received and published through a council information package on the city's website.
Here's a sampling of the letters.
"I feel so strongly that we are going in the wrong direction in implementing strong mayor powers," wrote former two-time city councillor Pat Hehn in her letter.
"I find the whole idea of strong mayor powers appalling," she wrote.
"As councillors, we worked hard to gain the respect of our constituents. We knocked on doors, we were part of debates, we answered telephone calls, and during our term we held town hall meetings. We prepared for council meetings, read our agendas, consulted with city staff to get background information and tried to be as informed as possible. We were there to represent our community," she explained.
"Then, in one full swoop, it all doesn't matter. The mayor can overrule all the councillors' hard work if he/she disagrees. What is democratic about that? It was hard enough to get anyone to run for council before. Why would anyone want to now?
"And for staff? They just become 'Yes' men, afraid to lose their jobs. This is a sad state of affairs as certainly shown by the firing of our new CAO before he even started. I hate to think how much this will cost the City of Orillia. Please reconsider for all of Ontario," Hehn concluded.
Sandra Carpenter echoed those sentiments.
"I am 100 per cent against this unnecessary political move giving Mayor McIsaac more say in matters that concern our city than our councillors," she wrote.
"The people of Orillia voted for a mayor that had one vote and no veto power. To have that changed without our approval is a slap in our face. We voted for a democracy, not a dictatorship."
Linda Goodall, executive director of The Lighthouse, fears the decision will impact vulnerable citizens.
"As someone who has spent many years working directly with individuals and families facing housing instability, I know first-hand that progress comes not from top-down directives but from co-operative, community-based approaches," Goodall wrote in her letter to the mayor.
"Concentrating power in one office risks oversimplifying the issue and sidelining the very voices that hold essential insight ... We need leadership that brings people together, not structures that allow for unilateral decision making," said Goodall.
Nicole Goodman, a Ward 4 resident, said the strong mayor powers minimize the role of her ward councillors.
"I have trusted Tim Lauer and Janet-Lynne Durnford to speak to, and vote for, issues in our community in a fair way that considered multiple view points," Goodman wrote.
"Today, I feel like that trust in our municipal political system has been eroded. The mayor has been given special powers to ignore the needs of his citizens, if he so chooses, and avoid being accountable to those on his team."
Don Reid concurred.
"Our city votes for (eight) council members and one mayor, and the design of this structure is to provide, through a time-tested and proven process, adequate voice to and representation of the people residing in the community," Reid wrote.
"The powers vested in the strong mayor legislation allow far too much power to be held in the hands of one person; this permits any mayor to ignore council concerns, let alone majority decisions taken by council, allows the abnegation of due process, and permits the abuse of power," concluded Reid.
Jodie Wilson, who ran for council in the last election, thinks McIsaac should resign.
"I have worked in the capacity of administrative assistant to a previous mayor and council and can't even begin to understand this blatant abuse of power," wrote Wilson.
"It is my opinion that strong mayor powers should be shelved and in light of the situation in Orillia, the mayor should resign due to his blatant disregard for council decisions."
Eighteen municipalities have sent correspondence to Ontario municipalities — including Orillia — communicating opposition to strong mayor powers. Their councils have passed resolutions asking the province to remove their strong mayor powers. Orangeville has taken it a step further and asked the province to cancel the legislation.
Each Friday, the city posts a council information package that is available publicly here.
