Town of Oakville
Oakville’s mayor says he “cannot imagine” needing to use strong mayor voting and veto powers.
Still, Rob Burton is coy about his intent to use the enhanced powers that the province has granted to him and 25 other Ontario mayors.
“I’m proud of my record of public consultation and consensus seeking,” he said, after town solicitor Doug Carr provided a presentation on the new powers to town council’s July 11 meeting.
“Because council approaches our work similarly, I cannot imagine strong mayor voting and veto powers being needed.”
Burton now has the right to pass or repeal town bylaws that he thinks will speed up the building of new houses or necessary infrastructure, provided he can get support from one third of town councillors.
The new rules also allow him to hire, direct and dismiss senior town staff, create and reorganize municipal departments, create committees and appoint committee chairs.
Under the legislation, Burton can delegate some of those powers back to town council, but when asked whether he intends to do that, the veteran mayor wouldn’t commit.
“Over the next few weeks, I will be making decisions about each of these things,” he said. “I will say now that I always work for Oakville to be Canada’s most livable and fiscally healthy town where everyone can thrive.”
The mayor will also have the authority to prepare the town’s annual budget, which will be presumed to be adopted unless two-thirds of town councillors support amendments to his plan.
With regard to town budgets, Burton told councillors that he is “committed to achieving the most collaborative and engaging experience and responsible result possible.”
Last year’s budget process saw councillors split 8-7 on several votes. Free transit for seniors and youth was approved by an 8-7 vote, but an initiative to hire a lobbyist to work in Burton’s office failed when council voted 8-7 against it.
In his presentation, Carr outlined the process for the mayor to force votes, veto council decisions and prepare the budget. He also noted that decisions made using the strong mayor powers are not subject to appeal to the courts.
Mayoral decisions related to strong powers will be required to be made in writing and distributed publicly. Burton’s written decisions will be posted here on the town’s website.
A number of town councillors expressed their unhappiness about the strong mayor powers in a recent Oakville News story.
But during Tuesday’s meeting, only Ward 4 councillor Allan Elgar repeated those concerns.
“It’s kind of like it’s not democracy anymore – not a true democracy,” he said.
Elgar added that he had bought 15 copies of George Orwell’s Animal Farm and would be distributing them to members of council.
