Consultant recommends ousting deputy mayors from county council

16 mayors plus seven elected county councillors would rule Simcoe
By Kate Harries AWARE Simcoe August 26 2010
Simcoe County’s deputy mayors would get the push under a series of recommendations for a drastic restructuring of county council.

Presently 16 mayors and 16 deputy mayors make up the 32 county councillors.
Berkeley Consulting Group recommends that instead, county council consist of 16 mayors along with seven councillors directly elected to county council.
Seven? How do they divide up among 16 municipalities?
The Berkeley group recommends the seven members be allocated on the basis of population, eliminating the current practice of weighted voting. This means that up to four northern municipalities would share in one county councillor, as follows
1. Bradford-West Gwillimbury
2. Innisfil
3. New Tecumseh
4. Adjala-Tosorontio, Essa, Clearview
5. Collingwood, Wasaga Beach
6. Midland, Penetanguishene, Springwater, Tay
7. Oro-Medonte, Ramara, Severn, Tiny .
Berkeley was retained by a governance committee set up by county council late last year and headed by BWG Mayor Doug White.The report was received for information by county councillors on August 24.
It has evaluated the county’s governance structure in terms of “strong” (defined as fewer councillors and a head of council elected at large) or “weak” (a larger council and a short-term head of council).
A “strong” council provides for more influence with other levels of government or other external stakeholders, the Berkeley report says.
Strangely, the report evaluates council as if it exists in a governmental bubble.
Democracy is not the concern here.
There is no exploration of how to change governance to increase council effectiveness in reflecting the will of the people, or in reversing “top-down” decision-making processes, or in increasing public involvement in decisions, or in providing for more effective resident control over what happens in their neighbourhoods.
There was no consultation of groups from the general public in reaching the conclusions in the report.
However, the consultant did solicit the views of former wardens and senior staff.
The consultant recommends reviewing the role of and compensation for the warden and councillors, appointing a deputy warden, and providing for more effective communication in view of “the continued growth of interest groups in County decision making processes.”
One recommendation already supported by AWARE Simcoe (3.B in the group’s policy document) is to add the county councillor designation to the municipal ballot.
Because of legislative requirements, most changes will have to be made by the 32 councillors we elect October 25.
Such measures, if adopted, would not go into effect until 2014.
Among the changes the consultant recommends for implementation in 2014 is a whacky range of options for choosing the warden – for whom a four-year term is envisaged.
Beginning in 2014, the warden would not hold a sear on a lower tier council.
Three alternatives are proposed:
1. County councillors elect one of their number as warden from among other county councillors. If a mayor is elected as warden, the mayor would step down from his/her local position.
2. County council elects the warden from among the seven directly elected county councillors (these are the ones who the consultant sees as replacing the 16 deputy mayors.).
3. County council elects the warden from interested candidates on county council as well as any interested “community candidates” who wish to be considered or who council wishes to consider for the position. The county may choose to establish criteria for the consideration of “community candidates.”
The “community candidate” provision would offer a convenient back door to power for any aspiring warden who may feel he (or she) can’t get elected by the voters, but can get enough councillors to support him (or her).
The consultant’s justification for not recommending election at large appears to be that it’s so much more efficient to make the decisions behind closed doors:
“We have not recommended consideration of an option for a directly elected warden for Simcoe County. While there are benefits to direct election, we feel that such a change at this time would lead to greater focus on politics rather than on the constructive and collaborative leadership that is needed, and it would be a logistical and cost challenge in such a large county.”
Ah, democracy. Messy, and expensive. The worst form of government, as Winston Churchill said, except for all the others. Full report