York Region defers decision on making CEO an elected position

Council voted 15-4 on Thursday to defer to early next year a motion to support a bill that is making its way through the provincial legislature

Thestar.com
Nov. 19, 2015
By Noor Javed

York Region’s 1.1-million residents will have to wait until the spring to find out if they will be able to elect the CEO of the municipality.

Council voted 15-4 on Thursday to defer to early next year, a motion to support a bill that is making its way through the provincial legislature that would “require the head of council of The Regional Municipality of York to be elected by general vote.”

Currently, the CEO is appointed to the position by the 20 mayors and councillors who sit on regional council.

Members of council said they needed more information about practices in other jurisdictions and also how much it could potentially cost to run a campaign in the large municipality that includes nine towns and cities. Currently, Durham and Halton voters elect the chair, while Peel appoints its head.

“Of course we all stand up for democracy ... but at the end of the day we around this table, and our constituents have voted for us, we collectively choose a chair that hopefully aligns with the thinking, direction and value that are represented around the table by the people that elect us,” said Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti.

But Newmarket regional councillor John Taylor thought it was time to deal with the issue.

“We know the pros and cons of both directions,” he said. “I think the fundamental question is are we going to allow the people of York Region to vote for the head of the Region,” he said.

“I think we should just deal with this now, so it doesn’t keep coming back over and over again.”

It’s unclear what will happen now, as the MPPs in York Region have long been pushing for the position to become an elected one. Bill 42 was tabled in November 2014 by the Liberal MPP for Newmarket-Aurora, Chris Ballard, and has been given second reading. In a previous interview Ballard said everyone was optimistic for a “made in York” solution, but would not be averse to forcing the issue at the provincial level.

Current CEO Wayne Emmerson runs council meetings and appoints regional councillors to committees. He also gets a vote at the table.