Councillors question need for deputy mayor

Staff to report back to council

Yorkregion.com
April 22, 2015
By Sandra Bolan

Guidance and help when he is busy.

That is why Mayor Justin Altmann wanted to appoint Councillor Rob Hargrave as the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffvile’s deputy mayor.

But he could not get a seconder for the motion, so it died on the floor during Tuesday’s meeting of town council.

By adding a new rank to one of the six Ward councillors, the others, “by implication (are) of less importance,” stated Ken Ferdinands.

Both Hargrave and Ferdinands have been councillors since 2003. The other four councillors and mayor were first elected last October.

The current bylaw has an acting mayor appointed on a rotating basis.

The acting mayor and alternate acting mayor assume the duties, rights, powers and authority of the mayor in circumstances set out in the Municipal Act, according to the bylaw.

“Why would we consider a change to this system ... (it’s) worked incredibly well in the last 40 years,” Ferdinands said.

Maurice Smith, a first-time councillor, also stated he apposed the appointment and offered to help the mayor however he could.

Altmann brought the appointment forward during the April 7 council meeting through a notice of motion.

This week, he equated having a deputy mayor to a corporation’s structure, which has a president and vice-president, not a president and six vice-presidents.

Councillor Iain Lovatt admitted during Tuesday afternoon’s meeting, this was the first time he heard the rationale behind the mayor’s motion.

He said the reasoning was “sound and has merit” but suggested the appointment be deferred until a report from staff comes back with a job description.

“Change is positive and I don’t know why people are afraid of change,” Altmann said.

Councillor Ferdinands, Rick Upton and Hugo Kroon opposed the motion asking for the staff report but all other councillors approved it.

There was no date set for the submission of the staff report.