Huron East stands pat on council composition, ward system, maintaining the status quo

BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN

Despite further discussion and urging to consider an alternative, Huron East Council has opted to maintain the status quo in regards to the size of council and the current structure of the ward system.

 

When the issue reared its ugly head again earlier this year, council was set to vote to maintain the status quo, but several councillors said they wanted to hear from the ad hoc Council Review Advisory Committee, which had, in recent years, recommended a reduction in the size of council and the gradual elimination of the ward system.

 

Clerk Jessica Rudy presented council with a letter written by the committee as part of her report at the Nov. 19 meeting. “After engaging the public, evaluating multiple perspectives and analyzing the structures of comparable municipalities, we put forth a detailed recommendation in 2022 that aimed to address and modernize our council’s structure. Specifically, we proposed a move towards a nine-member council, featuring a blend of both ward and at-large representation, with the ultimate goal of transitioning to an at-large election format,” reads the letter from the committee, written by Christie Little. “This format change was crafted with an understanding of our community’s dynamics and a commitment to ensuring equitable representation for all residents.”

 

The committee’s recommendation was to move to a council comprised of a mayor, a deputy-mayor to be appointed by council and two representatives each from a new ward that combines Brussels and Grey, a new ward that combines McKillop and Seaforth, and the existing Tuckersmith Ward, as well as two councillors to be elected at-large. Furthermore, the committee also recommended that council consider eliminating the ward system entirely by 2029 and moving to an entirely at-large election. 
Little went on to detail the committee’s thinking in making its recommendation, further suggesting that the committee should have been summoned to present to council back in 2022 when the recommendation was first made.

 

“At the time, council deferred the recommendation without further discussion or explanation. Now, as council revisits the matter, there appears to be a strong inclination to maintain the current structure. As a committee, we feel it is necessary to express both our concern and frustration that, after two years, the recommendation has not been acted upon, and only now, been given a formal request to present our rationale to council,” Little wrote in her letter. “We believe a delegation should have been permitted in 2022 to explain how our committee arrived at our recommendation. We also feel strongly that further delay or a decision to retain the status quo could be a missed opportunity to ensure council’s structure is both representative and forward-thinking.”

 

Little asked that council thoroughly review and consider the committee’s recommendations of 2022, weighing what the committee sees as the benefits of a “structure that evolves with the needs of our community.”

 

“In our report, we outlined a transition that would allow the municipality to move incrementally towards an at-large format, recognizing that this approach respects both tradition and necessary change. Our recommendation to retain current compensation levels was also a reflection of fiscal responsibility. We sought to strike a balance that would support Huron East’s growth, encourage diverse and broad-based representation and maintain financial stewardship,” Little continued in her letter.
As council considered the letter and recommendation from the committee, Mayor Bernie MacLellan reiterated his long-held stance that council should be smaller, putting forward a proposal to move to a seven-member council that would include a mayor and deputy-mayor to be elected at-large and one representative from each of the existing five wards. In contrast, Deputy-Mayor Alvin McLellan spoke in favour of the current size and structure, which was supported by several councillors who made the case for the status quo, speaking specifically of the benefits of both the existing ward system and of having two representatives per ward to split the workload.

 

Councillor John Steffler then requested a recorded vote to maintain the status quo, which passed with the support of Deputy-Mayor Alvin McLellan and Councillors Steffler, Brenda Dalton, Dianne Diehl, Gloria Wilbee, Jeff Newell, Justin Morrison, Larry McGrath and Ray Chartrand, while Mayor Bernie MacLellan and Councillor Bob Fisher voted against it.