Report to Ratepayers and Residents - September 2021

Good morning, all

Today’s Council meeting will deal with the subject of the composition of the Township Council itself. At issue is a motion calling for a reduction in the number of elected councilors from 8 to 4, leaving a 5 person Council when you add the Mayor.

On this subject, I believe that Council should not arbitrarily decide this, but that it properly belongs as a decision for the community as a whole – and that means a referendum on the issue.

There are two principal reasons for this – one is practical and the other philosophical.

The first reason is that not everybody has had a chance to weigh in on the issue, and among those who have contacted councilors or posted on social media opinion is divided. This was the recent experience in North Frontenac when they approached the subject. The decision to radically alter the composition of Council should not be decided by a fraction of a percentage point of the population of Central Frontenac. Having a vote on a clear question gives the largest number of ratepayers and residents a voice in the matter. Those in favour or against will also have the opportunity to argue their case and convince others.

The second “philosophical” reason is that I view a Council seat as a job, and voters as the hiring committee. In a regular workplace, you do not get to rewrite your job description or set the terms of your employment. Elections are designed to hire (and sometimes fire), but that is based on the job as it is posted. Both candidate and voter understand what the rules are. If those rules are to change, I firmly believe that voters should be the one to decide what that change should be.

I offer no personal opinion on whether a 5 person council is better than 8. We serve at the pleasure of the residents of our district regardless of the terms we are hired under. Whether the terms change or not should be your call – not ours.

Next year is an election year, and as we ask you to choose representatives for the upcoming term, it is an opportune time to also ask what kind of council you want.

Every member of council obtained their seat through the democratic process. The number of seats should be decided that way as well.