Turning city government into a quasi\u002Ddictatorship might be quite attractive — for the dictator. Not so much for citizens and city councillors.
The trouble with municipal government, according to Ford, is that the mayor is just some guy with one vote who can’t get things done. That’s hardly been the case in Ottawa, with long-serving mayors Jim Watson and Bob Chiarelli getting their way on a regular basis, as any competent political leader would.
In effect, Ford would be setting up a scenario where a new mayor would have almost dictatorial powers, as long they had the support of just eight councillors, enough to prevent the majority from over-ruling them. That would leave most councillors, the people you elect to represent you, with little ability to get anything accomplished.
That would be particularly critical when it comes to housing and new development. Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark, searching for a problem his boss’s idea might solve, has suggested that a mayor with more powers would help speed up home-building. It’s difficult to imagine how that might happen.Article content
To their credit, both McKenney and the other leading candidate, former broadcaster Mark Sutcliffe, have criticized Ford’s plans and have shown no interest in additional powers. That’s certainly the right thing to say, although using those powers could be tempting when a planet-saving matter of principle is at hand.Article content
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