By Shaun McLaughlin
At our Council meeting last night (March 5), we narrowly voted (6-5) to hold a review of the composition of Council. I supported the motion because I believe the issue needs discussion and I feel residents should elect both people who sit on County Council—right now our local Council picks one. (The other is the mayor.)
To my great delight, a strong majority last night endorsed an open and meaningful public process. There are no dates yet, but the Town will hold a series of public consultations and present 7 different options. One option is “do not change anything”; that is, leave the 11 as we have now. The other six options will include a deputy mayor elected at large and varying numbers of councillors elected in the three wards. Ward elimination will not be part of this round of discussions.
