John Mascarin of the law firm Aird and Berlis joins Renfrew Town Council virtually to discuss Strong Mayor Powers.
An expert on strong mayor powers weighed in as best he could as Renfrew council double-checked their mayor’s first few uses of them.
John Mascarin, a partner specializing in municipal law for the firm Aird and Berlis, joined the council on Tuesday to provide a detailed look at what the new provincially provided powers would allow Mayor Tom Sidney more control over.
While they were presented as a way to help municipalities cut red tape to build more homes and assist with other provincial priorities, Mascarin explains that a number of provisions, like the ability to determine the town’s organizational structure, can be used as the mayor sees fit.
That provision became a focal point of the discussion as council checked on the validity of the mayor using the powers to promote Town Clerk Carolyn Errett to Director of Legislative Services and Council Relations, a move Mascarin needed time to consider due to the vague wording and lack of alternative measures provided by the province’s explanation of the rules and limitations.
Council also asked Mascarin about the mayor’s decision to not bring a motion to consider closing the McDougall Mill museum as a means to lower the tax levy to the table, citing potential job loss.
Mascarin admits that the province likely hadn’t thought of every possible scenario when handing out the strong mayor powers and that the courts have yet to decide on how expansive the powers are, leading to a lot of vague and unsure answers as towns and cities figure out how they might be applied.
The Town of Renfrew will be keeping track of decisions to use strong mayor powers and the mayor’s reasoning for it on their website.
(written by Kasey Egan)