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Honouring the people's voice
In the last municipal election on Oct. 25, 2010, you may recall being asked whether or not you favoured the direct election of the chair of the Council of Durham Region, a position which has been appointed by Regional Council since the creation of the regional governments in 1973.
Like voters in the Region’s other seven municipalities, you spoke fairly decisively on the question. 68.8% voted “yes” (compared to a high of 85% in Ajax and a low of 66.5% in Scugog), more than two thirds. Despite this clear result, many municipal councillors, particularly in the three northern “rural” townships, are making noises about ignoring the referendum and voting against direct election, as it comes up for formal approval in the coming weeks and months (see our story on page 7, as well as Regional Councillor Jack Ballinger’s column on page 14).
These councillors are saying that if such a reform came to pass, the northern rural municipalities in the region would never again stand a chance of having the chair come from among their citizens. In other words, if direct election had been around 30 years ago, Leaskdale’s Garry Herrema would never have been chair (as he was for 15 years).
We think this is a slap in the face to the late Mr. Herrema. Had Garry Herrema been obliged to campaign in the streets of Oshawa or Whitby in running for Chair, we think he probably would have done very well. He convinced the regional councillors and mayors of the larger cities that he was the man for the job, there’s no reason he couldn’t have similarly persuaded their constituents. It’s like saying that someone from the hamlets or the farm (someone like Mr. Herrema’s son Howie, for instance!) could never be directly elected mayor of Uxbridge, where the large majority of the voters are urban. It also ignores the fact that in the two regional municipalities that currently have directly elected chairs, Halton and Waterloo, those chairs come from small towns, not the larger cities.
The first step in making direct election happen comes April 4 when Regional Council votes on the issue, immediately following a public meeting on the question. Having such a public meeting at 10 a.m. on a Wednesday doesn’t exactly encourage substantial input, but then again, the public has already been heard - in the referendum. Ajax mayor Steve Parrish, the leader of the “yes” forces, is confident that a majority of Council will vote in favour, probably 16 to 18 of the 28 members.
Then the question goes to the municipal councils, who must hold a vote by November, and this time all seven of Uxbridge’s councillors will have a say, not just our regional reps. It’s encouraging that Uxbridge Council wants more information on the issue, although we’re curious as to the identity of the “expert” who’s being invited by the mayor to argue both sides. If all five of the southern municipalities vote in favour, of course, our input is moot, since only five are needed for passage. But apparently Whitby Council is divided, so who knows?
Whether or not Uxbridge Council has an impact on the final decision, the way the local vote goes will be telling. As we’ve said before, it really doesn’t make a lot of sense for the heads of such large governmental organizations, commanding such large pots of taxpayer money, to be chosen without the input of those taxpayers, and we’re kind of surprised to hear taxpayer advocates like Jack Ballinger say otherwise. Particularly when such a position flies in the face of a decisive referendum result.
He says that very few voters even chose to voice their opinion on the issue back in 2010. In Uxbridge, 4,765 people voted for direct election. In contrast, only 3,647 voted to send him to Whitby as our Regional Councillor. If he questions the people’s voice in one area, it seems strange he ignores the other.
July 14, 2011
