In the 20 years since amalgamation, Clearview Township’s electoral model has remained the same – a Mayor and Deputy Mayor are elected by the entire municipality, and the populations of seven wards, roughly centred on Nottawa, Duntroon, Dunedin, Creemore, New Lowell, Sunnidale Corners and Stayner, each elect a Councillor to join them.
On Monday night, Council indicated the time might have come for a change, directing staff to bring a report back to the table setting out a process for a comprehensive review of Council’s structure, which would consider possible changes to ward boundaries, the size of Council, the election method (either by ward or at large), Councillor remuneration and the job descriptions of the Township’s elected representatives.
Councillor Brent Preston brought the motion to the table after indicating his plans to do so at the last meeting, and there was unanimous support for the idea on Monday night.
Preston said he was primarily motivated by the growing population inequality between the Township’s wards – in the last election, Ward 3 (Dunedin) had the least electors with 1,259, while Ward 6 (New Lowell) had the most with 2,199. Current development patterns will only exacerbate these differences, said Preston, threatening a fundamental tenet of democracy, that each vote should carry more or less equal weight.
Municipal governance has also become far more complex over the past two decades, said Preston, and the responsibilities of Council and demands on individual Councillors have changed significantly. “A review of ward boundaries presents an opportunity to examine the role of Council in Clearview Township in a comprehensive way, to ensure that our democratic governance model is suited to the changing nature of our municipal government,” he wrote in the backgrounder accompanying his motion.
Township clerk Pamela Fettes, who Preston joked he had bonded with over a “mutual love of electoral process,” told Council she supported the initiative, despite some concerns about timing and funding.
Any decisions would have to be made before the end of the year, she said, as nominations open for the next municipal election in January 2014. She also predicted that some expert help might be needed to deal with the complexities of such reform, and warned that any changes could be appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board. Despite those caveats, however, Fettes agreed with Preston that a review is warranted.
Others on Council agreed, with Mayor Ken Ferguson pointing out that he’d brought the idea up before on occasion. “Hopefully, we’ll be provided with many avenues, and we can pick and choose what works best for us.”
Deputy Mayor Alicia Savage also voiced her support, stressing that anything done in the name of efficiency is a worthwhile endeavour. “If we don’t do it now, it’s another five years until the opportunity comes back,” she said.
With that, Preston’s motion passed unanimously. It’s anticipated that a staff report will come back to Council by September. Whatever process unfolds after that, Preston’s motion pointed out, will include some measure of public consultation.
For a look at the current Ward Map of Clearview Township, click here.