Windsor City Councillor Kieran McKenzie wants the province to take away Windsor's strong mayor powers, even as more are being given.
McKenzie has tabled a notice of motion for an upcoming council meeting that will ask other council members to support a formal request to the Premier of Ontario to remove Windsor from the list of municipalities governed by the strong mayor powers.
"The Strong Mayor system is fundamentally at odds with how local government should function," McKenzie said in a release. "In well-functioning local democracies, elected officials have the opportunity to work through a collaborative process focused on consensus-building at the Council table. Strong Mayor powers diminish the voices of Councillors and, by extension, the people we represent. This motion is about restoring balance, accountability, and democratic governance at City Hall."
If passed, the motion would direct the City of Windsor to send the resolution to the Premier, the Minister, all Ontario municipalities, and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), encouraging the return to majority-rule governance in Windsor.
Strong mayor powers came into effect in Windsor on July 1, 2023, and allow the mayor to veto decisions, propose budgets, and hire and fire City staff without council approval.
On Wednesday, the province proposed expanding the powers to an additional 169 municipalities.