Strong Mayor Powers

Communication is the key to good effective government. The strong mayor powers are a planning tool given by the province to circumvent municipalities' aversion to unsustainable growth. In New Tecumseth it was used when Council voted down a growth plan. As Mayor I will not ignore my fellow councillors and their constituents. Debate and consensus are not easy but real leadership means bringing the critics and the supporters into conversation to find common ground. I aim to be a Mayor for all and that means not using Strong Mayor powers to unilaterally decided how we grow. 

Democracy and the principle that every vote matters are what separates us from authoritarian governments. Like any tool, Strong Mayor Powers can be misused. Currently I don't know of anything that might make them the best choice. Should the new council be fragmented and form unproductive alliances, then it is something that might cause them to reconcile and override the issue. Either way we should not be held hostage to the personality conflicts and I don't have any problem with motivating dialogue.

The saying goes "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink", so if needed feed it some salt. My objective is to do what is best for all of NewTecumseth and that may be salty on occasion for some.