Algonquin Highlands residents won’t have the opportunity to elect a deputy mayor in next year’s municipal election.
Council, during a July 17 meeting, opted against launching an online survey that would have given the public a chance to weigh in on local electoral reform. Currently, the position is filled following an election with councillors voting among themselves to see who gets to fill the role, which also grants a voice at County council.
Mayor Liz Danielsen has long been a proponent for electing deputy mayors. Broaching the topic again last week, she felt council should pose the question to the public to see how they would like the process handled.
“I think I’ve been doing this for 15 years now, but, to me, it’s important this is something we consider given the fact the deputy mayor represents the entire municipality… this is someone who should be elected at large,” Danielsen said.
Township clerk and deputy CAO, Dawn Newhook, said there are three ways to initiate change – expand council to six members; re-designate one of the two Stanhope-area ward representatives, with the possibility for a boundary review; or scrap ward voting and switch to an at-large system where voters cast a ballot for all positions on council.
The current system, electing the mayor by general vote and then two members from Stanhope, one from Sherborne, and one from McClintock, Livingstone, Lawrence and Nightingale, has been in place since March 2000.
Danielsen said she was not in favour of adding another member to council, citing additional costs, while she felt initiating a boundary review “would create all kinds of chaos.”
By maintaining a system where elected officials decide among themselves who would serve as deputy, Danielsen felt council was opening itself to the perception of being self-serving.
“I really want to stay away from that. We have committed to being a little more open and transparent, involving the public in our decision-making, doing more surveys – that’s all part of our strategic planning [process]. That’s why I’d like us to do a survey… we’re talking about making a decision on behalf of our constituents and they should have a say about this,” she said.
Coun. Lisa Barry felt a survey was a waste of time and staff resources, saying the current system is one utilized by lots of municipalities across the country – including in neighbouring Highlands East.
She felt the implications of changing things – adding roughly another $30,000 to the budget for a sixth council member, which could present issues around tied votes, or reducing the number of representatives in Stanhope, were major. She said council would be in a difficult spot if it sought public feedback and opted against following through.
“If it comes back that everyone wants to elect the deputy mayor, that triggers discussions about boundaries and other stuff. I don’t think the community wants those repercussions,” Barry said.
Newhook said a boundary review couldn’t be completed before a Jan. 1, 2026 deadline for establishing election processes. She also said the work would need to be contracted out, so there would be a cost associated.
Coun. Sabrina Richards was also opposed to a survey. While she believes the public does want to have a say in who will serve as deputy mayor, there’s no way of effectively accomplishing that by year-end. Barry agreed.
“I feel like we’d [be] putting out a survey asking ‘who would like a puppy?’ Everyone is going to say ‘I want a puppy’, and then we’re going to have to say ‘sorry, no puppies’,” Barry said.
Deputy mayor Jennifer Dailloux, who was voted into the role in 2022, initially agreed to a survey before changing her mind. She was the swing vote, with Danielsen and coun. Julia Shortreed in favour and Barry and Richards opposed.
While Danielsen labelled the idea “completely wrong, self-serving… and not democratic”, Dailloux suggested council revisit the nomination process to allow councillors to put their name forward for deputy mayor without requiring a seconder. Newhook said she will bring the issue forward for further discussion at a future meeting.
