Mayors Remain Accountable to Our Communities for the Decisions We Make

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NOTE: This column originally appeared in the Hamilton Spectator on Saturday, March 30, 2024.Burlington's residents will judge how we work together to fulfill our responsibilities.
By Marianne Meed Ward
 Recently, Burlington City Council has been discussing the new provincial legislation that assigns additional powers and duties to mayors.
It is truly unfortunate to see the misinformation, speculation and rumour circulating in the community on these matters, and more discouraging to see some of those same rumours repeated in a column in The Spec on March 28.
Our residents deserve accurate and fact-based news and opinion coverage. For those who are interested, decisions made under the new legislation must as a matter of transparency and accountability be publicly posted. You can find Burlington’s on a dedicated webpage titled: Mayoral Decisions Pursuant to the Municipal Act — City of Burlington.
Every municipality governed by the legislation will have a similar page. Hamilton’s is called Mayoral Decisions.
There are 18 to date, the majority of which were required to implement decisions made democratically by council. Those will continue to be necessary, and will be posted online.
The legislation assigns certain new powers and duties to the mayor, some of which can be delegated and most of which can’t. Mayors and councils across Ontario will need to come together to determine how they will continue to govern in a collaborative, democratic way in this new context. I believe Burlington council has been doing that over the past eight months in this new context, and I have no concerns we will continue to do that.
Council still advances the business of the city, together, by motion and majority vote. That hasn’t changed. You will see that at every committee and council meeting. Our democratic process remains strong — this year to date, council has unanimously approved 61 motions at our meetings.
Each mayor has responded to the legislation based on their determination of what’s best for their community. Most recently, Hamilton's Mayor Andrea Horwath announced she will use the provisions under the act to advance affordable housing. Hamiltonians will debate — as they should — whether that was an appropriate use of the tools. Many have said it is.
These are important conversations to have. They are helped by facts, not rumours or speculation.
Mayors remain accountable to our communities for the decisions we make — so do council members — not just every four years at the ballot box, but every single day we hold these roles. Our community will judge how we work together to fulfil our responsibilities in this new context.
My track record of collaboration is clear, and my focus remains on serving in the best interests of our community — building a strong city together with a high quality of life for our residents for the next seven generations.
Marianne Meed Ward is the mayor of Burlington.
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