Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath has used her "strong mayor" powers 19 times since they were granted.
She has mostly used these powers to pass bylaws and appoint committee and staff members, but her most recent use was to veto a council decision on an affordable housing project in Stoney Creek.
“The decision to use strong mayor powers is not one that I take lightly,” Horwath wrote in a recent statement on the use of her powers.
“I have always felt that the most effective leaders are those who inspire collaboration and teamwork. This has always been my style of leadership.”
Two of Flamborough’s city council representatives are torn about the mayor exercising these powers.
Ward 15 Coun. Ted McMeekin said the mayor promised not to use the strong mayor powers and that they have the potential to make her an “authoritarian.”
Meanwhile, Ward 13 Coun. Alex Wilson said they disagree with the overall idea of strong mayor powers, but thinks Horwath has been restrained in how she has used them so far.
The powers, which were granted on July 1, 2023, are meant to cut red tape and allow more homes to be built faster. Hamilton has a goal of building 47,000 new homes by 2031. The city exceeded its 2023 yearly goal by 695 houses, building 4,142 homes across the city.
McMeekin wrote an op-ed in The Hamilton Spectator with fellow city councillor Brad Clark last weekend, discussing the impact Horwath’s most recent use of her power to veto will have on council.
“I think it profoundly impacts how this council may or may not work together in the future,” he told FlamboroughToday.
Strong mayor decision on Stoney Creek housing causes division
The most recent use of Horwath’s strong mayor powers was to push forward an affordable housing development in Stoney Creek.
The development would remove two free municipally owned parking lots from downtown Stoney Creek and led to two 8-8 split votes at council.
Some councillors argued that 57 parking spots are not as important as addressing the city’s housing crisis, while other councillors stated having parking is important to local businesses.
McMeekin voted down the housing project, along with Ward 5 Coun. Matt Francis, Ward 6 Coun. Tom Jackson, Ward 7 Coun. Esther Pauls, Ward 9 Coun. Brad Clark, Ward 10 Coun. Jeff Beattie, Ward 11 Coun. Mark Tadeson and Ward 14 Coun. Mike Spadafora.
Wilson and Ward 12 Coun. Craig Cassar voted for the housing development along with Ward 1 Coun. Maureen Wilson, Ward 2 Coun. Cameron Kroetsch, Ward 3 Coun. Nrinder Naan, Ward 4 Coun. Tammy Hwang and Ward 8 Coun. John-Paul Danko.
After the second failed attempt to move the project forward, Horwath used her strong mayor powers to veto council’s decision and go ahead with the project.
“At this very moment, over 1,600 people in our city find themselves without homes,” she wrote about her decision to veto the failed motion.
Councillors on both side of vote wary of strong mayor powers
While Wilson and McMeekin were on opposite sides of the Stoney Creek vote, they both are wary of the general use of strong mayor powers.
Wilson said Horwath using her powers to push the development forward was “the best justification … or argument for them,” which is to push council out of an 8-8 tied decision.
“I don’t really buy into that premise and I think there are better ways to do that, if that is the problem we are trying to solve,” Wilson told FlamboroughToday.
McMeekin said he is “disappointed” by Horwath’s decision to use the powers in general.
He said while this decision impacts the other side of the city, it could set a precedent that may impact Flamborough residents down the road.
“The most fundamental thing we come to this table with is a commitment to being collaborative, engaging and democratic, and I worry about what happens now if we’re getting into the habit of exercising [strong mayor powers],” he said.
But an attempt at compromise by Flamborough councillor Craig Cassar, who serves Ward 12 in Ancaster and the southwestern portion of Flamborough, went unheard while council worked through the initial Stoney Creek motion.
Cassar offered 10 amendments to the original housing proposal as a form of compromise, and was blocked by McMeekin and the other seven council members against the housing developments. Some of those compromises included creating more parking spaces to replace ones lost by the housing development.
“I believe these amendments were practical solutions and a good compromise,” Cassar wrote in a post on Facebook.
Other municipalities questioning use of strong mayors
In nearby Burlington, Mayor Marianne Meed Ward has until April 16 to tell council if she is planning to delegate her strong mayor powers.
While council in Burlington has debated whether Meed Ward has actually used her strong mayor powers yet, there is a public petition requesting she delegate the powers by April 16, calling the powers “dysfunctional and undemocratic.”
Meed Ward said delegating the powers would be “politically performative” as the powers can be delegated at any time.
For Hamilton, the strong mayor powers are in use whether council or the public agree with them.
Wilson said they are tools being used by the mayor that could have some benefits to the community.
“Do I think we should be doing this as an activity province-wide? No. But the province sets the rule book and municipalities operate within those rules,” Wilson said.
But McMeekin maintains that being able to veto council decisions removes the mayor from having to listen to council or community input and feedback on decisions, like the Stoney Creek affordable housing project.
“Quit lecturing us about empowerment and leadership and engagement,” he said.
“If you’re going to listen to a community, you need to actually listen.”
