#munipoli Matters - ISSUE 38 - What Peel Region shennanigans?
A breakdown of some of the batshittery happening in Brampton and Mississauga, plus my usual smattering of other news
Welcome to another edition of #munipoli Matters, where we cover the often under-reported arena of municipal politics, local elections and civic government happenings.
In Mississauga, the one councillor many have said is the one who SHOULD have resigned after allegedly keying a former colleague’s car…is now fighting back. In Brampton, the resignation of a rookie councillor, who got elected as a PC MPP, has now led to a deadlocked Brampton City Council.
The Starr strikes back
DISCLAIMER: The author is endorsing and supporting Joe Horneck’s campaign for Mississauga Ward 6 Councillor.
After months of silence following revelations from former Mississauga Ward 2 Councillor Karen Ras that he allegedly vandalized her car several times during a two year period, Ward 6 Councillor Ron Starr has finally responded.
"I wholeheartedly condemn harassment of any form, but I absolutely deny the allegations made against me. The false allegations against me are not only profoundly shocking, but they threaten to dismantle a reputation that I’ve been building for decades," Starr said in his statement, adding that he had “grave concerns”about the way the investigation had been handled by the City of Mississauga and the Integrity Commissioner.
Believing the IC’s investigation has not been done fairly or impartially, Starr has retained the law firm Bisceglia & Associates to represent him and is seeking an injunction in court to prevent the IC’s findings from being made public.
Kathryn Marshall, Ras’ lawyer, told a local news publication that “my client and I are disturbed by Mr. Starr’s attempts to block the Integrity Commissioner’s report from coming out,” adding that the former Ward 2 councillor has waited long enough and asked Council to release the report.
Mississauga councillors voted on June 8 to oppose Starr’s legal injunction. The City was given direction to oppose Starr’s filing on a number of fronts, including his request to ‘seal’ all documents related to the court proceeding and to have his court expenses covered.
They will also seek to expedite the court proceedings, potentially allowing for the IC’s report to be delivered and presented to Council before the election. Starr has now registered to run again. Other candidates already in the running include Muhammad Kamil, Sachin Ryan Kharbanda and Joe Horneck.
“Ron Starr’s time is up. We need new leadership in Ward 6. Starr should let the Integrity Commissioner publish his work so voters can make an informed decision,” Horneck said in a statement.
Brampton City Council’s divisions grow
Wards 7 and 8 Councillor Charmaine Williams’ ascension from Brampton City Council to MPP has added another layer on the divisions in council that had already been bubbling to the surface.
Under the Municipal Elections Act, a council can only begin the process of appointing a replacement for a vacancy on their body only after that councillor has officially stepped down. In this instance, Council took the step to preemptively select Williams’ replacement, in the event that she won Brampton Centre for the PCs…while she was still on council.
Williams defeated NDP MPP Sara Singh on June 2, but not before Brampton City Council selected former councillor Elaine Moore to serve as a placeholder until the October 2022 municipal election. Moore served on council for almost two decades until 2018, when she opted for retirement.
Moore has her fair share of supporters and detractors. Those who like her feel an experienced hand is needed during this period when there are a few investigations going on with regards to fiscal mismanagement and alleged conflict of interests. But Moore is also one of those who initially voted down a fully funded LRT and is seen as a “NIMBY” councillor who hindered much needed housing development.
That being said, Moore’s selection has once again splintered Brampton City Council into a faction led by Mayor Patrick Brown (whom I like to call “The Brownies”) consisting of Councillors Rowena Santos, Paul Vicente, Michale Palleschi and Harkirat Singh. The other "Non Brown" faction consists of Councillors Martin Medeiros, Jeff Bowman, Pat Fortini, Gurpreet Dhillon and Doug Whilans.
Williams was part of the latter faction prior to her election to Queen’s Park, and that group of six were able to push for the firing of controversial former CAO David Barrick, as well as push for investigations into maligned finances pertaining to the Brampton University plan; Santos now has two Integrity Commissioner led investigations into alleged conflict of interest stemming from that plan, as well as allegations of harassment to staff.
As for Moore, the former councillor actually hasn’t taken her seat on council, because the Brownies have decided to stop attending council meetings, thereby denying quorum for council to continue meeting. Both sides have five members each, and the city needs six members present to keep meetings going.
Both factions have released press releases explaining their positions.
It's an interesting conundrum; truth be told there really isn't any language in the Municipal Act that specifically states that the "Non Brown" faction could not choose to fill the vacancy in such a manner.
So until this impasse is resolved, Brampton City Council can literally do nothing, including not even being able to confirm that Williams’ seat is now vacant, let alone appoint Moore to it. This on top of the other pressing issues affecting Canada’s ninth largest city.
Podcast appearance
If you wanted to catch some additional thoughts from me on the municipal election in these two cities, as well as others, check out my recent appearance on the 905er Podcast.
Abbotsford Mayor declines to seek reelection
Two term Mayor Henry Braun, who has served for two terms running BC’s fifth largest municipality, has announced that he will not be seeking reelection to the council he has been a part of since 2011.
“I am thankful for the privilege and count it an honour to have served this community directly for these past 11 years (one three year term as a city councillor, and two four year terms as mayor,” the Mayor said. A rancher and CEO of the Pacific Northern Rail Contractors Corporation, he was first elected to Abbotsford City Council in 2011.
Braun, 72, defeated one term mayor Bruce Banman in 2014 by 577 votes. He was reelected in 2018 with 57% of the vote. The Mayor also led the city during the devastating floods last November. But Braun touted other accomplishments, such as moving the city’s net financial position from $17 million in the red to a surplus of $349 million during his tenure.
Until his final day in office, Braun said he will continue to work hard to complete the city’s three-year strategic plan and finalize a preferred flood-mitigation option for Sumas Prairie.
In other news
Fort St. John, BC: After 17 years in municipal politics, the past 10 as Mayor, Lori Ackerman will be finishing her third term this fall. Ackerman touted various infrastructure projects and working closely with Indigenous communities as highlights during her time as mayor.
Grimsby, ON: Mayor Jeff Jordan, who was a former councillor from 1997 to 2006 and returned to municipal politics in 2018 as mayor, is seeking his second term in that office. But he will be facing current Ward 3 Councillor John Dunstall, who was first elected in 2014, to keep his job.
Another change for the 2022 elections in this town is ward boundaries. According to the 2021 Census, Grimby’s population increased by 5.7%, from 27,314 to 28,883.
Langley Township, BC: Mayor Jack Froese announced he is declining to run for another term and Councillors Blair Whitmarsh and Eric Woodward have entered the race.
Former councillor Michelle Sparrow has also thrown her name in the mix to succeed Froese.
Although both Whitmarsh and Woodward’s platforms are very similar, there are differences..at least highlighted by Councillor Woodward.
“The track record I have on council is 10 pages long; Blair has only two lines. He (Whitmarsh) wants to pitch collaboration, but if you don’t have any ideas, there’s nothing to collaborate on,” Woodward said on the issue of who is a better collaborator that can bring Langley Township Council together.
Port Hope, ON: After eight years doing the job, Mayor Bob Sanderson announced he would not be running for a third term. Sanderson’s political career dates back over 40 years ago, when he was first elected to Port Hope council in 1979.
He has also served on Northumberland County Council as a member and as warden. There are currently two candidates in the running to replace Sanderson: Greg Burns and Angela Grogan.
Squamish, BC: Mayor Karen Elliott announced on June 1 that after four years leading this small city of over 20,000, she will not be re-offering herself to the electorate. Elliott made the announcement during a luncheon at the Howe Sound Brewery hosted by the Squamish Chamber of Commerce.
"After eight years of working with council to effect positive change in this community, many of the policies I felt were missing or needed to be updated have been completed or are well underway. And so I would like to turn my time and energy to new career challenges and opportunities.”
Elliott has served two terms as an elected official. She first came to office during the previous council term in 2014 as a councillor. She was elected Mayor for 2018-2022.
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