Murphy’s Logic: Citizens should decide if we have strong mayors

Steve Murphy offers his take on the ongoing debate over strong mayor powers.

Speculation is running rampant in political circles that the Premier of Nova Scotia plans to give the Mayor of Halifax a lot more power.

At the moment, the mayor is little more than a member of council elected at-large, who chairs the meetings. His “authority” is the power of persuasion, spoken from behind what U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt once described as “the bully pulpit.” He’s in a position to be heard, if not heeded.

And so it is with the new mayor of Halifax, who’s already proposed ideas that have been rejected by his fractious council.

I have long believed that municipal governments should have more power. Municipalities deliver most of the services that affect our lives every day: police and fire protection, garbage collection and recycling, streets and sidewalks, snow clearing, water and sewage, recreation and parks. Curiously, this level of government has the least amount of real authority. Its power is derived from the provincial legislature. In addition to giving the mayor more executive authority to lead the government, more members of council should be elected at large, to better reflect the interests of the entire municipality not just a district.

But changes of this magnitude should be proposed to voters before, not immediately after provincial and municipal elections. Tim Houston didn’t campaign on a promise to give the mayor more power and Andy Fillmore didn’t ask for it during elections less than a year ago, although it seems possible they were thinking about it.

In a democracy, the citizens – not a powerful premier or ambitious mayor – should decide whether to restructure self-governance in such a fundamental way.

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