Cross-posted from Eye Daily.
John Lorinc asks an interesting question in an article he wrote for Saturday’s Globe and Mail: should David Miller kick Brian Ashton out of the executive committee for failing to vote in line with the mayor’s cabinet?
Writes Lorinc:
Mr. Ashton’s defection throws into doubt the effectiveness of a key governance reform that came into effect this year. Those changes gave the mayor the right to appoint a cabinet-like executive committee and oversee the budget. The idea was that in order to be more accountable to voters, the mayor should be able to count on a core of loyalists to carry out his or her agenda – and in this case, Mr. Ashton backed away.
If Toronto wants to be seen as a government that can stand on its own and be given the respect and independence that Canada’s sixth largest government deserves, should it be expected to operate like Canada’s big-boy governments do?
“Mayors like Chicago’s Richard Daley – or Mississauga’s Hazel McCallion – would be unlikely to tolerate such acts of political disloyalty. But Mr. Miller has never cultivated a tough-guy image,†Lorinc writes. “Some councillors close to Mr. Miller feel the onus is on Mr. Ashton to offer up his resignation.â€
I’m interested in hearing what readers think. Should Ashton be booted off the executive committee? Should he resign? Should city council even have a cabinet-like committee?
