WHAT ARE STRONG MAYOR POWERS?
STRONG MAYOR POWERS
Using the tools available to put residents first.
"What if this power is used to benefit residents?"
I realize that Strong Mayor Powers can create a sense of uncertainty for residents. More often than not, these powers are associated with the potential to harm residents rather than help them.
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But what if these powers are used to benefit residents?
Is that not an acceptable outcome from the use of these powers?
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I have spent alot of time thinking about how Strong Mayor Powers could be implemented to benefit the Township as a whole.
TRANSPARENCY FROM THE START
Under Strong Mayor legislation, mayoral decisions and directives are required to be made available to the public, subject to applicable privacy laws.
If I am asking residents to trust me with these powers, I believe residents deserve to know exactly how I intend to use them.
In my announcement, I committed to providing transparency throughout the full four-year term. I also made it clear that I intend to use Strong Mayor Powers.
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Then, the very next day, I released my full platform in its entirety - not a little here and a little there over the course of several weeks.
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I did this intentionally. I want residents to know what I stand for, what I intend to do and how I intend to use the powers available to the Mayor.
WHAT ARE STRONG MAYOR POWERS?
BUDGETARY POWERS
Strong Mayor Powers provide the Mayor with additional authority and responsibility in the municipal budget process.
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The Mayor is responsible for proposing the municipal budget directly, rather than relying on a Council committee to develop the initial proposed budget.
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For me, this is important because I believe Woolwich's financial situation requires significant change.
STAFFING & REORGANIZATION POWERS
Strong Mayor legislation also provides the Mayor with certain authorities relating to the Township's organizational structure and senior administration, including the Chief Administrative Officer, certain department heads and the organization of municipal departments.
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These powers provide an opportunity to examine not only how much the Township spends, but how the organization itself is structured.
For complete details on Strong Mayor Powers visit:Â ontario.ca/page/strong-mayor-powers
HOW I INTEND TO USE STRONG MAYOR POWERS
By using Strong Mayor Powers, I intend to keep tax rates lower for residents by reducing expenses and focusing on spending on services that benefit all of us.
We need to lower operating expenses, specifically staffing costs, and redirect funds toward infrastructure and services. This benefits the Township as a whole while, at the same time, better positioning Woolwich for future housing growth.
LOWER OPERATING COSTS
Reduce expenses, with a particular focus on staffing costs and discretionary and non-essential spending.
PROTECT SERVICES
PROTECT TAXPAYERS
Work toward financial sustainability without relying on significant tax increases as the primary solution.
Redirect resources toward infrastructure and the essential services residents rely on.
"The goal is not power for the sake of power.
The goal is to use the tools available to put Woolwich on a financially sustainable path"
The current financial model that is being used is not working. In my opinion, it has been proven to not work year over year.
WHY I BELIEVE CHANGE IS NECESSARY
TAXES
STAFF COSTS
DEBT
SERVICES
RESERVES
In my opinion, there are only two ways out of this fiscal crisis: drastically increase taxes, like the extremely high numbers already being discussed, or drastically reduce operating expenses - specifically staffing costs and discretionary and non-essential spending.
We cannot cut services any further. In my opinion, they are already being neglected.Â
I CHALLENGE YOU TO LOOK AT THE NUMBERS
I challenge anyone to review the 2026 Township of Woolwich Budget Book - all 252 pages - and come up with an alternative solution.
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A solution that does not include large tax increases and a solution that does not include reducing operating costs, specifically staffing costs.
A NOTE ON SHORT-TERM COSTS
In the interest of full transparency, I want residents to be aware that there will be some short-term financial impacts associated with redundancy costs.
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While these costs are unavoidable, they are part of the broader effort to achieve long-term financial sustainability.