Scugog Mayor Wilma Wotten, who said at the onset of her first term in the big chair she would be a “collaborative mayor,” has returned two of the biggest perks of her new Strong Mayor Powers back to council.
Wotten has delegated back to council the authority to hire and fire the CAO and appoint or dismiss committee chairs; and has returned the power to determine the organization structure of the township back to the CAO.
The provincial government’s decision to expand Strong Mayor Power legislation to include smaller community councils was an unexpected development for Wotten, who said when the legislation was broadened last month to include 169 new municipalities in Ontario – including all three of Durham Region’s northern townships – the policy directive would not change how she and her council do business.
“This announcement came as a bit of a surprise to us and our staff,” …