The lord mayor has dipped his toes in the pool of the province’s “strong mayor powers.”
He used them for the first time on Monday to give newly appointed chief administrative officer Nick Ruller full authority over the town’s organizational structure and staffing decisions.
Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa said he is simply restoring authorization that the town’s top administrator had before the province granted more decision-making power to mayors in 169 more municipalities earlier this year.
The powers granted to Ruller give him the final say over staffing decisions and how the town delivers services through departments such as fire and emergency services, operations, planning and public works.
Before the province enacted the strong mayor powers, the role of hiring staff and overseeing the town’s structure “was always the responsibility of the chief administrative officer,” Zalepa told The Lake Report.
“When the province changed these rules,” he said, “they actually gave authority to the mayor to influence those things.”
Zalepa said he thought it was important to “bring clarity” to the town of NOTL and make it clear to the new CAO that he would like to hand these responsibilities back to him.
Monday marked Ruller’s first day on the job. His appointment was announced June 19, following a 17-month search to replace former CAO Marnie Cluckie.
Zalepa said he acted in part to show immediate confidence in Ruller, whose experience, he said, makes him well-suited to the role. Ruller was previously NOTL fire chief and a NOTL councillor.
Under Ontario’s Bill 3, which came into effect in May, mayors in designated municipalities were granted strong mayor powers. Currently, 216 towns and cities across the province fall under this legislation — nearly half of Ontario’s municipalities.
The law gives mayors the authority to hire and fire senior staff, propose budgets, create committees and appoint a CAO. It also allows them to delegate those powers to the CAO.
Zalepa said he wants to maintain the previous structure of municipal governance in NOTL.
Despite evoking the strong mayor powers for the first time, Zalepa said he still values collaboration.
“While this new legislation provides mayors with enhanced decision-making authority, I remain committed to working in partnership with staff and council to serve our community effectively,” he said.
Zalepa added he does not plan to use his strong mayor powers again in the near future.
