Schrodinger's mayor steps aside. Now what?
"Who's the Captain now" that Mississauga mayor Bonnie Crombie is taking leave?
It’s not that Bonnie Crombie hates being mayor of Mississauga, it’s just that she’d much rather not be. She wants a bigger, better job. But, not so much she’d give up the one, for another, until it’s a sure thing.
In this, she is like most other politicians – and most of us – who wisely look for another job before leaving our current one. It just stings to have it all done so in our face.
Like Schrodinger’s mayor, Mississauga mayor Bonnie Crombie exists in two jobs at once – at least until Ontario peeks behind the Liberal Party Leadership curtain in November to see if she’s there. If she is, she will cease to exist as Mississauga’s mayor. If she isn’t the new Liberal leader, she never was.
Crombie announced her bid for the leadership of Ontario’s bereft Liberal Party in June. Then, Crombie argued she had the experience and capacity to continue working as mayor of the city of Mississauga, while she campaigned for a better job that she wanted even more.
Yesterday, Crombie decided she will take a leave of absence from the Mayor’s Office for the balance of the leadership campaign.
So, what happens to Mississauga now?
According to Ontario’s Municipal Act, every city must have a “head of council” who is elected by the city’s electors. So, what happens if that “head of council” steps down – permanently or temporarily? Who runs the shop?
I had a quick read through the Municipal Act, the Strong Mayor: Building Homes Act and Mississauga’s Procedure Bylaw to try to figure this out. Here’s what I believe happens.
Temporary Replacement. Crombie is taking a voluntary “leave of absence” so somebody must step in as “acting mayor” until she returns. Unlike the City of Toronto, Mississauga does not have an official Deputy Mayor. According to the Municipal Act, Mississauga Council “may, with the consent of the head of council, appoint a member of council to act in the place of the head of council on any body…”
So, council must choose an acting mayor. It will do so according to its own internal procedural bylaw. Given that every city councillor believes s/he would be a great mayor of their city, watching Mississauga Council consume itself while trying to select someone to step up to the big chair should be entertaining.
Permanent Replacement. If Crombie wins the Ontario Leadership and steps down permanently as mayor of Mississauga, she must be replaced through a by-election. the only time a by-election would not be required is (a) if the mayor’s office becomes vacant after March 31 in a normal election year, council may appoint a replacement; or (b) if the office becomes vacant within 90 days of a scheduled election, the position may remain unfilled.
So, now we know.
Don’t miss the next Issue: How do you assess information you use to make decisions? I divide it all into four degrees of certainty.