A member of Windsor City Council is voicing his concerns over the so-called strong mayor powers used to dismiss two members of the administration and restructure the corporate leadership at City Call.
Ward 1 Councillor Fred Francis believes what happened sets a dangerous precedent and dilutes the role of the council in the decision making process.
On Nov. 15, the city announced a strategic realignment of its organizational structure which resulted in the dismissal of the city's top engineer and top lawyer - Chris Nepszy, Commissioner of Infrastructure Services, and Shelby Askin-Hager , Commissioner of Legal and Legislative Services.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens used the strong mayor powers to make the move, powers granted by the province under the Municipal Act which allows a mayor to appoint and dismiss the chief administrative officer as well as various senior managers.
Francis says he's disappointed because when these powers were first appointed, Dilkens expressed that not much was going to change in the way he consults and collaborates with the council.
He says what happened with one person making a unilateral decision on reorganizing the administrative structure at city hall has never been done in the modern history of the City of Windsor.
"If there was a political Richter scale that measures political decisions in this city, Wednesday that scale would have been at eight," says Francis.
He says the whole point of a city council is that the people expect us to work together to formulate a consensus but that can not happen if we do not have the opportunity to voice any concerns, agreements or other issues.
"I don't know what any of these changes cost, I don't know the dollar figure. How am I supposed to represent my residents? They're calling me and asking me, what's this about? What's that about, what's the cost? As an elected official in this city, I don't have that information and that's concerning to me," he says.
Francis says while there were informal discussions around potential changes, he did not have formal face-to-face discussions with the mayor about the reorganization.
He says there are 11 elected members of city council, not just one.
"I believe in having everyone that's elected around the table, having everyone given the opportunity to speak, debate, argue, agree, whatever it is," says Francis. "A motion is put forward and formal vote is taken, and all 11 of us are accountable for that vote."
As a result of the realignment, Dana Paladino has been named Interim Commissioner of Corporate Services. She has been serving as acting CEO of the Windsor Public Library.
Mark Winterton is coming back to serve as Interim Commissioner of Infrastructure Services and City Engineer.
Winterton, who spent 30 years with the city, retired from his post as City Engineer in September 2021.
The city says the recruitment process for the two vacant commissioner positions will commence immediately.