Monday, July 13, 2009

Windsor City Council and the Ward System

There will be lots and lots of politics tonight at Windsor City Council. According to the Windsor Star, the Council will be dealing with a $50,000 consultant's report on the overhaul of the current "Ward System".

It goes without saying that the current way Windsor citizens elect councillors is outdated, but not for the reasons some Council members will tell you. Yes the 5 wards, with 2 council members per ward is unbalanced as far as population numbers are concerned, but that is a pretty easy fix.

The current system is outdated primarily because we have too many Council members, who basically make full-time wages when committee pay is factored in. Yes, and don't forget one third of their wages is tax free. That is why Council members like Alan Halberstadt, who basically has no other work, other than one column a month and some scuttlebutt (which is a Halberstadt specialty) in Biz X magazine, continue to favour a large council.

A Mayor and 10 Council members for a medium sized Canadian city like Windsor is too large a body to be effective. My bet is that Halberstadt will support 8 wards and one Council member per ward. However in my view that is not the right balance, is wrong for Windsor, and self-serving.

The City of Windsor could mange just fine with 6 wards and one Council member per ward plus the Mayor.