City Clerk Steph Palmateer brought forth a motion this week for council's consideration regarding how the city government is elected. This report was requested previously by city council.
Last year's Core Services Review performed by KPMG recommended that council considers an at-large system. This would mean that there would essentially be one giant list of candidates for voters to choose from. Everyone would get to vote for all councillors.
Mayor Steve Black asked Palmateer what exactly was being proposed.
Palmateer said the the Ontario Municipal Board recommends that cities collect on-record public feedback before altering electoral boundaries and the ward system.
"I think it would be prudent that council in this case set up and establish an ad-hoc committee to get public input on the current electoral system here in the city of Timmins," said Palmateer.
Around the north, Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie also have ward systems. North Bay votes at-large, while Thunder Bay has a hybrid system. There are 7 wards, and 5 at-large councillors.
Councillor Pat Bamford was the first to speak up.
"This is a thorny issue to say the least. It comes up every now and then. We've had 3 referendums to look at elections at-large and the results were 'against' that proposal" he said.
Bamford says that Timmins is a huge and unique geography.
"Having experienced campaigning in three terms, and also participating very significantly in a number of mayoral campaigns, I understand what campaigning in a large ward and a large city is all about."
He says it could be a 'be careful what you wish for' scenario for locals.
"For a new person to run, across the city, would be the most challenging effort ever. You would be full-time basically and it would cost a large amount of money," he said.
"You're going to have to have an army of campaigners, and a campaign office for sure, or several. My point is this, its extremely hard for a candidate, if not impossible, unless you're full time committed to campaigning across this huge city. It just isn't practical."
He also expressed serious doubts about the ability to effectively govern in an at-large system.
"The other thing is, once you're elected, how do you represent everybody across the city, unless you're full-time?" said Bamford.
Councillor Andre Grzela agreed with a lot of what Bamford said, but said he felt that making things a little tougher could weed out some of the less serious candidates.
He also said that all Councillors in fact represent the entire city, not just their wards. He said he has helped with issues from all across the city, noting that some citizens might be more comfortable speaking to a particular councillor, who may not be from their specific ward.
Councillor Joe Campbell didn't see the need for change at this time.
"I don't believe for a minute that the current system hasn't served the city well," and added "I think we have to be very careful where we go with this."
Campbell also said that when amalgamation was forced on South Porcupine, Schumacher, and Mountjoy in the early 1970s, representation was 'ensured'.
City Clerk Steph Palmateer prepared an in-depth examination of the local electoral system, which was previously requested by council. Andrew Autio for TimminsToday This is one of the issues addressed in Palmateer's 9 page report, the perception that if the city were to go with an at-large system, all of the councillors would be from the city's centre, and the east and west ends would lose representation.
"There is however no basis or documentation that can support this assumption," said the report.
"I think going at-large would be difficult." said Councillor Noella Rinaldo, but added that it is important to examine the situation every so often, as city dynamics change over time. She said she'd be very interested in hearing official feedback from the residents.
Councillor Andrew Marks was blunt in his disapproval of the suggestion to change to an at-large system.
"Right now, the recommendation from this report, is not something that I would support," he said.
By far the most veteran municipal politician around the table, Councillor Mike Doody said the more important goal should be to provide equal services for every resident in the city limits.
"The more that we work together, the more that we're going to get done," said Doody.
Councillor Rick Dubeau thanked Palmateer for the comprehensive report, and said it will give everyone a lot to think about.
"This is going to take a lot of time. Its really important that we hear from everybody, and that we bring this back and look at all options," he said.
Bamford said that if anything is going to be altered before the next election in 2018, it would have to be decided on within a year, in order for the logistics to be put into place.
"I understand the desire to vote for everybody, be careful what you wish for, because you may not get the candidates you want. You're going to get a handful of people who can manage it, and they may not be the people you want. Because its going to be extremely restrictive, very hard."
Council agreed to have Palmateer come back with a report regarding the ad-hoc committee.
