A few people have asked me whether my husband’s work at a Kitchener-based planning firm would interfere in my ability to serve as Mayor of Centre Wellington. The question is whether I would be in a position where my duty to serve the public might conflict with my interest (or my husband’s interest) in a private firm’s success. It’s a reasonable question and an important one, especially now, as the Township grows. Elected officials must never serve private interests. And that’s why the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act exists.
The Conflict of Interest Act states that if I have any financial interest in a topic being discussed at council, I must:
(a) disclose the interest
(b) not take part in the discussion or vote
(c) not attempt to influence the voting R.S.O. 1990, c. M.50, s. 5 (1).
For context, my husband is a professional planner and he is a partner at a planning firm in Kitchener (MHBC Planning). As such he provides planning services for a wide variety of public and private sector clients and on occasion those clients are in Centre Wellington. When that happens, I follow the rules: I disclose, I recuse myself, I don’t attempt to influence. I do so with full transparency and integrity, and I will continue to do so as Mayor.
Moving forward, if I win the election and become Mayor, my husband will not take on any new clients in Centre Wellington so these situations will become extremely limited.
It should be noted that Council as a whole makes decisions on reports that come to Council. If the Mayor, or any member of council, has to recuse themselves, the rest of Council continues with the business of making a decision in the best interest of the municipality. If it is the Mayor who recuses him or herself, the Deputy Mayor takes on the duties of the chair and councillors vote and decisions are made. The work continues in the hands of the people we elect.
There is also so much more to the operation of a municipality than individual planning decisions. For example, in the past year, Council made 198 resolutions related to heritage, infrastructure, parks, finance, planning and the office of the CAO. Out of all those decisions, I had to recuse myself 4 times, or 2% of the total.
A key focus of the Mayor should be long term strategic planning and visioning for the Township. That includes things like policy development, fiscal responsibility, asset management, proactive initiatives that will serve our residents, a productive relationship with the CAO and the Senior Management Team, and providing effective leadership for a cohesive and effective Council. These are the key jobs for the Mayor and I will never have to recuse myself from any of those important responsibilities.
Some people have also asked about my role as County councillor as the Mayor of CW. I think it would be very rare that a situation would come up where I would have to recuse myself, but again, the same rules apply and I would follow them with honesty, integrity, and transparency.
I’m happy to discuss this further with anyone who might have questions, feel free to reach out!