Fight to trim council goes on
JOE BELANGER, Free Press City Hall Reporter 2005-07-12 01:09:06

The battle to cut the size of London council resumed yesterday when a citizens' group launched an appeal.

Imagine London has appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board to overturn a June 13 council decision to keep the status quo of seven wards with two councillors each, a four-member board of control and a mayor.

The decision effectively ignored the group's 1,000-signature petition calling for a 14-ward system and elimination of board of control.

"It would have improved the effectiveness of representation throughout the city and it is unfortunate that council did not give it fair consideration," Sam Trosow, an organizer of the group, said yesterday.

Council's decision was also a rejection of a November 2003 election referendum in which a majority of voters called for a smaller council and to abolish the board.

A slim, 10-8 majority of council opted to keep the status quo and "note and file" the petition.

"Smaller, neighbourhood-based wards would reflect communities of interest, not arbitrary pie slices on a map," said Trosow, a law professor at the University of Western Ontario.

"The current ward map fails to provide for effective representation because it divides cohesive neighbourhoods into two or more wards."

The election referendum wasn't binding because the 36 per cent voter turnout fell short of the required 50 per cent.

Because any change in the ward system or council structure must be in place by Dec. 31 for next year's civic election, Trosow said he's hoping the OMB will expedite the appeal.

Coun. Fred Tranquilli, who has led the push on council to downsize, was pleased.

"I support and encourage their appeal and I hope it is successful," Tranquilli said.

Deputy Mayor Tom Gosnell, who argued to keep the status quo, said Imagine London's appeal is welcome.

"But I don't know on what grounds they're appealing," he added.

"We held public meetings, there was a great deal of work done by the administration and the council and the vote is the vote."

Gosnell repeated statements that it's not the size of council, but the quality of its work that's important to the public.

"And the reality is that I don't believe in their concept," Gosnell said.

"It's an old concept that's failed where it's been tried. We already have a very democratic system of government that's served London well."

The Imagine London petition and ward design was backed by the Urban League of London, an umbrella group of about 50 community groups.

The petition asked the city to replace the existing seven, two-seat wards with 14 smaller, single-seat wards.

The smaller wards would be based on so-called "communities of interest" such as the core area or Old East Village.

The group's spokesperson, Stephen Turner, said the 14-ward system would have made election campaigns less expensive.

"Smaller, more cohesive communities are more likely to insist that candidates really hear and respond to their interests," Turner said.

A simple majority of council was required to reduce or change wards.

But to get rid of controllers, council needed a two-thirds majority -- 13 votes out of 19 -- as set out in the Municipal Act.

Tranquilli said he'll prepare a letter next week asking the province to reduce that two-thirds majority also to a simple majority.





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