Petition seeks fewer wards

The number of signatures on it forces council to face the issue or face an appeal to the OMB.
JOE BELANGER, Free Press City Hall Reporter 2005-06-10 01:42:17

A petition signed by close to 1,000 Londoners calling for major changes to electoral wards was handed over to city officials yesterday.

The group that organized the petition -- Imagine London -- says city council must act on its demands for a new 14-ward electoral system or face an appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board.

"Unlike many petitions that are simply filed and forgotten, this petition has the potential to actually change the nature of London civic politics for years to come," George Sinclair, president of the Urban League of London, said yesterday.

"This petition is a direct response to council's apparent unwillingness to honour Londoners' desire for smaller, more effective government."

On Monday, council will vote on a recommendation to maintain the status quo of 14 councillors, four members of board of control and a mayor.

The recommendation flies in the face of a November 2003 election referendum in which a majority of voters wanted board of control abolished and the 19-member council cut.

The petition also calls for elimination of board of control, unlikely to be approved because it requires a two-thirds majority of the 19-member council.

Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco said she applauds the group's initiative, but warned council first must vote on the motion to maintain the status quo.

"But we'll certainly look at that proposal as we consider the issue," DeCicco said yesterday.

Staff in the city clerk's office issued a receipt for the petition, then began trying to verify that the 987 people who signed it are eligible voters.

"We were very careful in trying to get a balance of signatures from different neighbourhoods and I think there's a good cross-section of the city in it," Sam Trosow, a University of Western Ontario law professor, said yesterday.

The petition proposes a 14-ward system with one councillor per ward to replace the current two-councillor, seven-ward system.

Also, the new wards would encompass entire communities that share common interests -- such as the downtown, Old East Village or Old South.

The existing ward system is based on a diversity of interests, each including parts of several communities.

The November 2003 referendum wasn't binding because only 36 per cent of voters turned out, short of the needed 50 per cent.

Although council promised to debate the issue, it didn't surface until April, leaving little time for debate before a June 30 deadline to get changes in place before next year's civic election.

Sinclair is urging those who signed the petition to attend Monday's meeting "and watch history being made."





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