There is a lot of misunderstanding about what a mayor actually does. The mayor isn’t the boss of council. The mayor doesn’t make municipal decisions alone, and the mayor doesn’t direct individual staff. The Municipal Act, 2001 gives the mayor an important leadership role—but it is a role exercised through council, through relationships and through representing the municipality.
After four years in the job, I have a much clearer understanding of what that responsibility really means.
Chairing council means facilitating, not controlling
One of the most visible parts of being mayor is chairing council meetings. The chair’s job is to facilitate discussion and debate—not dictate the outcome. That means making sure councillors have an opportunity to ask questions, challenge recommendations, raise concerns and put forward different perspectives. It means keeping the discussion focused, making sure the rules are followed and helping council get to a decision.
Sometimes that means listening to an argument I don’t agree with. That’s part of the job. Council is made up of people who were elected independently, with different experiences, priorities and points of view. We aren’t supposed to agree on everything. My responsibility as chair is to make sure those differences can be discussed respectfully and productively. I don’t believe a good chair is the person who talks the most or gets their way. A good chair creates the conditions for council to have a meaningful discussion and make a thoughtful decision.
The mayor doesn’t make decisions for council
The Ontario Municipal Councillor’s Guide makes an important distinction: council is the decision-making body, and the mayor has one vote, just like every other member of council. Council establishes policies, determines municipal services, makes financial decisions and sets the direction of the municipality.
That means my job isn’t to get my way. I can advocate for an idea. I can put forward a position. I can ask questions and argue for what I believe is best for our community. But once council has debated an issue and made a decision, that decision is the will of council.
I don’t have to personally agree with every decision to respect the democratic process. In fact, I believe that’s an important part of leadership. The responsibility of the mayor is to help council make good decisions—and then, once those decisions are made, support them and help make them work. There is a difference between advocating for a position before council votes and undermining a decision after council has made it. I have tried to respect that throughout my term.
A mayor’s job extends well beyond the council table
The Municipal Act also gives the mayor a significant role in representing and promoting the municipality outside our community. This is a part of the job that residents don’t always see. It means building relationships with provincial and federal governments, ministries, neighbouring municipalities, municipal organizations, community partners and other organizations. It means advocating for West Nipissing and making sure our community has a voice when decisions are being made elsewhere.
Over the past four years, I’ve participated in more than 25 ministerial delegations and worked to build relationships at other levels of government. We’ve seen the results, including a $30-million provincial commitment for the Champlain Bridge, up to $18.16 million in provincial funding toward the Verner drinking water project, and significant outside investment in projects such as Goulard Park. I’ve also represented West Nipissing at provincial and national municipal tables and conferences, including through my work with AMO and AFMO.
Those aren’t simply ceremonial responsibilities. For a community our size, relationships matter. We have to make sure people know who we are, understand our challenges and see the opportunities in our community. A mayor needs to be willing to make those connections and advocate for them.
The relationship with staff matters
There is another important distinction in municipal government: the relationship between elected officials and administration. Council sets direction, establishes policy and makes decisions. Administration provides professional advice and implements those decisions. The Municipal Act recognizes the important role of municipal staff in providing advice and carrying out council’s decisions. Where a municipality has a Chief Administrative Officer, the CAO is responsible for the general management and administration of the municipality.
The mayor therefore isn’t there to micromanage staff or tell individual employees how to do their jobs. But the mayor does have a responsibility to provide leadership and help create a healthy relationship between elected officials and administration.
I have taken that responsibility seriously. When I became mayor, there was work to do inside Town Hall—not just with policies and procedures, but with organizational culture and relationships. How elected officials treat staff matters. Whether professional advice is respected matters. Whether people feel they can do their jobs professionally matters.
We’ve recruited a new CAO, strengthened the organization, undertaken operational work and continued modernizing how the municipality operates. Those things may not be as visible as a new bridge or a new recreation facility, but they are important to building a municipality that can serve residents well.
So what have I actually been doing?
When I look back over the last four years, I don’t measure my term by how many times I spoke at a council meeting or how many decisions had my name attached to them. I measure it by whether I helped this municipality function better.
I came into the job with no previous municipal or political experience, and there was a lot of work to do. We had infrastructure challenges, organizational issues, strained relationships and a reputation that had suffered. Four years isn’t enough to fix everything. But we are much further ahead than where we started.
We’ve rebuilt working relationships around the council table. We’ve strengthened the organization. We’ve advanced major infrastructure projects. We’ve secured significant outside funding. We’ve invested in our community. We’ve advocated for West Nipissing at other levels of government and given our municipality a stronger voice beyond our own borders.
None of that happens because the mayor can simply order it to happen. It happens through leadership, preparation, relationships, good debate, sound decisions and follow-through.
That’s how I understand the role of mayor. It’s not about being the boss of council. It’s about helping council function. It’s not about controlling the conversation. It’s about making space for good debate. It’s not about making every decision. It’s about helping council make good decisions—and respecting those decisions once they’re made. And it’s not just about what happens inside the council chamber. It’s about representing West Nipissing, building relationships and making sure our community has a strong voice wherever decisions affecting us are being made.
We still have important work ahead of us. But I am proud of where we are today, and of the part I have played in getting West Nipissing here. I came into this role determined to help restore confidence in our municipality and get us back to doing the work residents expect their municipal government to do. Four years later, I believe we have made real progress—and I believe that work is worth continuing.