Mayor Dave Augustyn says he is not surprised regional council pushed his motion for an elected regional chair six months down the road.
It will give regional councillors more time to consider the proposal, he said.
Last Thursday, Augustyn presented a motion asking regional council to start the process for direct election of the regional chair by all of Niagara Region’s electors during the 2018 civic election.
The regional chair is currently selected by the 30 regional councillors.
All other Ontario regional governments have chairs elected at large by residents or are in the process of doing it, Augustyn said.
Waterloo Region made the change 17 years ago. York Region has a bill before the Ontario Legislature and Peel regional council directed its staff to move toward it for 2018.
For Augustyn, the motion is a change of heart.
During the 2014 civic election campaign, he said he was reluctant to have the regional chair elected at large. It could bring party politics into local municipal government.
The mayor said Monday it seems party politics is already entrenched in regional government.
So, it is time to consider a more democratic approach. It would make the regional chair accountable to the electorate rather than to the majority of regional councillors.
The mayor said the six-month deferral will give those in favour of a directly elected regional chair time to persuade regional councillors that it is a good idea.
