It’s a debate that Londoners have heard many times at city hall – and it’s about to return.
Should London city councillor be a full-time job?
Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis and budget chair Elizabeth Peloza have sent a letter that will be received by the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee (SPPC) meeting next week aimed at discussing the future of governance in London.
“The realities of the role of councillors being full-time in a city fast approaching half a million people also need to be addressed in a manner that allows full thoughtful discussion and public engagement in order to have any changes in place well in advance of the next election,” Lewis and Peloza wrote in their letter.
Currently the role is considered a part-time job that carried a salary of $54,191 in 2022. While the role is considered to be part-time, few members of council have other jobs.
Various politicians have suggested the city explore making the role full-time over the last two decades, most recently in 2019 when then-Ward 1 councillor Michael van Holst brought up the idea.
The motion heading to SPPC will ask the city’s governance working group to look at full-time councillors and several other issues.
One is the creation of a more formal roles for deputy mayor and budget chair.
“For example, should the deputy mayor automatically be the chair of governance working group and the budget chair be the chair of the audit committee? Should the two positions be formalized as deputy mayor of strategic plan and deputy mayor of finance? Should both positions receive an additional stipend for the additional workload? Likewise, does a stipend need to be provided for boards and commissions to compensate for the uneven workload carried by councillors in this capacity?,” the two politicians wrote in their letter.
The motion heading to SPPC also outlines concerns about the way citizens are appointed to committees and boards in the community – in the wake of the controversy surrounding Ryan Gauss getting recommended for a spot on the London Police Service Board, only to have council back track and send the process back to the drawing board.
Peloza and Lewis put an interview process component – much like council is doing for the police board opening – into their motion.
The two councillors are asking for the governance working group to meet no later than the middle of next month to discuss the potential changes.
The SPPC meeting is on Monday at 4 p.m.
