We asked, you answered.

City council will vote on a motion to potentially stop a project to convert Morris Street into a two-way bikeway—in light of a letter from Tim Houston expressing his government’s opposition to the plan.

This project has sparked a lot of different conversations about the role city council has been or should be playing, the power that the mayor should be able to wield over the decisions made in council and, finally, how much say the premier’s office should have over the whole operation.

The argument has been brought to the forefront after Premier Houston blasted city council about—among other things—the decision to make Morris Street in the city’s downtown core one-way to accommodate a bike lane.

Houston has gone on record saying that his government is looking at strengthening mayoral powers—saying there’s a disconnect between the needs of residents and the recent decisions taken by Halifax council.

Right now, each member of council gets a single vote on whether to move ahead on project, so giving Mayor Fillmore more power could allow him to veto decisions made by council—like the Morris Street bike lane project, for example.

Meanwhile, one political science professor at CBU has explained the Nova Scotia government should be cautious as it considers giving mayors more power—authority that could create a “mini American presidency” in communities across the province. She says the province would be wise to wait and see how stronger mayoral authority plays out in Ontario municipalities before following suit.

So we asked you what you thought and—as usual—you did not hold back.

Here are the official poll results:

Here are some of our favourite reader responses:

Yes! Give the mayor more power. It could help him tackle issues he was elected to fix.

“I think that the spending for bike lanes and disruption to streets has gotten out of hand. There are spots in my area of the city, where double transit buses cannot get through. I worry about fire and ambulances having proper accessibility. I think plowing more money into more firefighters, paramedics, police and respective equipment is a priority, not bike lanes for which less than 1000 people use. Put money into a more reliable bus service and winter tires which doesn’t stop when weather is snowing if you want people to use less vehicular traffic.”

“Council seems out of touch with reality.”

“The councilors are in the the way of making decisions for the people. They have their own agendas and don’t get anything done in a timely manner. They should all go. Costing us time and money. Give mayor a staff that can get the wishes of the people and move ahead!”

“Council is not representing the majority of the people. I’m all for biking and enjoy it a couple of months a year, it’s safer than walking. If we were a new city and could plan for bike lanes that would be wonderful, however, Halifax is an old city with narrow roads, it’s just not working. The cost is also prohibitive, it’s not council [money], it’s the people’s money, be more careful.”

“In reality, all city council should be abolished! Time for all the ass-hats to go.”

“The manner in which bicycle lanes are negatively affecting traffic conditions in the city is unacceptable. The only solution to the problem is to improve transit so all the people living in the suburbs and having to work on the peninsula have a reasonable way to get to work – and cycling is not the answer. The money being spent on bike lanes would be better spent improving transit. If cyclists obeyed the Rules of the Road, there would be no need for bike lanes as traffic would be less aggressive to the rule-breakers that make up a large percentage of cyclists today.”

“Coucillors are ruining the usability of city streets for EVERYONE trying to use them. NO ONE WAY ON MORRIS”

“If it could stop this bike lane nonsense in a city that’s not geographically conducive and a huge waste of funds, then I vote yes now. ”

“The council is run by several bullies who are out to undermine the mayor. I wouldn’t normally agree that this was a good idea but given the situation it’s necessary”

“Nothing will ever change with this sheep council. They keep Nova Scotia so far behind the times. We need some major changes in this Province to get with the rest of the country! The people of Nova Scotia deserve better than this!”

No! Leave council as is. We need all the perspectives and voices we can get.

“One person should not be given that kind of power. The council represents the people and we need healthy debate, different voice/opinions and voting of the council for the people. One person power for all was taken away years to ensure that just one person’s view did not decide the outcome.”

“If there is a move to give veto power to the mayor, then there should be a new election for mayor as the job will have change so drastically that it is a new office.”

“Houston’s action undermines the fundamental basis for democratic government. What is the point of having a municipal council if decisions by its members can be overruled by a single individual?”

“There are risks, for power concentration that can lead to abuse, corruption, without strong he is. Weakened councils and voter disengagement and lack of transparency.”

“Tim Houston’s arrogance is evident again. He did not campaign on fracking and uranium mining nor did he campaign on vetoing HRM decisions. Many who voted for Houston (I did not) are upset by his post-election decisions, even some staunch Conservatives.”

“Fillmore has shown more than once that he wants to be in power. He’s never stepped up for the community so far. It’s all platitudes. Halifax isn’t a kingdom it’s a diverse and large community with lots of issues. Keep our democracy in tact.”

“The relationship between the mayor, the premier and the lieutenant governor is questionable at best. While I do not agree with making Morris Street one way I think more public discussion is needed rather than giving more power to the mayor. The city can continue the work while having a pause on Morris Street.”

“The accumulation of power in the Premier’s office is extremely troubling and definitely to be avoided. Houston is acting as though he wants to be a Trump mini-me.”

“This is a conservative attempt to control council. As it is that mayors are politically aligned, premiers can in effect control council through the mayor. This is yet another assault by conservatives to the democratic process.”

“I know Sam Austin has said don’t personalize the debate but as you say do we want a mini American experience. Mr. Fillmore has a highly personal agenda and I think he needs checks and balances, God we don’t need another one who thinks he is an expert on everything and sees advice as a challenge of his superiority.”

“I greatly fear the imbalance of power being given to one person on council. It robs our councillors of the power to represent our interests and our concerns. The mayor can be unduly influenced by rich and powerful developers and contractors and others. I trust the wisdom of the council. ”

“We don’t even know where Mayor F stands on so many issues, he’s only been there a short while and has shown to change his tune readily, at least when it comes to progressive steps like Morris St. What a foolish thing it would be to give him that much more power, too much of a gamble.”

“It seems that anything Houston pushes for is bad for the province. Having Mayors in the province become his puppets is a step towards provincial autocracy. Would someone please take that man for an extended swimming lesson.”

“Strong Mayor legislation would be fundamentally undemocratic. I strongly oppose this completely unwarranted attack on our council. This was not discussed at all during the last election. We, as citizens, deserve better.”

“We already have a dictator for the premier of the province. This is another step on his way to fall power over the province and everyone in it, including his BFF, Andy Fillmore.”

“As bad as many municipal councils have during my lifetime, I cannot think of one that would have been as bad as if their decisions were substituted by those of Peter Kelly, John Savage, Andy Fillmore, or Tim Houston.”

“It’s downright hurtful to hear our mayor whinge about not being able to do the peoples’ will and get rid of bike lanes, in light of the large protest from the people that he provoked. It’s not really about the peoples’ will that has he and Tim riled up, it’s their own will, which isn’t supposed to their job in the first place!”