This week Halifax councillors decided to look at tweaking HRM’s
electoral districts, reducing the number of councillors, changing the
relationship between rural and urban districts and increasing the power
of community councils.
The approved council motion sets out a tight timeline: By February
24, 2010, a committee will bring back “appropriate alternatives” for
HRM’s governing structure, including the size of council and its
relationship to the presently powerless community councils. By
September 28, 2012, the committee will bring forward proposed district
boundaries. And by December 31, 2010, we’ll enter the new age of
supposed rational governance.
But there’s no chance at all any councillor will agree to eliminate
his or her district, or that the province will sign off on a scheme to
change the HRM governance structure. Consider this simply an exercise
in political masturbation.
This article appears in Aug 6-12, 2009.
If fewer councillors is good for HRM population 370,000 when can I expect to see fewer councillors in the other parts of Nova Scotia ?
Nova Scotia has 55 municipalities: 3 regional municipalities, 21 rural municipalities and 31 towns.
Is a small council good for HRM whilst mickey mouse places like Lunenburg with just 2,317 people has a mayor and 5 councillors ?
Less councilors means less control, especially in the more rural areas of the city, which would bring back the whole debate around areas like Musquodoboit et al. being in HRM would fall back into place. I don’t see that happening anytime soon; especially since that would allow overzealous community groups that want Halifax to go back to a series of townships (here’s looking at you, Bedford) and HRM would lose significant tax revenues, etc. Masturbation indeed.