Leading Canada's Cities? a Study of Urban Mayors
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Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 9-5-2018 1:00 PM Leading Canada's Cities? A Study of Urban Mayors Kate Graham The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Sancton, Andrew The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Political Science A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Kate Graham 2018 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Political Science Commons Recommended Citation Graham, Kate, "Leading Canada's Cities? A Study of Urban Mayors" (2018). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 5745. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/5745 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ABSTRACT How powerful are Canada’s big city mayors? Do mayors have the power to lead in Canada’s cities? What does mayoral power in Canada look like, and what can we learn about Canadian urban politics by examining it? This project explores these and other questions by engaging in the first broad study of urban mayors in Canada. It is often said that Canada has “weak” mayors, or a “weak mayor system” – terms borrowed from an American context referring to the limited executive power of Canadian mayors relative to many of their American peers. This study examines the Canadian mayoralty in its own context, through close examination of the role and power of the mayor in ten Canadian cities. Mayoral power is examined “on paper,” comparing the legal and institutional powers of mayors across cities; and, “in practice,” informed by interviews with mayors and those who work most closely with them. A new model for understanding mayoral power is advanced. This project finds that Canada does not have “weak mayors” nor does it have a “weak mayor system.” These terms reflect a narrow definition of mayoral power. In Canada, where the role and power of the mayor is largely undefined, institutional variables emerge as less important in practice than the type of leadership provided by the mayor. Canadian mayors are expected to simultaneously serve in three distinct roles – as political leaders, as executive leaders, and as community leaders – with each role involving different resources. Mayors are being uniquely positioned at the nexus of the network of actors who are engaged in local government, with an unparalleled ability to shape the engagement of these actors by virtue of their leadership (or lack of leadership). As a result, mayors play a shaping role in the governance of Canada’s cities. This is the power of a Canadian mayor. Mayors are important leaders in Canada, but they are often misunderstood. This study begins to address outstanding questions about the role and power of the mayor, while raising larger issues about leadership capacity in Canada’s cities. It is the beginning of a potentially much larger research agenda – and a contribution to a needed discussion about strengthening leadership in Canada’s cities. KEYWORDS: Mayors, local government, power, leadership, urban politics, cities ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project began in a boardroom at City Hall following the sudden resignation of the mayor – an event that sparked some chaos, much confusion and an unrelenting curiosity for me about the role of Canadian mayors. Exploring this topic has proven to be a profoundly fulfilling pursuit, and one which would not have been possible without the support of many individuals worthy of thanks. First, my advisor Prof. Andrew Sancton has been a steady source of wisdom, guidance and encouragement for this project from beginning to end. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to study with someone who is deservedly regarded as one of Canada’s leading local government scholars, and I have learned much from him through this experience. This project also spanned major changes in nearly every aspect of my life. I have benefitted tremendously from having a supervisor who cared not only about the research project but also the overall success of his student, academically and beyond. He set an example I will aspire to emulate when working with students in the future. Second, both this project and I benefitted from the guidance of other scholars. Prof. Tom Urbaniak provided helpful suggestions at key points during the project, including reviewing the project proposal and the final draft. Profs. David Siegel, Martin Horak, Zack Taylor and Neil Bradford provided thoughtful, insightful and challenging questions during the exam process – including some suggestions now reflected in this dissertation, and other broader considerations have provoked new curiosities that will influence my work in the future. Their comments have surely improved the final product. Any remaining errors or oversights are mine alone. Finally, I am grateful for the unwavering love and support from my family throughout this project, and in the personal and professional journey it has crossed. The accomplishment of reaching this finish line belongs to them. Kate Graham October 2018 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract Acknowledgements Chapter 1 | Introduction 1 Chapter 2 | The Mayoralty in Canada 12 Chapter 3 | Research Question, Methodology and Definitions 40 PART I: MAYORAL POWER “ON PAPER” Chapter 4 | Provincially Granted Authority 66 Chapter 5 | Locally Granted Authority 80 PART II: MAYORAL POWER “IN PRACTICE” Chapter 6 | Perceptions of Power 96 Chapter 7 | Political, Executive and Community Leadership 118 Chapter 8 | A Model of Mayoral Power 183 PART III: APPLYING THE MODEL Chapter 9 | Toronto: A Tale of Three Mayors 201 CONCLUSION Chapter 10 | Leading Canada’s Cities? 242 Appendices 253 Bibliography 261 Vitae 278 LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Comparison of mayor-council and council-manager forms of 29 government Table 2: Yates’ model of mayoral leadership 34 Table 3: Interviews completed, by perspective 63 Table 4: Language describing the role of the mayor in provincial 70 legislation Table 5: Overview of general municipal and city-specific legislation 73 Table 6: Mayoral authority in provincial legislation, by city 75 Table 7: Comparison of mayoral authority in provincial legislation 78 Table 8: Council composition, by city 82 Table 9: Mayoral appointment powers 83 Table 10: Status of mayoral role versus councillor role 85 Table 11: Resources provided to the mayor 86 Table 12: Parties and confidential meetings 88 Table 13: Mayoral power within council 89 Table 14: Mayoral authority through institutional arrangements 91 Table 15: Summary of institutional variables 92 Table 16: Responses to question, "Do you think the role of the mayor 103 is well understood?” Table 17: Use of words ‘lead,’ ‘leader’ and ‘leadership,’ by perspective 104 Table 18: Common Responses to “How would you describe the role of 105 the mayor?” Table 19: Frequency of the word ‘power,’ by perspective 107 Table 20: Perceptions of mayoral power, by city and perspective 109 LIST OF TABLES (CONT’D) Table 21: Roles mentioned in response to question, “How would you 114 describe the role of the mayor?” by perspective Table 22: Summary of interview responses, by role 115 Table 23: Expectations of mayors, by leadership role 120 Table 24: Expectations of mayors, by frequency expressed 121 Table 25: Power resources of mayors 194 Table 26: Perceptions of mayoral power within the Greater Toronto 228 Area Table 27: Mayoral power in practice – Mayors Miller, Ford and Tory 232 Table 28: Perceptional of mayoral power, urban vs. rural 249 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Svara’s mayor in council-manager cities interactions model 36 Figure 2: The role of the Canadian mayor 187 Figure 3: Mayoral power in Canada 192, 231 LIST OF CHARTS Chart 1: Mayoral power “on paper” and “in practice” 110 Chart 2: Perceptions of mayoral power, by province 112, 248 “It’s a big job. You’re the quarterback, the referee, the equipment manager, and the cheerleader – all at the same time. You’re seen as the person who controls everything, sometimes way beyond local government jurisdiction and definitely beyond what you actually control. People think you’re in charge, but you’re not really. When people are unhappy, they call you. It doesn’t matter what they are unhappy about – a big political issue, a family tragedy, or what happened on their morning commute – they call, and they want results. They reach to the leader who is closest to the people, and that’s the mayor. The role keeps evolving. It’s moved from a ‘chief magistrate’ to one that is something of a celebrity. But the bottom line is, it’s an awful lot of work and few people really understand it. It’s a job like no other.” - Former Canadian Mayor Chapter 1 | INTRODUCTION “You don’t understand the job of the mayor!”1 It was November 18, 2013, a particularly tense afternoon in the Council Chambers of Canada’s largest city. Toronto City Council had gathered for a special meeting to remove of some of the powers of then Mayor Rob Ford. Since his election as Mayor in 2010, Ford had been embroiled in scandal: reports of drunk driving, drug possession and domestic violence; a conflict of interest lawsuit, resulting in temporary removal from office; sexually explicit comments about the Mayor’s wife and a staff member; accusations of the Mayor attending official functions while intoxicated, sexually assaulting a former mayoral candidate, and smoking cocaine in a downtown bar; and, a Toronto Police investigation into the Mayor’s activities.2 The Mayor’s antics had become spectacle. It was the first time in memory when a Canadian mayor captured sustained international media attention.3 American comedian Jimmy Kimmel 1 Toronto City Council Special Meeting, November 18, 2013.