Niagara Falls council votes to defer review of electoral system, causing one woman to swear at council when leaving
Some very angry residents during Tuesday night's Niagara Falls council meeting, after it voted to defer a review of the electoral system.
Councillor Mike Strange called for the deferral, saying the province is reviewing municipal governance, which could change how Niagara Falls looks.
One woman swore at council as she stormed out, using the "F" word as she complained of having wasted her time. That was followed by recent mayoral candidate Sandra MacKinnon, who yelled at council accusing it of abusing its power. The mayor asked for the Sergeant-At-Arms to escort them out.
Prior to the exchange, Councillor Lori Lococo, who brought forth the review, noted the number of people in the chamber who wanted to speak, as well as the people on-line.
However, council followed procedure in voting for the deferral, which did not allow debate. Councillors Lococo and Baldinelli voted against the deferral.
While he agreed with the review, Councillor Strange preferred to wait for the province's review of municipal governance. "So we have no idea what they're going to come forward with... Niagara Falls could be one city with the region, a 3-city, or a 4-city. Why would spend up to $150,000 to do the review, when the province is going to do this for us."
Councillor Lococo says the review is due to many years of discussion with residents, adding it's to look at other systems and not just the At-Large, which Niagara Falls operates under, and the Ward system.
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