By Cecilia Nasmith
The new term of Cobourg council is considering replacing the co-ordinator/portfolio structure with a standing-committee structure.
The move will be made, if at all, following a governance structure review. Meanwhile, at Monday's meeting of the new council complement, assignments were made and approved of representatives to various committees and boards.
Mayor Lucas Cleveland – Town of Cobourg Holdings Inc., Northam Industrial Park and Audit Committee
Deputy Mayor Nicole Beatty – Northam Industrial Park, Cobourg Police Services Board, Audit Committee, and board of management for the Downtown Business Improvement Association
Councillor Adam Bureau – Cobourg Police Services Board and Community Emergency Management Program Committee
Councillor Brian Darling – Audit Committee, Water Quality Accountability Liaison Committee and Community Emergency Management Program Committee
Councillor Aaron Burchat – Cobourg Library Board and Art Gallery of Northumberland
Councillor Miriam Mutton – Water Quality Accountability Liaison Committee and Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority
Councillor Randy Barber – West Northumberland Physician Recruitment and Retention Board and Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority
Bureau pointed out that, while he was pleased to serve on the Cobourg Police Services Board with the Deputy Mayor, council's appointees in the past have always included the mayor.
Cleveland said the change had been undertaken at his request, going into a rapid-fire list of family members (including his father) who were or had been police officers.
He had spoken with the integrity commissioner about whether a conflict of interest applies in this case. It does not, he said, but the commissioner allowed that there could be the perception of a conflict of interest.
Cleveland mentioned another consideration – the increasing focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.
“We would want to get ahead of that and ensure we have a male and female representing council,” he said.
“That's sort of my rationale behind it. I hope that clarifies things.”
