During Tuesday’s council meeting, Prince Edward County mayor Steve Ferguson faced a motion of no-confidence brought forward by Councillor Corey Engelsdorfer.
The motion saw council split down the middle, with seven voting in favour of the motion, and seven voting against it. In the event of a tie, the motion fails.
In his motion, Engelsdorfer cited hardships experienced by Wellington residents during the ongoing water infrastructure construction project, with road closures and other impacts being poorly communicated to residents.
Residents around Wellington have complained about traffic disruptions in the area, with Wellington Main Street closed for the installation of a new trunk line. Businesses have been experiencing a loss of revenue with decreased traffic, and surrounding roads have been deteriorating as they’re exposed to heavier traffic than normal.
He also claimed that the relationship between municipal staff and the mayor had deteriorated to unhealthy levels.
The resolution called for council to declare a lack of confidence in Mayor Ferguson, that the mayor commit to timely sharing of information with council, reducing municipal debt, improve communication regarding the ongoing Wellington water project, and request that the province stay the upcoming granting of strong mayor powers to the municipality in May.
The motion prompted vigorous debate across the council chamber, with Councillor MacNaughton taking over as chair as the item was deliberated. The motion drew criticism from many members of council, with a common thread being that while some aspects of the motion might warrant a discussion, sticking them to a motion of no-confidence in the mayor frames the discussion in a very negative way.
Many council members voiced their concerns about the potential for Mayor Ferguson to receive strong mayor powers from the province. Many councillors expressed their concerns that granting the extra power to the mayor could damage the council’s ability to work together collaboratively.
Strong mayor powers include extra veto power for the mayor in certain cases, such as in matters regarding housing, and the ability to unilaterally hire for some municipal positions that previously required council approval.
Prince Edward County is among 169 communities set to receive the powers, along with other communities in the Quinte region. Quinte West, Brighton, Cobourg, Napanee and Bancroft are also being offered the powers, while Belleville has had them since 2023.
During an interview with Quinte News after the meeting, Mayor Ferguson said that he understands the frustrations of Councillor Englesdorfer and the residents of Wellington, and that he will work on better communication.
“I hope everybody takes some some lessons from this discussion, and we apply those in the way in which we interact with each other and with the public,” Said Mayor Ferguson. “I’m as interested as anybody in working collaboratively to work in the best interests of our residents and our businesses.”
Mayor Ferguson wasn’t sure if he would accept or reject strong mayor powers if they were given to the municipality.
“Let’s see what comes forward from the from the province, if it does come forward to Prince Edward County, there’s still a chance it might not,” said Mayor Ferguson. “Council talked about a special meeting. I think that’s appropriate, so we’ll go through a fulsome discussion.”
Speaking after the meeting, Councillor Englesdorfer said the discussion council had over the motion was important.
“I think it was a discussion that has been a long time waiting,” said Councillor Englesdorfer. “It was good to see council members providing a lot of input and really thinking about the issues that we’re facing right now, so I think it was a good outcome.”
After debating, council agreed to amend the motion to remove the clause where Mayor Ferguson would reject strong mayor powers, so it could be discussed in greater detail at a later meeting.
After the amendment, the vote was called with councillors Englesdorfer, Prinzen, Nieman, Branderhorst, Braney, Harrisson and Pennell voting in favour.
