As the Oct. 24 Election Day approaches, North Bay mayoral candidate Johanne Brousseau is promising to further examine and implement solutions to curb what she says is one of her “pet peeves” — watching elected officials give up their elected seats to take on paid positions with the municipality.
Brousseau says actions from former councillors that apply for a position with the city while still sitting on council have put many in an awkward situation.
“If an elected member of council applies for a city position, they should resign from the elected position before they apply,” Johanne states.
See related: Brousseau says race isn't over, push for mayor's seat is on
If elected mayor, Brousseau promises a motion will be brought forward to council for a fulsome discussion on this practice, and to direct staff to develop a policy which reflects council’s position.
Brousseau is vying for the mayor's chair alongside fellow candidates Peter Chirico and Leslie McVeety. Chirico resigned from his council position over a decade ago to accept employment with the City of North Bay. In the most recent term, in which Brousseau served as a city councillor, Marcus Tignanelli resigned from council after receiving a job offer with the municipality following a successful application process.
See: BayToday's 2022 Municipal Election coverage
“I will encourage council to require that any elected official interested in applying for a position with the city must resign his or her seat prior to applying,” says Brousseau.
The current process puts City Hall staff in a very tough position, she adds.
"They certainly try to be neutral, and maybe the elected official is the best candidate for the position, but the overall perception is not good. For a fair and transparent process, a third party firm must be hired to take over the hiring process for all applicants for the posted position."
Brousseau points out that there are local companies that could conduct review applications, conduct interviews and finalize the hiring, without having to go far afield.
