Whitby strong-mayor powers are drawing different answers from the three candidates seeking the town’s top elected office, with budget intervention, collaboration and restraint at the centre of their responses.
In an October 22 DurhamRegion.com questionnaire, Chris Leahy, Harshini Rajmohan and incumbent Elizabeth Roy explained whether they would use the powers and why. Each response was limited to 100 words and published ahead of the October 26 municipal election.
Their answers describe intended approaches to governing. They are not new mayoral decisions, approved budgets or a legal finding about the scope of the office.
Leahy would use powers in budget decisions
Leahy said he intends to use strong-mayor powers to manage the budget in taxpayers’ interests. He argues that their use can still involve council input, consultation with residents and wider community engagement.
His response connects that approach with proposed reductions in mayoral compensation and restoring funding for the library, Station Gallery and student summer jobs. Those commitments remain campaign proposals; the questionnaire does not establish their full costs or an adopted funding plan.
Rajmohan would not make them the default
Rajmohan said collaboration with council, professional staff and residents would be her preferred starting point. In her view, holding authority does not mean it should automatically be exercised.
She did not rule out using powers legally available to the mayor when circumstances require decisive action. Her response says any such decision should be supported by a clear public explanation, including when provincial priorities or the town’s interests are involved.
That position differs from a blanket promise never to use the powers. It emphasizes justification and circumstances rather than automatic use or automatic refusal.
Roy emphasizes consensus and limited use
Roy said she would continue to work towards consensus with council. She distinguishes the mayor’s responsibility in the budget process from other uses of the powers and says she has used them sparingly beyond that responsibility.
Her response emphasizes listening, explaining decisions and remaining accountable to residents. She also points to the public record of mayoral decisions on the Town’s website.
A governance choice for voters
The Whitby strong-mayor powers questionnaire presents three approaches: active use for budget priorities, case-by-case use after collaboration, and continued restraint alongside budget responsibilities.
It is separate from earlier reporting on the candidates’ growth, tax and hospital proposals. The new responses focus specifically on how executive authority would be exercised, not a newly enacted municipal policy.
Whitby residents can use the Town’s election information to confirm voting arrangements for the October 26 election. Individual campaign promises should be evaluated as proposals that may still require legal, financial or council processes, rather than commitments already in force.
