Local Government
Durham Region is governed by Durham Region Council, which consists of the Mayors of the local municipalities as well as Regional Councillors directly elected in each municipality. The list below indicates the number of Regional Councillors elected in each local municipality.
- Pickering - 3
- Ajax - 2
- Whitby - 3
- Oshawa - 7
- Clarington - 2
- Uxbridge - 1
- Scugog - 1
- Brock - 1
The Council is led by a Chair, who is selected by the Council itself rather than direct election by the public. The current Chair is Roger Anderson. In 2006, Pickering, Ajax, and Oshawa placed non-binding referendums on their local election ballots to ask voters whether the Chair should be directly elected. Over 80% voted in the affirmative, and so this issue is likely to be a major one during the current term of Council.
The current council was elected in November 2006. In the past, Council has sat for a three year term, but the Ontario Legislature recently passed legislation increasing the length of municipal council terms in Ontario to four years. A municipal election took place in November 2010.
Read more about this topic: Regional Municipality Of Durham
Famous quotes containing the words local and/or government:
“[Urging the national government] to eradicate local prejudices and mistaken rivalships to consolidate the affairs of the states into one harmonious interest.”
—James Madison (1751–1836)
“The putting into force of laws which shall secure the conservation of our resources, as far as they may be within the jurisdiction of the Federal Government, including the more important work of saving and restoring our forests and the great improvement of waterways, are all proper government functions which must involve large expenditure if properly performed.”
—William Howard Taft (1857–1930)