THUNDER BAY — Thunder Bay’s new city council has taken a key step as it assumes the reins of the municipal government, selecting councillor and citizen representatives for city committees and the boards of numerous outside agencies, from the community auditorium to the health unit.
Mayor Ken Boshcoff also won council approval Tuesday for a staffer hire, and pushed successfully for the mayor to have direct hiring and firing control over that policy assistant position, the only one reporting directly to the mayor.
Boshcoff signalled an intention to be closely involved in a wide range of files, securing appointment to 14 different boards and committees on Tuesday.
Coun. Trevor Giertuga brought up that number without directly commenting on it at Tuesday’s meeting, noting some councillors will sit on as few as three committees or boards.
Unsurprisingly, one of Boshcoff’s appointments was to the Thunder Bay Police Services Board, on which the mayor has a reserved seat and typically sits.
He will be joined by Coun. Shelby Ch’ng, whose appointment earlier this year was re-upped by the new council Tuesday.
After Boshcoff, Coun. Brian Hamilton took on the largest number of appointments with six. All other councillors ranged between three and five appointments.
Following deliberation in closed session, city clerk Krista Power announced the following appointments to outside boards:
- Thunder Bay District Social Services Administration Board: Albert Aiello, Kasey Etreni, Hamilton, Greg Johnsen, Dominic Pasqualino, Boshcoff
- Thunder Bay Public Library: Michael Zussino
- Thunder Bay Community Auditorium: Giertuga, Boshcoff
- Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission: Hamilton, Boshcoff
- Thunder Bay District Board of Health: Etreni, Boshcoff
- Lakehead Region Conservation Authority: Aiello, Giertuga, Johnsen
- Lakehead Board of Governors: Zussino
- Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association: Kristen Oliver, Boshcoff
- Victoria Avenue BIA: Rajni Agarwal
- Victoriaville board of management: Mark Bentz
- Waterfront Development: Andrew Foulds, Zussino, Boshcoff
- Waterfront District BIA: Foulds
Highlights of council appointees to city committees include:
- Accessibility: Hamilton
- Anti-Racism & Equity: Johnsen, Boshcoff
- Clean, Green & Beautiful: Agarwal, Boshcoff
- EarthCare: Foulds
- Elders Council: Ch’ng
- Intergovernmental Affairs: Ch’ng, Etreni, Oliver, Pasqualino, Boshcoff
- Parking Authority: Hamilton
- Sister Cities: Giertuga, Boshcoff
- Downtown Fort William Revitalization: Bentz, Hamilton
Council also appointed citizen members to those committees and outside boards.
Not all appointments were filled, said Power. The city will hold another recruitment for citizen representatives beginning Dec. 9 and closing Jan. 9. Residents interested in applying can learn more at the city’s website.
A number of unsuccessful candidates in the recent municipal election took up citizen roles.
Jason Veltri was reappointed to the city's Anti-Racism & Equity committee, along with other citizen members including Paul Magiskan.
Candidates Stephen Margarit and Brian Phillips were among those appointed to the city’s Clean, Green & Beautiful Committee.
Candidate Matthew Villella, who previously chaired the Sister Cities Committee, was appointed to the EarthCare Advisory Committee.
Kelly Fettes and Chris Krumpholz were appointed to the Sister Cities Committee, while Krumpholz will also join the Thunder Bay Parking Authority board.
The city was not immediately able to provide a complete list of citizen appointments.
Boshcoff staffs office
Council approved Boshcoff’s hiring of Larry Joy as policy assistant to the mayor on Tuesday. Joy was a longtime constituency assistant and campaign manager to former Thunder Bay-Superior North Liberal MPP Michael Gravelle.
The position, taking direction from the mayor, is intended to assist the mayor in policy research and development, as well as supporting the city’s advocacy efforts and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee.
Boshcoff called for the mayor to have direct hiring and firing control over the position, saying a city hiring process meant Joy had not been able to start until this week.
“The incoming staffer for a mayor should start when the mayor starts,” he said in a recent interview. “It’s really quite unfair to not have that happen … It’ll be something that we sort out so it doesn’t happen to the next mayor.”
Council passed a motion he put forward Tuesday to authorize the mayor to “directly recruit and appoint” the position, and specifying the staffer “serves at the pleasure of the Mayor.”
