Carroll: Nunziata must approach speaker’s job differently
If York South-Weston Councillor Frances Nunziata is going to be Toronto Council’s speaker for the next four years, she’s going to have to change her tune said Shelley Carroll, the councillor picked to be deputy speaker by Mayor John Tory.
If York South-Weston Councillor Frances Nunziata is going to be Toronto Council’s speaker for the next four years, she’s going to have to change her tune said Shelley Carroll, the councillor picked to be deputy speaker by Mayor John Tory.
Carroll, who represents Ward 33 (Don Valley East), said if Nunziata, who represents Ward 11, continues to chair meetings in the way she did during the Rob Ford administration, Tory’s dream of a collegial city council will never come true.
Carroll and other councillors were frequently frustrated over the past four years by Nunziata’s often editorializing style in managing Toronto Council’s monthly meetings. Nunziata, however, was determined to be speaker again, and Mayor John Tory has agreed, recommending her to council.
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Carroll said Nunziata will have to approach the job differently.
"The tone is set by the Speaker in that room," said Carroll. "She’s going to have to do a complete 180 in terms of editorializing. We got the sense over the past four years that those things were being encouraged. The message the mayor’s office sends and Councillor Nunziata’s ability to get that message is crucial to the next four years."
Carroll also commented on Tory’s decision to appoint Don Valley East Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong (Ward 34) to the job of deputy mayor.
The role puts Minnan-Wong at Tory’s right hand, and also gives him the chairmanship of both the striking committee, which decides which councillors will sit on which committees and boards, and the Employee and Labour Relations Committee, which deals with collective bargaining.
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Some are questioning Minnan-Wong’s ability to behave in a bipartisan way, but Carroll said no one should be surprised Tory put Minnan-Wong in the role.
"I’m from North York, I know the history with the Minnan-Wong family, Denzil Senior and (former Ontario Premier) Bill Davis," said Carroll.
"The connection between John Tory and Denzil Minnan-Wong is almost familial."
Carroll said Minnan-Wong has proven his bipartisan chops when he led Toronto Council in stripping Mayor Ford of his powers last year.
"He got a wakeup call, when we needed to do something about the mayor’s personal life," said Carroll. "Denzil took a leadership role. I don’t think that was lost on the mayor elect."
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