At the beginning of February, clerk Maria Konefal announced her last day in that position would be May 1, marking 38 years in the role.
To fill the vacancy, the city did not have to look too far afield.
On April 2, it was announced that Thomas Thayer had been hired as the new Clerk/Director of Legislative Services and would begin those duties on May 11.
Exactly one month later, we sat down with Thayer, who had previously served as CAO and Deputy Clerk at the Municipality of Bayham.
Previously, he had been the Deputy Clerk in the Municipality of Trent Hills, east of Peterborough.
Thayer admits the time has flown by, starting with a council meeting on the first day in his new office overlooking Talbot Street.
“You know what? It’s been a quick month. When I started the first day, we had a council meeting, right? So there was a council meeting, trial by fire, jump right in.
“And the way that they do council here is a little bit different than what I’m used to in Bayham. So, you know, pretty steep learning curve.
“But we’re four council meetings in now. We’ve got one next Monday before the summer recess. Things have been quick, and I’m lucky I have a really good team to help me kind of wade into things.”
During his five-year tenure in Bayham, Thayer had the opportunity to look west at the rapidly evolving developments in St. Thomas.
“When I was taking a look at this job, I was thinking, you know, you’ve got a city that’s seven times the size of Bayham. The opportunity to step in as a city clerk and lead the clerk’s office, and do some interesting stuff. I couldn’t not take the opportunity.
“Well, that just means the next few years are going to be really interesting. So I think there’s a lot of interesting projects on the go. A lot of stuff that the leadership team and council will be discussing and bringing forward. How to move the city forward in a productive manner.
“I’m looking forward to being a part of that. I’ve built my career on just taking on new challenges.”
His leadership skills played a critical role in Bayham being the recipient of the E.A. Danby Award, presented by the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario.
Named after the organization’s inaugural president, the awards are presented annually to one or more municipalities that demonstrate an initiative or a willingness to explore innovative techniques that produce tangible results related to the efficiency and effectiveness of the municipal corporation.
Thayer explains what led to the prestigious recognition.
“I guess the circumstances for it came up in kind of a serendipitous fashion. We had a building official who was retiring. And we had a public and a council that was interested in enhancing our bylaw enforcement service.
“And we’re a small municipality. So, replacing long-tenured staff can be difficult. You’ve probably seen it around the county trying to recruit treasurers, for instance. It’s been difficult the last few years.
“But that means that there’s going to be turnover at the mayor’s seat. We have strong mayor powers here. So it’s going to be interesting to see how that impacts council/staff dynamics, how that impacts council composition.”
“Malahide, they were interested in expanding their building service and expanding bylaw enforcement. So we really had a situation where the two municipalities could work together.
“Malahide had some funding through the municipal modernization program. So, myself and Malahide’s CEO at the time were able to put together an RFP (request for proposal) to get a consultant on board to help us develop what eventually became this reciprocal shared service where Bayham provided bylaw enforcement.
“We staffed a full-time bylaw enforcement officer. And then Malahide, they staffed the building department. They expanded their building department. And it immediately resulted in cost savings to Bayham for building.”
We talked about his immediate priorities, ever cognizant of this being a municipal election year across the province, and a vacant mayor’s seat.
“I think because it is an election year, a priority is the election and trying to encourage voter turnout. Joe has publicly stated that he isn’t going to run. So if that does come to fruition, we’ll know more as of nomination day.
“But that means that there’s going to be turnover at the mayor’s seat. We have strong mayor powers here. So it’s going to be interesting to see how that impacts council/staff dynamics, how that impacts council composition.
“We’re really trying to get a handle on what a new council is going to look like. So I’m very interested to see what the election turnout is like and what the council composition looks like in November and the new term.”
The St. Thomas mayor was granted strong mayor powers by the provincial government, an authority that Mayor Joe Preston firmly indicated he would never employ, insisting on working in tandem with what he referred to as a dream council.
“A new mayor, especially one with strong mayor powers, is a bit of a game changer. I was taking a look at, you know, factors that influence CAO tenure, that sort of thing. And one of the things that is kind of like a push factor. Where the CAO leaves is changing the council dynamic.
“And it is something that CAOs and senior staff members across the province are very anxious about going into the election, because, unlike 2022, this crop of mayors that has strong mayor powers is the first group to run knowing what powers they’ll have, whereas the mayors now just inherited them. So they’re a little bit apprehensive to use them.
‘Somebody who knows the powers that they’ll have, maybe will want to use it. And that can put strain on relations.”
“The challenge is getting people out of the apathy mindset to actually look into the candidates and get invested a little bit to then come out and vote. Because that’s when our voter turnout goes up, that’s when we get better candidates. That’s when we get a council that functions.”
Thayer stresses that your vote matters most at the municipal election level. And yet, the 2022 municipal vote was just over 30 per cent in St. Thomas.
“I don’t think there is a silver bullet for that. This is my third election, and I volunteered for other ones too. There are certain demographics that will always come out and vote. Your older demographics will do that. It has been instilled in them that it is their democratic duty to vote.
“I think there’s a lot of apathy out there nowadays because of political fatigue. And maybe it’s not so much at the local level, but it’s everything in the news about provincial government this and the federal government that and global politics this, and it’s unfortunate because really your vote matters the most at the local level.
“That’s where you get most of your services. You can literally walk into city hall and pay a tax bill or request this service or that service. You can do that. You can’t do that with an MP or an MPP. So, you know, when you look at declining voter rates, it’s disappointing, and I don’t know how you curb it.
“I know that younger demographics are facing a lot. You’re coming out of school into a kind of chaotic economy. If you’re my age, you’re late thirties, early forties, you’ve got the mortgage and the spouse and the kids and the car loans and all these sorts of things to focus your energy on rather than who’s running for council.
“So I think that’s part of it, but there are so many variables at play when it comes to this. There’s no real, you know, central cause that you can nail it to. It’s a confluence of things.”
And voting has never been easier, noted Thayer.
“The challenge is getting people out of the apathy mindset to actually look into the candidates and get invested a little bit to then come out and vote. Because that’s when our voter turnout goes up, that’s when we get better candidates. That’s when we get a council that functions.
“We have a great council right now. That’s where we get the continuity. And that is only better for staff in the city.
This is an exciting time for the city, and Thayer is confident that he brings much to the table moving forward.
“I feel thrilled to be here. Looking forward to working with the team, moving the city forward. It’s an interesting time for the city, and I’m looking forward to bringing not only my clerk knowledge, but also, maybe a little bit of my CAO and planning and kind of municipal generalist knowledge to the city.”
And, if you ever have dealings with the new city clerk, make sure to ask him about the weather. He has a warm spot for all things of a meteorological nature.
ROUNDABOUT REVELATION
Last week’s item dealing with the proposed roundabout at the intersection of South Edgeware Road and Burwell Road prompted the following letter from long-time reader Dave Mathers. It is a copy of a letter he has sent to Mayor Joe Preston.
“I want to thank the city for publishing the traffic study for the intersection of South Edgeware Road and Burwell Road.
“This study proves the point I have been trying to make for 15 years.
“There is a westbound advanced green, but no eastbound advanced. And to make matters worse, the westbound advance is full-time on weekends, but traffic-controlled during the week when the factories are operational.
“That advance was put in over twenty years ago to accommodate the two thousand employees working at the Sterling plant. That plant has been gone for fifteen years.
“Meanwhile, many, many homes have been built north on Burwell. The numbers from the traffic study clearly show that there are fifty per cent more eastbound left turns than westbound left turns. (Morning – 88 vs. 53 and evening 177 vs. 133).
“There is nothing more frustrating than coming home around five p.m. and having to wait through two or even more light changes to turn north on Burwell.
“This is an easy fix. Please share this with the ‘appropriate’ authorities!”
Related post:
TRAVELLING BACK IN TIME
It may just be an elderly railway passenger car, but to one member of city council, it has far greater significance.
Last week, we referenced a request from DDB chair Grayden Laing for council’s approval to install new windows in the organization’s attractively liveried railway car.
Coun. Earl Taylor – a long-standing chair of the DDB – saw the bigger picture.
He prefaced his remarks with, “All of my comments are going to be in the positive, but I do want to chat a little bit about what has happened here in regards to the $15,730 that is being spent by the Downtown Development Board.”
Taylor continued, “The downtown development board would not have to be coming up with these funds, which is, of course, placed onto the shoulders of our downtown businesses, if it hadn’t been for the closure of the Elgin County Railway Museum.
“I’m not saying there’s anything wrong. The Elgin County Railway Museum closed for specific reasons. But the downtown development board purchased the 120-seat Quebec coach about 12 years ago when I was chair, and we wrapped this car, and it’s being used in many of our downtown events like Nostalgia Nights and Oktoberfest, and thousands and thousands and thousands of people come to St. Thomas to ride it.
“When the DDB coach comes out of the Elgin County Railway Museum, it will not be permitted to go back into the railway museum because of safety reasons. So, the only reason we’re spending money on this DDB coach, $15,000, which thankfully is actually being funded by the railway museum and paid back by the DDB over two and a half years.
“We do thank ECRM for that because uh we don’t have that in our budget today.”
Taylor reminded council that St. Thomas is ‘The Railway Capital of Canada,’ and perhaps “We need to do a little bit more in preserving the heritage of the railway history that we have in our city.”
For the foreseeable future, the railway car will need to be stored outside, possibly at the tourism office downtown or perhaps in Port Stanley in the Port Stanley Terminal Rail yard.
Taylor continued, “I wouldn’t mind if somewhere in our strategic plan down the road of creating some sort of heritage park where things like this could actually sit outside until the Elgin County Railway Museum gets things organized and be able to store these things properly.
“I just wanted to make a comment about that. I think we need to do more as a city in promoting our heritage as ‘The Railway Capital of Canada.’
“We have lots of heritage, lots of things happening in our downtown with the railway look, but maybe just advance the idea of a heritage park, somewhere where people can come to St. Thomas and see it rather than waiting for a facility (the museum) to open.”
Related post:
THE ECHO CHAMBER
No shortage of feedback on last week’s item dealing with rent relief for The INN and The Railway City Lofts, operated by Indwell. And here is a sampling:
Dawn Docker wonders:
“Will the ‘outstanding rent arrears’ be added to my tax bill?”
Henry Silverthorn offered these extremely valid observations. And, keep in mind that last week’s item was not critical of the efforts of both organizations; it was, instead, a critique of how the rent issue was handled by the city.
“Both provide services to the city’s most vulnerable on different parts of the housing spectrum. A homeless individual would transition from The INN to supportive housing, where the units are very affordable and have specialized staff on site to help transition peopel towards independent housing.
“That could mean helping them deal with addiction issues or finding a job, etc. That is what Indwell does for the city. It’s a shame that wasn’t well explained in the article.
“A housing system must provide the opportunity to carry someone from homelessness back to independent living. Indwell fills that gap and is worth the investment.”
Wendy Brown Herrett wrote:
“Are the tenants of Indwell not issued a monthly income through the city? If so … why would the rent not be taken off the top? Instead of free housing? If we, as tenants, fall behind, we get evicted, no matter what our income is.”
Perhaps there is some confusion here. There are two rents at play. The monthly sum tenants pay to Indwell, and the rent that Indwell, in turn, pays to the city for use of the downtown building. The area of concern is the latter, which is also relevant to The INN.
Questions and comments may be emailed to City Scope
Visit us on Facebook
And a reminder, I can be heard weekday afternoons as news anchor and reporter on 94.1 myFM in St. Thomas. As always, your comments and input are appreciated.
