After a strong reaction from the current board -- and a lack of detail about exactly what he had in mind -- Greater Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger agreed Tuesday to delay a vote on his plan to replace the board of directors at the Greater Sudbury Development Corp.
Bigger agreed to the deferral to give staff time to prepare a report on what a new economic development board would look like and operate, and perhaps explain how the Sudbury Select Cabinet he wants to appoint would be superior to the current regime.
Ward 1 Coun. Mark Signoretti, who regularly butts heads with the mayor, supported the delay but wanted staff to work with the GSDC and to focus its report on recommendations from a consultant the GSDC hired to look at ways to reform the way it operates.
That report, by John T. Dinner, recommended getting rid of all city council representation and having the board operate with independence similar to the Greater Sudbury Airport Board.
“The opposite” of what Bigger wants, Signoretti said.
“Thanks for your input, councillor,” the mayor replied.
Bigger is seeking to have city council take more direct control of economic development, replacing the board and bringing decisions directly to council.
But the move sparked outrage in some circles, with angry members of the board in the crowd at Tom Davies Square on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce also called for the decision to be delayed, saying it was looking for more detail about what the mayor had in mind.
While originally suggesting a deferral to the August meeting of council, the mayor agreed to wait until the Sept. 10 meeting to accommodate Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini, who can't attend in August.
In addition to delaying the GSDC decision, councillors also put off decisions on a policy to get dividends from Greater Sudbury Utilities, and whether to have staff draft a bylaw to prevent the downtown BIA from taking part in future legal appeals of city council decisions. The BIA is part of a planning appeal aimed at stopping the Kingsway Entertainment District.
Those issues were delayed because councillors refused to continue the meeting after 9 p.m., and will be dealt with at the August meeting at the earliest.
