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The headline to the article by city affairs journalist David Nickle on a stronger city mayor and the Toronto/Chicago mayor power comparison sets the theme for a more inclusive public debate. The need to get the right governance model for the megacity remains an unresolved public issue and influences almost all decisions and policies in city council. And by extension this need impacts the lives of those who make Toronto home.

Obviously the politics of a major American city differs significantly from our Toronto. Americans start with a presidential model and quite distinct separations of elected office - especially executive and legislative. Party politics is deeply entrenched. Chicago is predominantly Democratic in its city council and mayor. The notion of checks and balances is also different.

In the City of Chicago voters also elect two officers - City Clerk and Treasurer in addition to ward representatives (roles similar in some ways but more expansive than those with same titles in Toronto).

City politics scandal seems also more prevalent in Chicago. In the last city election one observer commented, "The patronage sentencing and cases have tended to disrupt Mayor Dale's campaign organization."

(You might also notice that the Chicago website is quite less informative than Toronto's about city affairs - such as committee memberships.)

Our City Council falls into the "parliamentary" model and in its collective wisdom acts as the ultimate democratic check and balance within the city. Parliaments are the ultimate peoples' court. While growing muscularity in the Prime Minister's and Premier's offices and now the mayor's seem too often to ignore this tradition of power; our elected city councils have an almost supreme role in our city governance.

To incrementally assign powers to the city mayor might seem to be acts of common sense. However, members of council are correct to reflect and question the long-term outcome.

The 2005 Governance Panel ignored party politics, parliamentary concepts in Canadian governments and the need for other elected offices. It seems time to reopen the debate on governance of the city in time for the next municipal election. Should the city be more like Chicago and take over the public school boards?

Brian V. Ralph