Chair of Library Board has concerns - but council appoints Mayor Morgan anyways

The London Public Library Board has made it clear: the power of a strong mayor doesn’t belong on the board. CTV’s Daryl Newcombe has the details.

A last minute letter from the Chair of the London Public Library (LPL) Board raised concerns about the pending appointment of Mayor Josh Morgan, but failed to sway city council.

LPL Board Chair Brian Gibson’s letter warns that according to the Ontario Library Service Governance Hub, council members appointed to library boards are legally obligated to act in the best interest of the library.

“We are concerned that a Board member that holds Strong Mayor Powers will have outsized influence over any discussion by the Board concerning budget,” Gibson wrote.

The letter also includes a recommendation, ”We believe that it would be in the best interest of the Library to avoid any perceived conflict of interest that could arise from appointing the Mayor to the Library Board and that a Council member may be better suited.”

Last week, a majority of council’s Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee selected Morgan to fill a vacancy instead of Coun. Anna Hopkins who also put her name forward.

However, a vote to officially confirm Morgan’s appointment reignited a lengthy debate on Tuesday.

“A Strong Mayor is going to upset this balance that exists on this board, and the board doesn’t want it, and we’ve been very clear about that,” said Councillor Sam Trosow who sits on the LPL Board.

“I think this sets a bit of a dangerous precedent especially with the Strong Mayor Powers, and the mayor having to present a budget,” explained Councillor Hadleigh McAlister.

Among Morgan’s so-called Strong Mayor Powers, he must present a draft budget for council consideration each year and has the ability to veto subsequent budget decisions.

His veto can only be overturned by a two-thirds majority of council.

The city solicitor told council that the mayor would not be in a conflict of interest by sitting on the library board.

“I will not sit by and let people assume that there is a conflict when there isn’t. And that I’m not fully capable of managing the fiduciary responsibilities of multiple organizations at once - because I’ve been doing that for a long time,” Morgan asserted.

The mayor believes that by sitting on the library board he can more effectively present his strategy to address the LPL’s looming infrastructure gap estimated at between $24 million and $36 million by 2032.

Despite the letter, council voted 9 to 6 to confirm the mayor’s appointment to the library board.

After the meeting CTV News asked the mayor how he feels joining a board that wanted a city councillor instead.

“I’m a very collaborative individual. I’m happy to sit down and reach out to any of the board members and talk about our collective work together. And I think the library is going to do great things, and I’m going to be a contributing member,” he responded.

In January, Coun. Peter Cuddy was removed from the LPL board after missing three consecutive meetings.

The next scheduled meeting of the London Public Library Board is on March 20.