Growing up in London, Ont., Rachel Yantha has seen first hand the impact of municipal decisions on residents. When an opportunity arose to research a vital civic topic at the mayor’s office, the Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) student jumped at the chance to participate.
Yantha is among the first group of students to carry out research on municipal issues, as part of a new partnership between Western’s Local Government Program and the Office of the Mayor in London. Under the partnership, MPA students can choose from a list of research topics and apply for selection to be part of the research project. They will then periodically present and discuss their findings with the mayor and City staff.
From the first week of October to the end of December 2023, Yantha was at the mayor’s office, looking into records from municipalities in southern and southwestern Ontario, to answer a question she had been asking herself: How do municipalities use strong mayor powers?
“It’s a hot topic in public administration,” she said.
“I examined the functioning of 30 mayors in Ontario, comparing instances when they directed city councils on decisions. I looked at decisions where mayors used these powers to add people to committees or push through bylaws. I wanted to see which mayors were using these powers to solve the housing crisis, as it was intended, or just using these powers because they could,” said Yantha.
Periodically, Yantha would brief the mayor’s office about her findings.
“Perhaps mayors and municipalities are still trying to get a grasp of what can be done with strong mayor powers. It will be interesting to see if, after elections, new mayors use these powers to overturn their predecessors’ decisions.”
MPA student Jacob Sookraj
Jacob Sookraj, with a BA in criminal justice and public policy, was interested in looking at supports and compensation for councillors.
“I wanted to compare cities the size of London, in terms of population, and in terms of ratio of constituents to representatives. I looked at office budgets, compensation for the mayor and councillors, how many support staff they had, and what sort of stipends councillors received when they were on standing committees. Basically, I wanted to see if London was at par with similar cities,” said Sookraj.
His research fit perfectly with his studies at Western.
“We have a finance, economics and policy class. Going through the numbers for Ontario cities, I was able to actually look at what we’d discussed in class and understand city budgets a little better. I could also get a better idea of the budgetary split between the region and cities,” he said.
Sookraj’s experience debriefing the mayor’s office about his findings also helped him consider his future.
Joseph Robert Lyons, professor and director of the Local Government Program (Faculty of Social Science photo)
“It definitely got me more comfortable with the idea of working in the mayor’s office. It was a fascinating experience. It helped me understand different municipal roles and supports,” he said.
Mayor Josh Morgan expressed his support for the partnership and the work being done by the students.
“Being a Western grad myself, I understand the value of collaboration between academia and local government. Working with students not only provides fresh perspectives but also fosters a culture of innovation and learning within our city offices. I’m proud to support this partnership and look forward to seeing the impactful research outcomes from these motivated scholars,” he said.
The Local Government Program, which has been in place at Western for five decades, is Canada’s only graduate public administration program specializing in local government. Over this time, more than 1,500 graduates have completed diplomas or MPAs and have gone on to work in local governments across the country.
“This partnership has been extremely valuable for the students who have had a chance to participate. It has given them real-world experience in the midst of their studies and insight into some of the pressing issues facing the City of London and municipalities across Ontario,” said Joseph Robert Lyons, professor and director of the Local Government Program.
“I am grateful to Mayor Morgan and his chief of staff, Nathan Smith, for being so supportive and providing such interesting projects for the students to work on. This partnership is a great example of a mutually advantageous collaboration between the university and the city and is something that I hope we can continue for years to come,” he said.
