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The following letter was received by JSC for publication from Councillor Lynn Kiernan
A View from a Ringside Seat
After eight years in public office, and particularly after the last four, I have had what I can only describe as a ringside seat to one of the most consequential and difficult periods in Caledon’s municipal history.
I have watched our community confront extraordinary growth pressures, significant changes in provincial policy, the introduction of strong-mayor powers and a changing relationship between Council and senior administration.
But from that ringside seat, I have also seen something more troubling: a deterioration in the respect and collegiality that should underpin good local government.
In my view, this culture was set and supported by Mayor Groves and CAO Nathan Hyde. Their conduct and leadership created and reinforced the tone within Council and the broader municipal organization. It became increasingly clear that disagreement was not always treated as a legitimate part of democratic debate, but as something to be discouraged or punished.
That tone was then reflected in the conduct of some councillors, who used their majority voting bloc to bully and marginalize colleagues who did not agree with them. The numbers became a substitute for respectful discussion, and the power of the majority was sometimes used not simply to advance policy, but to silence dissent and isolate those who asked difficult questions.
And I didn’t simply observe it. At times, I experienced it.
I experienced being dismissed, chastised and spoken to in ways that I did not believe were appropriate for an elected representative. I experienced interactions with the CAO that I found disrespectful and, at times, demeaning. I experienced what it felt like to ask difficult questions and know that doing so could make the next interaction more difficult.
I learned that there can be a price for refusing to simply go along.
But I also learned that you have to be willing to pay that price.
I wasn’t elected to make my own life easier; I was elected to represent the people who placed their trust in me — to ask questions, challenge decisions, speak up when something didn’t feel right and exercise my own independent judgment.
There were times when that was lonely. There were times when it was exhausting. And, yes, there were times when it became personal.
But I kept asking the questions.
From my ringside seat, perhaps the greatest lesson I take away is this: institutions are only as strong as the culture within them. Rules, policies and codes of conduct cannot substitute for leadership, fairness and basic human respect.
You can disagree without humiliating someone. You can challenge without intimidating. And you can exercise authority without diminishing those who question it.
This is a clear example of why Caledon needs a change of leadership. Residents should not be fooled again by promises of accountability, collaboration and respect if the conduct and culture of the past four years are allowed to continue. Caledon deserves better.
As I leave public office, I hope the next Council remembers that.
Caledon will continue to grow and change. There will be difficult votes and passionate disagreements. That is democracy.
But respect should never depend upon agreement.
And after eight years of seeing municipal government from a ringside seat, I remain convinced of one thing:
Public service should be demanding. It should never have to be demeaning.
