Markham Review- https://markhamreview.com/
February 9, 2023

Three-and-a-half months after a third of Markham’s registered voters cast their ballots in the municipal election, Mayor Frank Scarpitti has appointed the leaders of Council’s General and Development Services Committees.

“I am proud of the leadership and vision my colleagues will bring to these integral positions at the City of Markham,” he says of the committee appointments, which were ratified by Markham Council on February 8.

The General Committee is made up of all members of council. It makes recommendations to council on matters pertaining to finance and administration, community services, buildings and parks, and environment and sustainability issues.

That committee’s Finance and Administrative Chair is Ward 1 Councillor Keith Irish, while Deputy Mayor Michael Chan will serve as vice-chair. Ward 8 Councillor Isa Lee has been appointed chair of Community Services and Ward 8 Councillor Juanita Nathan has been named vice-chair. Environment & Sustainability Chair is Ward 6 Councillor Amanda Yeung Collucci and Ward 2 councillor Ritch Lau is vice-chair. Finally, Ward 5 Councillor Andrew Keyes will chair Land, Building & Parks Construction and Irish will serve as vice-chair.

The Development Services Committee is also comprised of all members of council. It reports and makes recommendations to council on issues relating to the City’s Official Plan, including land use planning, urban design guidelines, transportation and servicing infrastructure, environmental assessment, housing and heritage policies, parks and public open space policy and standards, as well as economic development and culture strategy.

That committee’s Planning – Development & Policy Chair is Regional Councillor Jim Jones and Vice-Chair is Regional Councillor Joe Li, who will also chair public hearings. Culture & Economic Development will be chaired by Regional Councillor Alan Ho, while Collucci will serve as vice-chair. Engineering – Transportation & Infrastructure Chair is Ward 4 Councillor Karen Rea and its Vice-Chair is Ward 3 Councillor Reid McAlpine. The Budget Committee will be chaired by Keyes and vice-chaired by Lee.

“I am confident they will continue to lead and invest in important projects and initiatives while delivering outstanding services that benefits the Markham community,” Scarpitti says of the appointments. “I look forward to working with the appointees over the next four years as we continue to make Markham a great place to live, work and play.”

Municipal councillors play three main and often overlapping roles: to represent the views of constituents, to establish policies that may determine the municipality’s future actions, and to act as a steward of the municipality’s financial and administrative resources.