What's a strong mayor? | Nerds on Politics

What are the new strong mayor powers being brought in by Ontario Premier Doug Ford? How will it affect politics in the two cities getting the new powers, Toronto and Ottawa?
The Progressive Conservative provincial government, under Ford, believes the traditional “weak mayor” system in Ontario municipalities is slowing the construction of much-needed housing. So it has given Toronto mayor John Tory and Ottawa mayor Mark Sutcliffe the ability to push through certain kinds of legislation without needing a majority of city councilors onside.
Historically in Ontario, mayors had one vote on council. They needed to get a majority of municipal council to vote with them to get anything passed. In Toronto and Ottawa, that will no longer be the case. And Ford has told the Association of Municipalities of Ontario he may expand these strong mayor powers to other cities, possibly including Mississauga, Brampton, Hamilton, Markham, Vaughan, Kitchener, London, and Windsor.
Critics have said the move is anti-democratic and undermines local government. But the Progressive Conservatives say since a mayor gets many more votes in an election than a city councilor and is elected city-wide, they should also have more power.
In this TVO Nerds on Politics explainer, Steve Paikin goes over some of the new strong mayor powers - such as being able to create new city departments, and unilaterally hiring and firing a municipality’s top civil servant.
Paikin also shares a theory that Ford became a convert to strong-mayor powers while he supervised his family business, Deco Labels and Tags, in Chicago, a city with a strong-mayor system.
This crash course is a good primer for anyone learning about municipal politics in Ontario, municipal elections, local democracy and government, Ontario political history, and provincial public policy.
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