The Ontario government is looking to grant so-called strong mayor powers to leaders in 169 more municipalities.
That includes every single one in Essex County, except Pelee Island.
The PC government first granted the powers to the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa, and since then has expanded them a few times, with the list currently at 47.
Strong mayor powers allow heads of council to propose bylaws and pass them with the support of one-third of councillors, veto bylaws and hire and fire department heads.
Essex Mayor Sherry Bondy is against the powers and says she'll be bringing forward a motion asking the province if they can opt-out, adding the powers create a dictatorship.
"We raised a motion to let the provincial government know that this is not democracy," says Bondy. "You know, people go to the polls and elect a council and that council makes decisions based on majority and consensus around the council table, not just one person calling the shots."
She says the powers are creating a slippery slope for democracy and the province needs to re-consider this move as soon as possible.
"We've seen what happens in other communities and it seems like a dictatorship," she says. "The province should really consult the residents that they represent and say 'is this something that we feel is democratic'. It feels like we're going backwards and this is not going to work in Essex Council and there's no way I'll exercise any strong mayor powers."
Bondy adds a special meeting can be called to get a consensus from council, if needed.
"You know in the event of an emergency, where something has to be done, if there's a fire, flood or storm, those little powers can come into play then but not in everyday business," says Bondy. "This is a slippery slope for democracy, I'm very alarmed and I think the province should reconsider this ASAP to restore democracy to our residents."
The province says expanding the powers starting May 1st will allow municipalities to build infrastructure and homes faster.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens was granted strong mayor powers in 2023, and has used them 75 times since then.