'Strong mayor' powers used to axe Windsor's top lawyer, engineer

Using new"strong mayor" powers, Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens has relieved twosenior bureaucrats the city's headlawyer and chief engineer of their positions.

Effective immediately,Christopher Nepszy, the city engineer andcommissioner of infrastructure services, and Shelby Askin Hager, commissioner of legal and legislative services, are no longer on the job, the City of Windsorannounced Wednesday.

The city says the departures come as a result of changesto its corporate leadershipstructure that weremade to "better serve the needs of its residents and streamline municipal operations."

Dilkens said that the new structure reflects a commitment to managing growth and innovation to achieve goals.

"This re-alignment is about strengthening city hall and ensuring a more effective decision making process," he said in a media release.

The city says recruitment for the two vacant positions will begin immediately.

While in the pastsuch matters would go to council,the mayor was able to make the decisions without a votethrough new powersextendedto some municipalities including Windsor earlier this year.

The powers include the ability to hire and fire seniors leaders, as well as the ability to veto council decisionson matters of provincial priority such as housing.

Decisions made by Windsor's mayor using these powers are logged on a city hall webpage.

The news of Nepszy and Askin Hager's firing came in an announcement about changestothe city'sorganizational structure.

Six city commissioners will now sit on the corporate leadership team: community services, finance and city treasurer, infrastructure services and city engineer, human and health services, economic development and corporate services.

According to the city's previous organizational structure, legal and legislative services had its own commissioner and was not under the umbrella of corporate services. The corporate services portfolio now includes the city solicitor.

As part of the restructuring, Wira Vendrasco becomes the acting city solicitor and Dana Paladino is the acting commissioner of corporate services. Mark Winterton is in the engineerrole in an interim basis.