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Aurora Votes 2026: Gallo reiterates pledge to “kick Strong Mayor Powers to the curb” in final heat of campaign

October 22, 2026   ·   0 Comments

It was a key platform plank when he launched his mayoral bid in May, and, at the start of the final full week of the municipal election campaign, candidate John Gallo reiterated his pledge to “kick Strong Mayor Powers to the curb” if elected October 26.

Gallo underscored this pledge at an announcement Monday morning at Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Park, adjacent to Town Hall.

There, he said Strong Mayor Powers are “fundamentally the wrong way to govern Aurora.”

“Our residents elected seven members of Council. They expect us to debate the issues, to listen to the community, and make decisions together. They did not elect one person to make decisions for everyone,” he said. “In 2023, the Province granted Aurora Strong Mayor Powers, supposedly to help municipalities build housing faster. At the time, Tom Mrakas acknowledged that he didn’t believe these powers were needed in Aurora. Since then, these powers have been exercised 73 times on matters extending well beyond housing.

“A tool that was justified largely in the name of addressing Aurora’s housing crisis has become part of the regular machinery of local government. I don’t believe that is healthy for our local democracy. My commitment is straightforward: As Mayor, I will not govern around Council. I will govern with Council. Democracy can sometimes be messy. People disagree, Councillors ask difficult questions, motions get amended, and sometimes the Mayor doesn’t get the outcome he or she wants. That isn’t dysfunction. That is democracy. I believe something else very strongly: leadership isn’t about accumulating power. It is about learning, earning support, building consensus, and representing the people residents elected.”

Speaking to The Auroran following his remarks, Gallo said he and his team have knocked on more than 12,000 doors over the course of the campaign and residents’ opposition to Strong Mayor Powers has been heard “loud and clear.”

While he said it is not necessarily a top-of-mind issue for residents on a day-to-day basis compared to traffic, safety, taxes, and snow and windrow removal, he’s heard “over and over that anyone who is supportive [of Strong Mayor Powers] doesn’t have their vote.”

“Those who know [about Strong Mayor Powers] know and don’t like it. Those who don’t know, have kind of heard of it but know nothing about it. Once we explain it, they’re on board with not wanting it,” he said. “Maybe a small percentage has said, ‘Well, what about the fact that two-thirds majority can override it anyway?’ I quickly explain that in Aurora there’s seven [members of Council] and those two-thirds includes the Mayor, so it’s very hard to overturn it. Once they see that percentage, they agree.”

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

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