Dundas councillor expected to head AMO

A Hamilton councillor is expected to become the new president of theAssociation of Municipalities of Ontario(AMO) this summer.

Russ Powers, who represents Dundas, will likely be acclaimed at the annual conference Aug. 19 to 22.

"If indeed what I'm hearing is true, it's an honour," Powers told CBC Hamilton on Monday.

AMO represents 420 municipalities in Ontario. Its mandate is to enhance the strength and effectiveness of municipal government.

Powers has served on the AMO board since 2006. For the last two years, he has chaired the regional and single tier caucus, which represents municipalities larger than 250,000.

If elected in August, the two-year term would require Powers to attend about a dozen meetings per year away from the city. He would serve on the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and attend board meetings in Toronto every two months.

But he would also attend monthly meetings with provincial cabinet ministers and be able to give his input, he said.

Powers has been in politics since 1982. He served on Dundas town council and Hamilton-Wentworth Regional Council, and as a Liberal MP from 2004 to 2006.