With the retirement of Joan Thompson, the City of Stratford is looking for a new CAO. This is not just another boring administrative detail, but an extremely important step for us, as Loreena McKennitt made clear in a recent presentation to Council.

The CAO appointment is crucial to the running of our city. The Chief Administrative Officer is the administrative head of our city, serving as the critical link between elected officials and municipal staff. As McKennitt put it, “to me, this sounds similar to a conductor of an orchestra helping the various sections move from conflict toward a harmonious end. Without such a person, those sections may head off too fast, too slow, or in the wrong direction.”

McKennitt’s calm and thoughtful presentation encourages us to see the human aspects of hiring a head of staff who reports directly to Council, supervises staff, and is responsible for implementing council decisions and managing day-to-day operations. This takes a special kind of person, one who can build a healthy team ethos that puts the interest of the municipality above all else, yet values the individual, and is not prone to power politics. Above all, the CAO’s role emphasizes operational efficiency and neutrality, allowing Council to focus on policymaking while maintaining accountability.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

In a participatory democracy, we all have a responsibility to make sure our government is at its best. The first way to do this is to keep up with the issue: attend council meetings, learn about the recruitment process, and give councillors our input on the qualifications or characteristics we believe are important in our city’s most powerful employee.

We should inform ourselves as best we can, to provide an educated viewpoint on this important hire. If you have relevant experience, consider offering assistance, or joining committees involved in the selection process. If there’s no public consultation, find out why not.

The person hired as CAO may be influencing our local government for the foreseeable future. Let’s advocate for an open and transparent hiring process that aligns with municipal policies and best practices.

Further reading:


David Siegel. Leaders in the Shadows, The Leadership Qualities of Municipal Chief Administrative Officers (University of Toronto Press, 2015 )

David Siegel. What do CAOs Really Do? Policy and Management Briefs, Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario. (Shorter, more concise description, taken from the book)