Ian McCormack

In local government, there is often an assumption that political careers move in one direction. A resident runs for council. A councillor becomes deputy mayor. Eventually, that person may seek election as mayor, or reeve, or warden. The progression seems pretty straightforward. What is less common, and often more surprising, is when a sitting mayor decides to run for council in the next election instead of seeking another term as mayor. From time to time though, this is exactly what happens....

Most local government councils invest significant time and energy into developing strategic plans. Council members participate in workshops, administration gathers input, community priorities are discussed, and eventually a document emerges that outlines where the municipality wants to go over the next generation based on the work the current council either starts or continues from previous councils. The challenge, however, is not creating the plan. The real challenge is funding it. Too...

It is becoming increasingly common to hear about Chief Administrative Officers changing positions after only a few years, and sometimes much sooner. While this is often a voluntary move, that’s not always the case. Not long ago, many municipalities could point to CAOs who spent a decade, and sometimes an entire career serving a single municipality. While long tenures have not disappeared completely, they are becoming less common across the profession. Today, a growing number of CAOs are...