CAMA Toolkits & Other Resources

CAMA Launches Toolkit for the Effective Executive Assistant to the Chief Administrative Officer

June 7, 2023

CAMA Launches Toolkit for the Effective Executive Assistant to the Chief Administrative Officer

Huntsville, ON (May 31, 2023) – Having appreciation for the role of the Executive Assistant in local government, the Board of the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA) developed a “Toolkit for the Effective Executive Assistant to the Chief Administrative Officer” which was launched during a presentation at the 2023 CAMA Conference at the Deerhurst Resort.

This Toolkit was compiled, produced and authored by Jennifer Goodine, CAMA Executive Director (and former Office Administrator to the CAO and Mayor of the City of Fredericton), with the assistance of a National Committee of the following local government Executive Assistants that work, or have worked, with CAOs and senior managers from across Canada, from all size municipalities.

Cassandra Rutland, Executive Assistant to the Chief Financial Officer and Commissioner of Corporate Services, Region of Peel, ON
Beth Readman, Executive Assistant to the CAO & Administration, County of Lennox and Addington, ON
Victoria Bowering, Executive Assistant to the CAO’s Office, City of Nanaimo, BC
Elizabeth Grenon, Executive Assistant, City of Dawson, YT
Jacquie Thrower, Executive Assistant, Township of West Lincoln, ON
Roxana Dima, Executive Assistant to the City Manager, City of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, QC
Safiya Khan, Asset Management Specialist, City of Mississauga, ON
Tracy Hart, Executive Assistant, Office of the CAO, Town of Truro, NS
Denise Habibovic, Retired Executive Assistant to the Chief Financial Officer and Commissioner of Corporate Services, City of Mississauga, ON

The primary audience of this Toolkit is the Executive Assistant to the CAO in local government, which includes existing Executive Assistants with experience in the role, as well as new Executive Assistants with minimal local government experience.

“While this Toolkit is meant to be a resource to Executive Assistants in local government, it is also focused on how a CAO or senior manager can effectively use their Executive Assistant to improve their own productivity and build a successful partnership” said Bev Hendry, CAMA President and CAO for the Township of West Lincoln, ON. “Thank you to our members, and your Executive Assistants, who completed our 2022 survey so that we could provide a Canadian perspective on the Executive Assistant to the CAO role, hearing from both sides.”

The Toolkit will help Executive Assistants, gain a new perspective on their role and highlight the many benefits that they bring to the CAO, the organization, and the community. It provides an introduction to local government and the various roles and responsibilities of those positions; insight into the role as the Executive Assistant; offers tips on the many office and leadership skills that are practiced every day; political acumen tools, as well as best practices on building relationships and networking, exercising self-care, and how to adapt to new leadership – just to name a few. There are also “words of wisdom” from Executive Assistants across the country, along with some case studies of real-life scenarios, downloadable resources, and links to additional materials that will support this profession.

As well, it provides the CAO with some guidance on ways to build a partnership with your Executive Assistant. The topics in the CAO Chapter include the hiring process (with a sample job description, posting, and interview questions), a business case to Council if you don’t currently have a staff member in this position, finding the right personality and fit, and some tips on communication, performance evaluations, and delegation. The CAO Chapter has been provided in a separate document for easy reference or on Page 143 of the Toolkit.

“The more effective the Executive Assistant, the more effective the CAO…and the more effective the organization, Council, and the community. We hope that this resource will assist Executive Assistants and CAOs to build stronger working relationships based on increased trust and improved communication.” said Jennifer Goodine, CAMA Executive Director. “I was honoured to work with an amazing team of Executive Assistants across the country who have brought their firsthand experiences in local government, specifically to the CAO and other senior managers, to the development of this guide.”

Please forward this Toolkit to your Executive Assistant and all your administrative staff as the skills highlighted are transferrable. Your senior leadership team can also benefit from reading the CAO Chapter. It is a public document and can be found on the CAMA website (and also in the above-noted links).

Download postcards for you and your Executive Assistant to help you both be successful in your partnership:

Got questions? Want more information? Contact Jennifer Goodine, Executive Director, CAMA National Office, 1-866-771-2262, [email protected].

CAMA’s Positioning on Strong Mayor Legislation & the Role of the Chief Administrative Officer

March 27, 2023

In July 2022, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced the intention to provide heads of Council in Toronto and Ottawa with “Strong Mayor” powers such as the ability to veto Council decisions, prepare the budget, enact legislation with less than majority of Council support, and appoint and remove high-ranking staff members including the CAO. This legislation provides new authorities to the Mayors of Toronto and Ottawa, and the Premier indicated it could be extended to other Cities. While the CAO position may be maintained under Strong Mayor Legislation, the staff organization now effectively reports to the Mayor, rather than to the CAO and Council.

Recognizing the importance of the role and significance of the Chief Administrative Officer position in Canadian Municipal Government, CAMA prepared a “White Paper” on Ontario’s Strong Mayor Legislation and the Pivotal Role of the CAO in Providing Good Governance.

We would like to thank those of you that had the opportunity to provide your feedback to our consultant, StrategyCorp, during the research phase of this paper. Your comments were taken into consideration by the Committee and the Board to ensure that we had a pan-Canadian approach on this subject.

This resource reinforces the benefits of an apolitical public service led by an effective CAO and communicates a major impact of Strong Mayor Power. If the Strong Mayor Legislation is applied to other municipalities across Canada, it erodes one of the tenets of municipal good governance: an objective, professional, non-political public service led by a Chief Administrative Officer or City Manager,

In addition to all of the Provincial/Territorial Administrator Associations, this paper has also been shared with the Deputy Ministers and Assistant Deputy Ministers of the Local Governance and Municipal Affairs Departments across Canada, relevant Think Tanks, and other interested parties. It is to be used as a reference point for researchers and writers who are addressing Strong Mayor Legislation in policies, journals, and opinion papers on municipal reform.

We would encourage you to take the time to review the White Paper to understand the potential impacts of Strong Mayor Power and to learn more about the measures to maintain good governance, administrative stability and sound-decision making processes. You are also welcome to share it with your membership as it is a public document. As noted above, we have shared it with the Municipal Affairs Departments across Canada, however we understand that you have some great working relationships with them as well so you may wish to follow up directly.

You can access the press release here.

You can access the full paper here (or attached).

CAMA hopes that this paper will become a valuable resource to support you and your Association along with your Provincial/Territorial networks.

If you have any questions or require additional information, please don’t hesitate to contact me at [email protected]

Sincerely,

Bev Hendry

CAMA President

CAMA Introduces New CAO Performance Evaluation Toolkit: A Guide for the CAO and a Guide for the Mayor & Council

January 9, 2023

Recognizing the importance of the relationships between the City Manager, Town Manager, or Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), and Mayor and Council, the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA) launched a CAO Performance Evaluation Toolkit in 2017. Over the years, we have heard feedback from our members and their Councils on the Toolkit, and are pleased to provide you with a new updated and improved 2023 edition with a “Guide for the CAO” and a “Guide for the Mayor & Council”. These resources are available for free to member and non-member municipalities.

CAMA understands the challenges that both staff and Council face in conducting performance evaluations. To assist, we encourage a broader, more holistic understanding of performance conversations, which form “part of an ongoing process, not just an annual event”. This new Toolkit is flexible and customizable, and provides CAOs and their Councils, with best practices to ensure that performance management is fair and effective.

“Guides are available for the CAO and the Mayor and Council to help define the roles, and to create a process to hold open conversations to assist in achieving a collective vision, and reaching strategic goals for the success of the organization and the community”, said Bev Hendry, CAMA President and CAO for the Township of West Lincoln, ON. “There is no right or wrong process or one that’s perfect. What worked last year may not work this year depending on the complexities, so it’s important to customize the best performance evaluation that works for everyone.”

This Toolkit can be used for a

a CAO and Council that are developing a new process and it is their first time conducting a performance evaluation; or
a CAO and Council that already has an existing process with specific templates that already work well, but would like to add some other components and best practices.

This three-step performance evaluation process starts and ends with the CAO. The CAO provides an Information Package to the Mayor & Council with both parties agreeing on a process. The Mayor and Council review the CAO’s Self-Evaluation, provide their feedback and create a Final Performance Evaluation Report as step two. In the third step, elected officials and the CAO sit down to discuss the Final Performance Evaluation Report, establish new goals for the CAO to meet over the next year, and sign off on the report.

What is included in the CAO and Mayor & Council Guides? Both guides offer information on the value of performance discussions, quick reference guides of the three-part process, a sample performance evaluation template without a rating system focusing on the specific annual Council and CAO goals, a sample mandate letter outlining the annual expectations of a CAO, a checklist, and a sample timeline. The CAO Guide provides details on completing the self-evaluation and Information Package, while the Guide for the Mayor & Council outlines the specific steps that should be followed in preparing the Final Performance Evaluation Report and meeting with the CAO. To make it easier to see the final product, we have also prepared a completed sample Final Performance Evaluation Report and Mandate Letter.

With the goal of the performance evaluation to provide the CAO with meaningful feedback, hiring a third party, such as a consultant, to work with the Mayor and Council as a neutral party may be an option. For the CAO, it provides meaningful feedback, it separates the message from the messenger, and focuses on results-oriented opportunities. For the elected officials, it professionalizes the process, values all opinions around the table, makes the process easier with one person responsible for managing the evaluation from start to finish, and it creates clarity.

“As a national association focused on administrative excellence in local government, this Toolkit is about building better municipalities together,” added Hendry. “We are excited to give back to our profession by making this free resource available to Canadian municipalities.”

The Toolkit and the above noted resources are available by clicking on the links above and on the CAMA website.

Bev Hendry

CAMA President