Work needed to support CAO profession

Alberta Municipalities has just released a "What We Learned" report on the Future of Municipal Government (FOMG) paper, Lonely at the Top: An Examination of the Changing Dynamics for Chief Administrative Officers in Alberta Municipalities.

The paper concludes that CAOs are community-minded public servants who take pride and ownership of their work and have strong relationships with their administration. It also reveals concerning trends of decreasing CAO tenure which can contribute to significant disruption to municipal organizations. The research points to negative political dynamics as being the greatest challenge of the role and most significant factor in increasing turnover.

Based on these findings and engagement with municipalities on ideas presented in the paper, ABmunis is exploring ways to partner with other municipal associations to bolster awareness of the differences in roles and responsibilities of elected officials and administrators. We are also pursuing opportunities to improve dynamics between council, administration, and the public through our Fostering a Culture of Respect initiative.