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THE NEW CMO
CMO mandate The Task Force recommended that the mandate of the CMO be changed to be a management and leadership focused designation with a minimum eligibility requirement of three years of municipal management experience. The new CMO program will certify the core skills, knowledge and expertise required to be a successful municipal manager. The CMO will remain a competence-based designation, requiring applicants to prove skills and knowledge within the following eight competency categories:
• Municipal Operations
• Communications
• Service Delivery
• Government Relations / Citizen Engagement
• Strategic / Organizational Management
• Human Resources Management
• Financial Management
• Leadership
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• Ben Puzanov, MCIP, RPP, Senior Planner, Middlesex
• Nancy Wright-Laking, CMO, City Clerk, City of Sarnia
• Manon Levesque, CMO Deputy City Clerk / Sous greffiere municipale, Clerk’ s Department / Departement du secretariat, Cornwall
• Susan Jones, CMO, General Manager, Emergency & Protective Services, City of Ottawa
• Sharon Vokes, CMO, Clerk / Director of Council Services, Grey County
• Candace Thwaites, CMO( AMCTO Board Representative) Project Manager / Deputy Clerk, Gravenhurst
• Regan Legassie, CTDP-Lieutenant- Colonel, Chief of Staff, Naval Personnel & Training Group, Govt. of Canada
AMCTO staff Debra Bellamy and Craig Wellington ably supported the group. Rick Johal and Andy Koopmans also provided valuable context as needed. This Task Force is to be commended for their hard work, good discussion and contribution to the advancement of this cause.
The Task Force reviewed the accreditation research report, as well as a range of local, national and international resources including management competency models from Ontario and Canadian municipalities, and the Ontario Public Service, to develop a Competency Framework for Municipal Management, which identifies the core leadership and management competencies required to be a successful local government manager. This framework was used as a guiding document to identify the core competencies of the new management focused CMO.
The Task Force wrestled with a number of key issues. Firstly, the question of“ who is a CMO?” The designation purports to guarantee that the holder has attained the highest standards in municipal experience and expertise. However, is it intended to reflect management / leadership excellence, or is it
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a measure of general municipal competence? It was recognized that while there are myriad technical municipal designations, there was no specifically focused credible municipal management designation. This was a gap that AMCTO, with its newly focused mandate on Management and Leadership support, was uniquely positioned to address.
Second, if we focused solely on municipal management accreditation, there was a concern that we may exclude members who lack management responsibility, but are desirous of attaining a designation that reflects and respects the level of knowledge and expertise they have achieved. The Task Force proposed that a tiered approach may address both elements.
Third, we heard, and personally experienced, that the application process is a bit confusing with many pieces to the puzzle. We needed to streamline the application and reapplication process without decreasing its rigour. A designation that demands hard work is far more meaningful to its holder than one that does not. We needed to find a balance.
Fourth, we felt there were two types of critical linkage we needed to explore. On one hand, members needed to enjoy credit for legitimate education or qualifications already attained( such as a CPA) while, on the other hand, we felt the time is right to reinitiate dialogue with other municipal organizations to explore linkages. There is greater strength in numbers and more legitimacy to the CMO if it has global support.
Finally, there was recognition that while there exist technical designations for a range of municipal operation areas, there was a gap in the sector for a professional accreditation for municipal Clerks.
Summarized below is the essence of the recommendations made by the Task Force, which the board has reviewed and adopted:
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This refined focus for the CMO addresses the gap in the marketplace for a municipal management specific designation and alleviates any confusion about what is a CMO.
Ongoing maintenance A requirement for ongoing maintenance is essential for all valued professional accreditations. The new CMO will transition to a Professional Development Units( PDU) based means of maintaining the designation rather than having to recertify every five years. We recommended a two-year cycle for maintenance of the designation without the need to automatically submit any documentation. Rather, as professionals and consistent with current best practices, it becomes incumbent upon the holder of a designation to maintain their competency by engaging in various means of attaining PDU credits, keeping track of those credits and being able to respond, as necessary, to
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SERGEY NIVENS / SHUTTERSTOCK. COM |