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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 |