VIEW P OI N T
AMCTO Staff
Andy Koopmans, CPA, CMA, CMO
Executive Director
Craig Wellington
Director, Programs & Services
Rick Johal
Director, Member & Sector Relations
Roger Ramkissoon, CPA, CGA
Manager, Finance & Administration
Anubha Meta, Ph.D.
Manager, Education & PD
Program Development
Brenda Armstrong Johnston
Specialist, Membership Services
Michelle Sampson
Executive Assistant
Kathleen Barrett
Co-ordinator, Communications
& Marketing
Jeanne Moon
Co-ordinator, Programs & Services
Rosita Bourke
Co-ordinator, Programs & Services
Manjit Badh
Co-ordinator, Programs & Services
Eric Muller
Policy Advisor
Tawanda Chirenda
Co-ordinator, Accreditation
Jane Chevannes
Administrative Assistant,
Programs & Services
Who Should
Lead Us?
I
think it is fair to say that, since the
beginning of time, people around
the world have had their share of
both good and bad political lead-
ers. There have been those who have
led their countries in a caring and
compassionate manner and those
who have led with a combination of
fear and violence. There have been
those who have inspired their citizens
through their intellect and ability to
achieve results while others will be
remembered only for ineptness and
incompetence. And there have been
those (some might argue most) who
simply stayed the course and so are
memorable for not being memorable
at all. Even today, depending on your
personal viewpoint, our current North
American political leaders might be
considered among the strongest or
weakest leaders we have ever seen.
So how do we know if someone is
going to be a great political leader
or not? Is there a certain set of mini-
mum qualifications or standards
that they must meet before they can
be elected? Do they need to have a
certain amount of experience on the
job before they can be considered?
Is there a test they must pass before
they can be considered?
Unfortunately, in my opinion, the
answer to all of the preceding ques-
tions is simply no. Our assessment of
the potential greatness of a political
leader is generally reliant on our gut
instincts about them based on what
we hear from them or read about
them. We have to take their word, and
the word of the political machine that
Andy Koopmans,
Executive Director,
AMCTO
surrounds them, that there can be no
better person suited to lead us into the
future. We potentially have to assess
their possible greatness by reacting to
how approachable they are and how
likeable they are. It’s almost like going
out on a first date with them, except
for the fact that, if that first date goes
wrong, we still may end up “dating”
them for the next several years.
So should there be a different way
of picking our future leaders? Should
there be a qualification test they have
to pass to demonstrate that they
are personally and professionally
equipped to lead us? Do they have to
show us that they have appropriate
experience and expertise in a lead-
ership capacity before they can have
their names put in front of us for
consideration? We don’t let someone
drive a car without passing a driver’s
test. Perhaps we should be asking
whether we should let someone lead
our country, province, municipality,
or our organization without passing a
leadership test.
Over the next couple of months,
AMCTO will be seeking your input
on this very subject as it pertains to
your association. We will be asking
for your views on the matter of the
future direct election of your AMCTO
vice-president and also what, if any,
qualifying criteria future candidates
for this position must meet. Your
input on both subjects will be valu-
able to the board of directors so I
urge you to participate. It is your
association. We need to hear what
you think.
MUNICIPAL MONITOR
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