The Marrocco-Collingwood inquiry (Part 3)

A notable centrepiece of his proposals is to redefine and prescribe the roles of the mayor (or head of council), municipal council members, and the CAO or city manager. First Recourse to the CAO A "first recourse" to the CAO reinforces the principles of managerial responsibility and, ultim...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Municipal World 2021-10, Vol.131 (10), p.23-25
Main Authors: Fenn, Michael, Siegel, David
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accountability
Councils
Decision making
Ethics
Leadership
Local government
Managers
Municipal government
Municipalities
Public interest
Reforms
Roles
Values
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Summary:A notable centrepiece of his proposals is to redefine and prescribe the roles of the mayor (or head of council), municipal council members, and the CAO or city manager. First Recourse to the CAO A "first recourse" to the CAO reinforces the principles of managerial responsibility and, ultimately, democratic accountability of the municipal public service. A detailed description of the mechanism of authority should be set out as between the city manager, department heads, and the mayor and council.8 Rather than leaving these fundamental goals to be implemented according to the discretion of individual councils through a municipal by-law or employment contract, Marrocco proposes that Ontario join most other Canadian jurisdictions by amending "the Municipal Act to describe fully the role and responsibilities of the chief administrative officer. "11 A century ago, the council-manager plan and the position of city manager (or CAO) were created to be a bulwark against recurring threats to good municipal government.
ISSN:0027-3589