Editor: Johnny Carson puts the sealed envelope to his forehead and pronounces, “A literal inside job.” He unseals the envelope and reads, “What is C-K’s Deputy CAO all about?”
It may not initially stand out that two of the minimum requirements for the DCAO job are a Masters of Public Administration and at least eight years’ municipal experience. Sounds reasonable. Does it matter that none of our prior CAOs since amalgamation would qualify to apply as the CAO’s deputy (Don Shropshire, Rob Browning, Gerry Wolting, Joe Pavelka)?
Most good potential applicants in Ontario would not qualify because the MPA is a bit of an obscure degree and others come from the private sector.
Like Johnny, I predict that there is an inside senior staffer who happens to have an MPA and happens to have been hired just over eight years ago. You might say that the job description was tailored to qualify this individual and to disqualify most potential applicants.
Of course, this is just a prediction, but the strange tailor of the qualifications is hard to ignore.
And if I am correct that the qualifications have been tailored, then the bigger questions are: “Why is our CAO looking to create a job and fill it with a pre-selected inside staffer, but give the illusion that there is a genuine search for the best person for the job? Why not be transparent with the public and tell us that it’s a done deal instead of all the subterfuge?”
If I am correct, then the answer must be that our CAO already knows that the truth is something that requires camouflage. However, I would think that no Masters of Public Administration, ethically, would accept such an appointment if it comes from masters of public skulduggery.
So when we all get to know who is appointed to this new cushy chair, let’s ask if the qualifications were tailored. I predict Johnny is right.
Steven Pickard
Chatham
