Questions (Revised)

1. Background and Experience

Council in collaboration with the CAO, Commissioners and 3000+ staff work together tirelessly to
build a prosperous Niagara Region. What about your experience and aspirations makes you want to
provide leadership, as CAO of this region?

2. Local Collaboration

Niagara Region consists of 12 municipalities which have embraced the clear and recent evidence of
the value of working together to establish a true partnership both administratively and politically.
How would you ensure that there is continued collaboration and consensus building among the
thirty-one members of Regional Council to advance the prosperity of the Region and the well-being
of its citizens?

3. Leadership Style and Capacity Building

Describe your leadership style and your approach to working with direct and indirect reports. Tell us
about a large initiative you have led which involved significant team building. What was your
approach to engaging staff and building consensus among a high performing team?

4. Governance Acumen

The working relationships between the CAO and the Chair and the CAO and the whole Council are
central to the success of the Region. What guiding principles underscore your approach to
governance and administration?

How would you establish and maintain effective and respectful interactions in the interests of
maximizing the positive impact of the Region’s policies and initiatives?

5. Customer Service and Accountability

Niagara Region has already taken a number of steps to improve customer service, increase
confidence in municipal government and ensure accountability for public tax dollars. Please provide
an example of how you have balanced competing interests and encouraged a workforce culture that
achieved these directions. How do you measure progress in these areas both internally and
externally?

6. Financial Acumen

Describe how you would work with staff to establish budget plan parameters, ensure that operating
and capital budgets are effectively managed, and the programs and services emerging from
Council’s decisions are effectively implemented and meet broad community needs.

7. Human Resources, Labour Relations and Change Management

Describe a change management initiative with significant human resources implications (involving
labour costs), where you successfully balanced fiscal constraints and implementation of innovations.
8. Strategic Planning

Niagara Regional Council has 6 strategic measures, including: growth, employment, investment,
infrastructure, taxation and community symptoms. From your perspective do these measures
address the challenges and opportunities for the Region? Where would you put your emphasis as
the CAO?

9. External Stakeholders

The CAO will be required to build strong relationships with a variety of external stakeholders,
including: other municipalities, other levels of government and their agencies, boards and
commissions and the business community. Please describe an example where you worked
successfully with external stakeholders to build productive partnerships

10. Regulatory Oversight

As CAO, what steps would you take to ensure that Niagara Region is always in compliance with
relevant legislation, particularly the Municipal Act? How would you assist Council in upholding it’s
code of conduct and respecting relevant legislation when staff advice is at odds with Council’s
direction?

11. Conclusion:

Questions and Closing Statement from Candidate