Lonely at the Top: An Examination of the Changing Dynamics for Chief Administrative Officers in Alberta Municipalities

This paper explores the role and tenure of chief administrative officers (CAOs) in Alberta municipalities and the implications for those municipalities . Using a mixed-methods approach that blends qualitative and quantitative analysis, this paper presents several important findings: • The average tenure of a CAO in Alberta is now well under the length of one term of council . CAO tenure is generally shorter in smaller municipalities . More concerningly, the average length of tenure has been in a steady state of decline for the past two decades . • The number of CAO transitions, including acting and interim roles, has been increasing in all types of municipalities — in some types of municipalities, double or triple the rate of CAO transitions in earlier time periods . The days of long-serving CAOs outside of cities appear to be waning, as the length of one council term becomes a harder cap on CAO tenure in those communities . • The role of CAO involves important on-the-job learning . No two municipalities are the same; even two terms of council within the same municipality can have quite different dynamics . Shorter CAO tenures and higher rates of turnover mean more costly transitions: dollars spent on recruitments or severance packages; significant organizational disruption; and, importantly, a reduced opportunity for incumbent CAOs to reach peak performance in their roles . • Current and past CAOs identify the increasingly tenuous political dynamics as a leading driver in role dissatisfaction and as a top consideration in decisions to join or depart from a municipality . There seems to be consensus that political dynamics are getting worse, not better . Among other insights about the experiences of CAOs, this emerged as the central theme of this paper . The success and stability of CAOs collectively is an important indicator of the health of the municipal public service in Alberta and local government generally . Measures of this indicator are currently ringing alarm bells . Efforts to increase the stability of the CAO position — particularly greater role clarity through onboarding for CAOs and education for elected officials, improved relations between council and staff, regional support networks and efforts to build trust and respectful decorum between CAOs, councils and the public — would all mark steps in the right direction to strengthen local government in Alberta . Municipalities in Alberta can build on the existing foundation of intermunicipal collaboration and engagement with municipal associations to advance solutions to address these challenges . As one Alberta CAO stated, “it can feel lonely at the top†— but perhaps it doesn’t need to .