Political acumen toolkit Save article Remove saved article

CAOs stand at the crossroads of municipal management and politics. They are the only employee of council and, therefore, their job is to follow the direction set by the municipality’s elected officials.

However, the CAO is also a leader. In this role, the CAO is responsible for managing council relationships outside of the municipality at other orders of government, supporting and negotiating the interactions between other municipal staff and elected officials, administering the municipality’s relationship with