By Mike Renzella
The Haldimand Press
HALDIMAND — After a 37-year career, much of which was spent in Haldimand, the County’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Craig Manley is set to retire on May 11, 2023.
Manley’s career dates back to 1986, when he graduated from the University of Waterloo with an urban and regional planning degree. He would later return to school to further his education, studying public administration, leadership, and organizational development.
Manley first came to work for Haldimand County in 2007, hired as the General Manager of Planning and Economic Development. Prior to that, he worked for Oxford County, where he provided planning services to Woodstock and Tilsonburg. He also spent a small amount of time in the private sector and a stint with the City of Guelph as Manager of Policy Planning and Urban Design. Now, at the end of a momentous career, Manley is looking back on his time as Haldimand’s top boss, a role he has occupied for four years.
Manley called navigating the challenges brought forth by Covid his biggest achievement during his tenure.
“This was something totally unforeseen. There was no playbook to follow; the situation was highly dynamic – changing constantly. Some of the decisions we needed to take were challenging and controversial. Trying to find an appropriate balance between public safety and continuity of municipal services with very little guidance required significant extra on the part of all County staff,” recalled Manley. “Coming out the other side with the County in a strong fiscal position, delivering on major work, and maintaining a positive and progressive work culture has been very rewarding.”
CAYUGA—Craig Manley received a recognition certificate from Mayor Shelly Ann Bentley at Council on May 8, 2023.
Although he has held the CAO role for a relatively short amount of time, it has been a momentous period of local history here in Haldimand, full of challenges. Manley shared an overview of the serious issues that have landed on his desk since 2019. They include:
Over $4 million in storm damage on Lakeshore Road following a severe storm in October 2019; “Coordinating the response including the ultimately successful process of applying to the Disaster Relief Fund of the Province required significant effort. Without the $4 million grant we received it would have been borne by the taxpayers.”
Completion of a 30-year Growth Strategy; “This work will be fundamental to ensuring the County manages the change we are facing in terms of growth in a structured and financially responsible manner.”
Adherence to Council’s 2% budget-inflation target despite difficult financial times; “This required fiscal discipline to ensure any ‘asks’ were truly needed. Significant effort was made to be able to better communicate the County’s fiscal strategies and the annual ‘budget story’ to Council and the community.”
Significant administrative improvements; “There were a number of major improvement efforts that ultimately should result in a stronger, more efficient and more capable organization,” including a new leadership development program and a comprehensive orientation program for new staff.
Obtaining an agreement to provide water supply to Norfolk County, “which benefits both municipalities.”
Manley said that the role of CAO requires finesse, as it straddles the line between the political and administrative arms of the County’s organization.
“The CAO needs to be seen as a trustworthy and positive force by both,” explained Manley. “In order to create and maintain positive Council relations – trust, respect, collegiality – the CAO needs to engage in proactive communication with Council and ensure that follow up occurs in a timely fashion to Council requests/issues. Also, the CAO needs to have a broad understanding of all the various services we provide, who is responsible for what, and how to develop solutions to problems.”
He laid out some of the qualities that help a good CAO steer the ship: “You need someone who will tell Council what they need to hear in a logical and respectful way, to not simply agree with Council…. You need someone with a strong moral compass, who is honest, open, who shares the good the bad and the ugly, who uses an ethical framework for decision making, and who understands the political arena and can provide Council with alternatives and options.”
He added, “You need someone who will challenge staff – be the devil’s advocate – ask why not simply take what is being offered … someone who would rather be respected than liked … someone who understands the local community…. Most importantly, you need to have someone who will put the organization’s interest above their own and who will make difficult decisions in terms of what is best.”
When asked for an example of a difficult decision made despite knowing it would not be popular, he cited having to lay off municipal staff during the pandemic.
“At the time a number of municipal services were closed and it was uncertain when things would get better,” said Manley. “The community was facing significant economic challenges as well. Absolutely no one wanted to go down this road, but the municipal government needs to reflect the broader community and respond in a manner constituents would agree with. We went through a process of looking at all our services, whether they were legislated or not, whether they were ‘essential’ in terms of providing public health, safety, or core functions, whether they were economic in terms of supporting development or infrastructure renewal, or whether they could be temporarily suspended. We developed a communication program outlining why we felt we had to take this step and worked with our unions. Regardless, we knew it was going to upset a number of staff and hurt overall morale. Subsequently, we pursued return to work as quickly as possible and undertook a series of initiatives to regain positive staff morale. Personally, this decision caused a lot of sleepless nights.”
When asked about the biggest challenges facing Haldimand as it moves forward after his retirement, Manley highlighted the many legislative changes being handed down by the provincial government.
“The Province is undertaking transformative changes that impact the ability to properly plan and more significantly to be able to secure the finances from developers necessary for infrastructure. The impact of these changes are not fully understood, but they will fundamentally require the County to re-evaluate its capital program and how it funds this.”
Manley believes that changes may force the public to adjust their expectations on major facilities, noting that the current Council has made the completion of a comprehensive financial strategy a Council priority for this term.
“A second key challenge will be to continue to attract, retain, and develop staff with the skill sets and abilities necessary to ensure the success of a modern complex organization like the County. There are a series of measures being implemented to hopefully make the County an ‘employer of choice’,” said Manley.
“It has been my privilege to see our organization and its capacity grow and to see our community prosper over the 15 years I’ve been at Haldimand,” said Manley on wrapping up his career. “As long as there remains alignment with a focus on the overall public good, Haldimand will prosper and continue to provide a quality of life second to none.”
He reflected on moving from such a demanding, challenging job into the relative calm and quiet of retired life: “No doubt this transition will be ‘interesting’. Over my 37 years I calculate that I’ve attended over 800 Council meetings and probably over 500 community related meetings. Going from 110 miles per hour to much less will be an adjustment, but one that needs to happen.”
He concluded, “I am fortunate that I have several outside interests including my dogs, travelling, woodworking and other hobbies, and home renovations. At this stage I am going to take the summer and fall and adjust to the new routine with my wife and hopefully next winter do a substantial trip.”
The Press wishes Craig well in his retirement. He will be succeeded by interim CAO Cathy Case, who is expected to take over the role permanently following a probationary period.
