Nine grass cuts versus twelve. Potholes. Long grass- Short Sightedness

Nine grass cuts versus twelve. Potholes. Long grass.

I am not suggesting these issues are unimportant. They matter to residents and they deserve attention.

What is concerning is that so much political discussion seems focused on relatively minor operational issues while far more significant matters receive comparatively little scrutiny.

In round numbers, Hamilton taxpayers spend approximately $2 million annually on the remuneration of the Mayor and the fifteen members of City Council.

According to the Ontario Sunshine List, Hamilton City Manager Marnie Cluckie received compensation of $318,852.77 in 2025.

Yet, despite the magnitude of the responsibilities associated with the position, the City Manager does not operate under a formal public performance contract with clearly defined, measurable deliverables.

I am not referring to general expectations, understandings, or management principles. I am referring to a formal performance contract containing specific objectives, measurable outcomes, reporting requirements, and consequences for failure to achieve them.

Consider, for example, a performance contract containing an Information Technology and Cybersecurity component. Such a contract might include deliverables such as:

• Maintaining mission-critical systems at a minimum 99.9% annual availability rate, excluding scheduled maintenance.
• Ensuring all mission-critical systems have tested disaster recovery capabilities with defined recovery objectives.
• Maintaining compliance with recognized cybersecurity standards through independent annual audits.
• Conducting annual penetration testing and remediating critical vulnerabilities within established timelines.
• Restoring critical municipal services within defined recovery periods following any cyber incident.

Now consider Hamilton's devastating cyberattack.

The attack resulted in extensive service disruptions, significant operational challenges, and millions of dollars in costs to taxpayers. The City's insurer reportedly declined coverage after determining that required security measures had not been adequately maintained.

Had measurable cybersecurity deliverables existed, they would have demanded attention long before the attack occurred. More importantly, failure to achieve those objectives would have carried consequences, potentially including termination.

Instead, the city issued apologies, services were eventually restored, and life moved on.

Taxpayers, however, paid a substantial price.

This raises a legitimate question for both elected officials and those seeking office.

Should Hamilton's City Manager be subject to a formal public performance contract containing measurable objectives, regular public reporting, and meaningful accountability mechanisms?

If taxpayers are paying more than $318,000 annually for the City's most senior administrative position, that does not seem like an unreasonable expectation. I should mention that this is not about the person of Marnie Cluckie. My comments would be the same agnostic to who holds the position.