In this spirit, The Hamiltonian posed a series of direct and challenging questions to City Manager Marnie Cluckie. Her responses are included in full, allowing our readers to make their own determinations as to whether the proposed changes will help Hamilton turn itself around.
We thank Ms. Cluckie for engaging in this important dialogue, and we remain committed to holding public leadership accountable while amplifying the voices of Hamiltonians seeking a better future.
1. As the City of Hamilton’s most senior public servant, reporting to City Council and the Mayor, you carry significant responsibility for the administration and leadership of the city. In light of a recent survey indicating that 80% of respondents do not trust City Hall, and a recent article in The Hamilton Spectator referencing a C.D. Howe Institute report that ranks Hamilton last in financial transparency among major Canadian cities, what would you say to residents who are justifiably concerned by these findings? Additionally, how do you intend to assist to restore public confidence?
We take the concerns of Hamilton residents very seriously. As City Manager, I understand that trust must be earned - through transparency, accountability, and consistently delivering high-quality customer service.
We are grateful to the Mayor’s Task Force for their dedication and the comprehensive report they produced. The survey findings indicate that more needs to be done to strengthen public confidence. We acknowledge the concerns; City staff are reviewing the Task Force recommendations and will report back to Council with actionable options that align with community priorities.
In the meantime, we continue to take steps to modernize our systems, improve communication, and make information more accessible. My commitment is to ensure that our administration operates with integrity, communicates openly, and puts residents at the centre of everything we do.
Examples of some initiatives currently underway to build back better and stronger include:Improving the Customer Service Experience, by launching a new online recreation registration and facility booking system to make it easier for residents to access programs; rolling out a new phased customer relationship management solution; and developing a roadmap to ensure a consistent customer experience across all service delivery channels.Modernizing Systems and Processes, through new technology and tools, such as implementing a Freedom of Information (FOI) tracking software to manage key performance indicators, launching an online service portal for Vacant Unit Tax declarations, and piloting two programs to improve the development approval process.
Advancing Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA), by developing Hamilton-specific IDEA training programs to educate employees; and hosting the City’s first Accessibility Awards to recognize achievements of those improving accessibility for persons with disabilities.
Additionally, Hamilton continues to demonstrate strong fiscal stewardship - evidenced by our AAA credit rating, the highest possible from S&P and achieved by only a few Canadian municipalities, and the recent GFOA Distinguished Budget Presentation Award, which recognized the clarity and quality of the City’s budget.
While these steps matter, we know they’re just the beginning. We’ve clearly heard that more needs to change - and we are committed to doing that work with the support of Council and our community.
2. There is a growing perception that the City is leaning too heavily on the cybersecurity attack to justify ongoing service and administrative challenges. Are you aware of this sentiment? At what point will the City move away from citing this event as a primary explanation, and focus instead on demonstrating accountability in its operations?
It’s important to acknowledge that the cyberattack had an unprecedented impact on the City’s systems – likely one of the most significant municipal cyber events in Canada. That said, I agree that our focus must now shift from explanation to action – and that is exactly what we are doing. The City is actively working to enhance service levels, address long-standing issues, and increase responsiveness. The cyberattack marked a turning point, a catalyst to modernize systems, strengthen internal accountability, and build a stronger, more resilient, and service-centred organization.
Most services are now fully or partially restored, and our focus is on long-term transformation. For example, we are replacing core systems such as our financial management platform and advancing all 21 projects outlined in the publicly available Cybersecurity Impact Update Report (CM24004). These efforts will help us to improve our cyber security, efficiency and customer experience.
Ultimately, I recognize that rebuilding trust requires more than words. As a City, we must lead with accountability and demonstrate our commitment through action. That means improving how we deliver services, communicating more clearly, and putting residents at the centre of everything we do. We are focused on delivering results and rebuilding trust - by showing, not telling.
3. What percentage of City of Hamilton employees currently have a recent and timely performance appraisal on file? If the number is significantly below 90%, what specific measures are being taken to ensure that all employees have clear expectations, structured feedback, and support for professional growth to enhance public service delivery?
Working together with City of Hamilton employees and leaders to ensure an engaged and high-performing workforce that provides the best program and service delivery for residents is a top priority. The City offers a combination of required and optional learning modules and workshops to support employee development to help better serve Hamilton residents.
Employees and their people leaders are supported through a Career Mobility Discussion Guide, which helps employees assess their career stage, identify opportunities for growth, and create a plan to build the knowledge, skills and abilities and help them advance.
To support employees’ learning and development, the City has established core competencies that define success at each career stage and for each role at the City. These competencies are supported by My Learning Connection, the City’s online learning platform, which offers development resources aligned with the City’s Core Competencies, including suggestions for on-the-job experiences, learning through others, and formal courses.
The City’s Leadership Profile, outlines what great leaders do (accountabilities & responsibilities) and how they lead (competencies & culture), giving both current and aspiring leaders clear expectations and tools to build effective development plans.
The Career Mobility Discussion Guide is brought to life in part by the City’s Performance Accountability and Development (PAD) Program, which consists of three phases:
i.) Setting Performance Expectations (Goals & Objectives) at the start of the year, ii. Providing Coaching, Feedback and Support throughout the year, and iii.) Evaluating Against Expectations at the year-end.
The PAD process includes a collaborative discussion between the employee and their leader to support career growth. Due to the cybersecurity incident, access to the online PAD tool was disrupted in 2024, and completion data is currently unavailable. However, many employees and leaders used a paper-based PAD documents to continue the process during the outage. We are pleased to share that the PAD tool is now back online, and PAD data will be available for 2025.
Employee goals and objectives are aligned to department and divisional workplans, Council priorities, and the organization’s strategic direction.
4. Do you have a performance contract/agreement in place (a contract/agreement, not an evaluation or appraisal). If so, can you share it with us for publication purposes. To be clear, we are not asking for any personnel information or about your evaluated performance, but simply for your performance objectives, goals, measures for evaluation etc.
The City of Hamilton has a responsibility to ensure that all employees, including the City Manager, have an opportunity to set annual goals and receive feedback on their performance in meeting these goals. To support a thorough review of the City Manager’s performance, goals and objectives are set in collaboration with the Mayor, who reviews and evaluates outcomes.
The City’s Manager’s objectives reflect the Council-approved priorities for this term: Sustainable Economic & Ecological Development, Safe & Thriving Neighbourhoods, and Responsiveness & Transparency. This approach helps ensure the City Manager remains focused on delivering results, improving service, strengthening accountability, and supporting a high-performing organization that meets the needs of Hamilton residents.
1. As the City of Hamilton’s most senior public servant, reporting to City Council and the Mayor, you carry significant responsibility for the administration and leadership of the city. In light of a recent survey indicating that 80% of respondents do not trust City Hall, and a recent article in The Hamilton Spectator referencing a C.D. Howe Institute report that ranks Hamilton last in financial transparency among major Canadian cities, what would you say to residents who are justifiably concerned by these findings? Additionally, how do you intend to assist to restore public confidence?
We take the concerns of Hamilton residents very seriously. As City Manager, I understand that trust must be earned - through transparency, accountability, and consistently delivering high-quality customer service.
We are grateful to the Mayor’s Task Force for their dedication and the comprehensive report they produced. The survey findings indicate that more needs to be done to strengthen public confidence. We acknowledge the concerns; City staff are reviewing the Task Force recommendations and will report back to Council with actionable options that align with community priorities.
In the meantime, we continue to take steps to modernize our systems, improve communication, and make information more accessible. My commitment is to ensure that our administration operates with integrity, communicates openly, and puts residents at the centre of everything we do.
Examples of some initiatives currently underway to build back better and stronger include:Improving the Customer Service Experience, by launching a new online recreation registration and facility booking system to make it easier for residents to access programs; rolling out a new phased customer relationship management solution; and developing a roadmap to ensure a consistent customer experience across all service delivery channels.Modernizing Systems and Processes, through new technology and tools, such as implementing a Freedom of Information (FOI) tracking software to manage key performance indicators, launching an online service portal for Vacant Unit Tax declarations, and piloting two programs to improve the development approval process.
Advancing Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA), by developing Hamilton-specific IDEA training programs to educate employees; and hosting the City’s first Accessibility Awards to recognize achievements of those improving accessibility for persons with disabilities.
Additionally, Hamilton continues to demonstrate strong fiscal stewardship - evidenced by our AAA credit rating, the highest possible from S&P and achieved by only a few Canadian municipalities, and the recent GFOA Distinguished Budget Presentation Award, which recognized the clarity and quality of the City’s budget.
While these steps matter, we know they’re just the beginning. We’ve clearly heard that more needs to change - and we are committed to doing that work with the support of Council and our community.
2. There is a growing perception that the City is leaning too heavily on the cybersecurity attack to justify ongoing service and administrative challenges. Are you aware of this sentiment? At what point will the City move away from citing this event as a primary explanation, and focus instead on demonstrating accountability in its operations?
It’s important to acknowledge that the cyberattack had an unprecedented impact on the City’s systems – likely one of the most significant municipal cyber events in Canada. That said, I agree that our focus must now shift from explanation to action – and that is exactly what we are doing. The City is actively working to enhance service levels, address long-standing issues, and increase responsiveness. The cyberattack marked a turning point, a catalyst to modernize systems, strengthen internal accountability, and build a stronger, more resilient, and service-centred organization.
Most services are now fully or partially restored, and our focus is on long-term transformation. For example, we are replacing core systems such as our financial management platform and advancing all 21 projects outlined in the publicly available Cybersecurity Impact Update Report (CM24004). These efforts will help us to improve our cyber security, efficiency and customer experience.
Ultimately, I recognize that rebuilding trust requires more than words. As a City, we must lead with accountability and demonstrate our commitment through action. That means improving how we deliver services, communicating more clearly, and putting residents at the centre of everything we do. We are focused on delivering results and rebuilding trust - by showing, not telling.
3. What percentage of City of Hamilton employees currently have a recent and timely performance appraisal on file? If the number is significantly below 90%, what specific measures are being taken to ensure that all employees have clear expectations, structured feedback, and support for professional growth to enhance public service delivery?
Working together with City of Hamilton employees and leaders to ensure an engaged and high-performing workforce that provides the best program and service delivery for residents is a top priority. The City offers a combination of required and optional learning modules and workshops to support employee development to help better serve Hamilton residents.
Employees and their people leaders are supported through a Career Mobility Discussion Guide, which helps employees assess their career stage, identify opportunities for growth, and create a plan to build the knowledge, skills and abilities and help them advance.
To support employees’ learning and development, the City has established core competencies that define success at each career stage and for each role at the City. These competencies are supported by My Learning Connection, the City’s online learning platform, which offers development resources aligned with the City’s Core Competencies, including suggestions for on-the-job experiences, learning through others, and formal courses.
The City’s Leadership Profile, outlines what great leaders do (accountabilities & responsibilities) and how they lead (competencies & culture), giving both current and aspiring leaders clear expectations and tools to build effective development plans.
The Career Mobility Discussion Guide is brought to life in part by the City’s Performance Accountability and Development (PAD) Program, which consists of three phases:
i.) Setting Performance Expectations (Goals & Objectives) at the start of the year, ii. Providing Coaching, Feedback and Support throughout the year, and iii.) Evaluating Against Expectations at the year-end.
The PAD process includes a collaborative discussion between the employee and their leader to support career growth. Due to the cybersecurity incident, access to the online PAD tool was disrupted in 2024, and completion data is currently unavailable. However, many employees and leaders used a paper-based PAD documents to continue the process during the outage. We are pleased to share that the PAD tool is now back online, and PAD data will be available for 2025.
Employee goals and objectives are aligned to department and divisional workplans, Council priorities, and the organization’s strategic direction.
4. Do you have a performance contract/agreement in place (a contract/agreement, not an evaluation or appraisal). If so, can you share it with us for publication purposes. To be clear, we are not asking for any personnel information or about your evaluated performance, but simply for your performance objectives, goals, measures for evaluation etc.
The City of Hamilton has a responsibility to ensure that all employees, including the City Manager, have an opportunity to set annual goals and receive feedback on their performance in meeting these goals. To support a thorough review of the City Manager’s performance, goals and objectives are set in collaboration with the Mayor, who reviews and evaluates outcomes.
The City’s Manager’s objectives reflect the Council-approved priorities for this term: Sustainable Economic & Ecological Development, Safe & Thriving Neighbourhoods, and Responsiveness & Transparency. This approach helps ensure the City Manager remains focused on delivering results, improving service, strengthening accountability, and supporting a high-performing organization that meets the needs of Hamilton residents.
Note: From this response, it remained unclear to us as to whether Ms. Cluckie does, in fact, have a performance contract/agreement in place, This prompted the following follow up question.
Ms. Cluckie's reply was as follows:
The City Manager’s annual performance goals and objectives are set in collaboration with the Mayor, who reviews and evaluates outcomes. While there is not a formalized, public-facing performance contract - as noted in the initial response - my objectives as City Manager reflect and are intended to deliver on Council’s approved priorities for this term:Sustainable Economic & Ecological Development, Safe & Thriving Neighbourhoods, and Responsiveness & Transparency. I remain focused on delivering results, improving service, strengthening accountability, and supporting a high-performing organization that meets the needs of Hamilton residents.
5. The Hamiltonian understands that funding for a customer service strategy was approved in the 2024 budget but delayed due to the cyberattack. Can you provide an update on its status? Is there a plan for the City of Hamilton to implement customer service standards with defined goals and publicly reported outcomes? As customer service standards speak to core mission of city administration, can you explain why Hamilton had not implemented customer service standards as of yet?
Yes, funding for a City customer service strategy was approved in the 2024 budget. While its rollout was temporarily delayed, this work is actively back on track.
The upcoming Customer Experience Strategy will provide a structured plan focused on improving how residents experience city services, ensuring they are accessible, consistent, timely, and resident-focused across all channels, whether in-person, by phone, or online. It will include the development of formal customer service standards, service targets, and publicly reported performance measures. These standards are foundational to municipal service delivery.
A Request for Proposal (RFP) will be issued shortly to engage a specialized firm to help develop the Strategy. The RFP was briefly paused to align with the release of the Mayor’s Task Force report, ensuring that the input of the Task Force could be fully reflected in the scope of work.
In parallel, budgets have also included funding to support the City’s future transition to a 3-1-1 service model - an important step toward improving access, responsiveness, and service consistency for residents.
While the strategy is under development, the City continues to make progress in enhancing customer experience. Some examples include: by launching a new online recreation registration and facility booking system to make it easier for residents to access programs, implementing an improved job posting website for a more seamless and simplified user experience, developing a City digital strategy, and piloting two programs to improve the development approval process.
Providing excellence in public service and customer experience is central to our mission.
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