Module 1
Introduction to
Political Acumen
Module A length: 90 min
Study time: 3 hr
Accelerator Short Course:
These two keynote sessions are a cornerstone of the program. We will explore the unwritten protocols and grey areas that leaders in today’s public service need to navigate in an environment of increasingly centralized decision-making, a stronger political service, permanent campaigning, big data and a 24/7 news cycle.
In the second session, we will focus on how political acumen can be unique in the municipal sector with special focus on how these competencies need to be applied.
Political Acumen for Municipal Leaders
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Dr Jared Wesley is a pracademic -- a practising political scientist and former public servant -- whose career path to the University of Alberta Department of Political Science has included senior management positions in the Alberta Public Service (APS).While in Alberta’s Executive Council, he gained valuable experience in the development of public policy and intergovernmental strategy. He also served as Director of Learning and Development in the Alberta Public Service Commission, establishing policies and curriculum to train public servants at all levels of the APS.
He studies and teaches the politics of bureaucracy and the bureaucracy of politics, and is co-author of two leading books: The Public Servant’s Guide to Government in Canada (University of Toronto Press, 2018) and Inside Canadian Politics (Oxford University Press, 2016, 2020). For more information on Dr. Wesley, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/jaredjwesley.
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Dr Peter Constantinou is one of Canada’s leading public policy practitioner academics and an award-winning university lecturer. He is the recipient of the President’s University-wide Teaching Award at York University. He has an extensive record of publication on topics in public policy and has recently completed studies of political acuity in the Ontario Public Sector and in Durham Region. Dr. Constantinou is also the current Academic Director of the Ontario Legislature Internship Programme.He holds a BA, Specialized Honours, in Public Policy and Administration (York University); an MA in Public Policy and Administration (McMaster University); and a Ph.D. in Higher Education (University of Toronto). His doctoral dissertation was a landmark study of government relations in Ontario’s post-secondary education sector.
Dr. Constantinou is a long-time public servant who has worked at the federal and provincial levels of government, and in the college and university sector.
During his career, he has served as a research analyst with the Royal Commission on Electoral Reform and Party Financing; a policy analyst, senior policy advisor and senior international trade advisor at the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Energy; and chief of staff and executive assistant to an Ontario Minister of Education and Training. In the broader public sector, Dr. Constantinou has held the positions of director of government relations at Seneca College; special advisor to the President of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT); and director of international projects at Durham College.
He has decades of experience in adult education and executive training in the area of public policy and administration both in Canada and abroad. He has conducted specialized programs for the Ontario Fire College and First Nations Technical Institute and has taught provincial and municipal government professionals in Canada.
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Gary Kent is the Chief Administrative Officer of Peel Region, Ontario, Canada, which proudly delivers essential services and infrastructure to 1.5million residents and over 200,000 businesses in the communities of Brampton, Caledon and Mississauga.
Reporting directly to Regional Council, the CAO is the most senior position within Peel Region, overseeing all staff, service delivery and infrastructure investments.
A graduate of Glasgow Caledonian University, he is a Fellow accountant with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA) and a CPA, CGA. He holds the ICD.D designation, having graduated from the Directors Education Program from the Institute of Corporate Directors, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto and has also completed the Bloomberg -Harvard Cities Leadership course which brings Mayors and senior staff from across the globe to learn together. Through progressively senior roles, his experience includes co-chairing the update of the Mississauga’s Strategic Plan, engaging 100,000 citizens and overseeing the development and implementation of continuous improvement projects including Lean, multiple policies and strategies including a Long-Range Financial Plan, People Strategy, IT Master Plan and Strategic Communications Master Plan. He has also led community projects to advance world class waterfront, downtown and education initiatives and was central to managing the impacts of COVID-19 and negotiated the very first Municipal Airport Authority Agreement with Toronto Pearson and Mississauga.
Gary previously worked in the UK as the Finance Manager for a large private sector transit company experiencing deregulation, privatization, flotation and mergers and was also the CEO of Enersource Corporation , a strategic partnership between Mississauga and Borealis Inc. Enersource currently owns 30% of the shares of Alectra Inc., the second largest municipally-owned electricity utility in North America.
Current Board and Committee positions include the ACCA’s Global Council, their Public Sector Global Forum and the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA).
Gary has also been involved in volunteering in the community for many years and has lived with his family in Mississauga all his Canadian life.
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Bev Hendry has dedicated her entire 35-plus year career to the local governance sector, starting as a student with a number of roles at the City of St. Catharines. She began her full-time career with the Province of Ontario, spending the majority of her 19-years working with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, and finishing her time there as Regional Director for Central Ontario. She gained valuable experience in policy development, program administration, strategic planning, stakeholder and government relations, provincial planning, communications, and issues management. She holds a Bachelor of Applied Science and a Master of Science in Management and Economics from the University of Guelph and a Masters Certificate in Municipal Leadership from the Schulich School of Business, York University.
Bev is a strong leader and community builder, with a focus on good government. Since 2005, she has held the top civil servant position at the Township of Scugog, the City of Oshawa and the Township of West Lincoln before retiring in December 2023. In these roles, she has spearheaded advancements in modernizing service to residents and businesses, developing inclusive communications for increased public engagement, implementing new financial strategies and comprehensive growth plans with all stakeholders and has fostered an environment of cooperation that can be held to increased standards of accountability and transparency. She has a high level of integrity and trust and is committed to the Municipal CAO profession.
Bev is currently the Past President of CAMA and also a Past President of the Ontario Municipal Administrators Association.