Former city manager Gerard Lewis was in Mount Pearl council chambers earlier this month to present council with a copy of The Role of Canadian City Managers: In Their Own Words, an academic text which Lewis contributed to. The book is published by the University of Toronto Press. From left are councillors Isabelle Fry, Jim Locke, Lewis, Mayor Dave Aker, and councillors Bill Antle and Mark Rice. Mark Squibb photo
By Mark Squibb
It must have felt like déjà vu for seasoned staff and councillors when Gerard Lewis walked into Mount Pearl council chambers ahead of the July 22 council meeting.
Lewis had served as city manager for six years before becoming a municipal consultant about a decade ago.
Lewis was in chambers to present council with a copy of The Role of Canadian City Managers: In Their Own Words, an academic work that Lewis had contributed to at the request of one of the book’s editors, Dr. Gordon McIntosh, who had reached out to Lewis in April 2020.
“The idea was to analyze the daily issues and challenges that (CAOs) faced in their roles within municipal government,” said Lewis. “The book was supposed to be for professional public servants, elected officials, and academics for use in the classroom. It will be of interest to current and aspiring city managers, CEOs, elected municipal officials, and anybody interested in municipal government.”
The book was published by the University of Toronto Press in 2023, and Lewis said the University of Toronto has also expressed an interest in using it in courses on local government.
Lewis worked with Tony Haddard and Jim Pine on a chapter entitled, ‘Mentoring: Building the Next Generation of Municipal Professionals.’
The chapter, said Lewis, touches on why mentoring is important and why city managers and CEOs ought to consider mentorship as a part of their role.
Lewis himself was well-suited for the task, having himself led a number of municipal training and mentoring sessions over the years.
“I think it appropriate, Gerard, that they asked you to write the chapter on mentoring, because you served as a great mentor of mine,” said councillor Jim Locke. “I had the privilege of working with you for six years around the table here. And it’s a steep leaning curve, all my colleagues will tell you, when you first get on council, but you always found time for me, personally, and I know other colleagues under your tutelage, too. And you never told us what to do. You would always give us options. You would always make sure that we were informed of the circumstances, of the context, of the political context, of the community context, and then we made our own decisions.”