Marnie Cluckie is Hamilton’s new City Manager – TPR Hamilton | Hamilton's Civic Affairs News Site

December 4, 2023
Hamilton’s new City Manager is Marnie Cluckie, the current Chief Administrative Officer of the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake for three years.
Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath says Cluckie stood out during the selection process.
“Through the rigorous process of interviews, she just rose above everyone,” Mayor Horwath said. “She’s an energetic person; she has a lot of integrity. She has a very good work ethic.”
Mayor Horwath says the City of Hamilton received many applicants from a range of candidates.
“There were some [from] really large municipalities,  people with and some without CAO experience, some with political experience,” Mayor Horwath said. “Far and wide, she [Cluckie] was absolutely the one.”
Mayor Horwath says Cluckie’s experiences and knowledge will meet the scale of the work in Hamilton.
Niagara-on-the-Lake (pop. 19,088) is a lower-tier municipality with approximately 100 full-time and 30 contract employees with limited responsibilities for local services.
The City of Hamilton has approximately 9,000 employees and is a single-tier municipality responsible for all municipal roles, including emergency response, public health, and transit.
Cluckie worked for the City of Hamilton for a decade between 2003 and 2013. She worked as a manager of the municipal service centres, recreation, and facilities.
Her LinkedIn profile states she holds undergraduate degrees from the University of Waterloo and graduate degrees from the University of Texas at Dallas.
The 2022-26 Council has set three priority areas: Sustainable Economic and Ecological Development, Safe & Thriving Neighbourhoods, and Working of City Hall and Transparency in Municipal Government.
“Cluckie really understands the important relationship between Council and the City Manager, and understands that to drive the will of Council, she needs to motivate the staff. And I think she’s clearly skilled in that regard,” said Mayor Horwath.
Cluckie’s record of municipal work includes implementing online portals for service reports and management. Hamilton City Council hopes to implement online reporting, common in other municipalities for over a decade, by the end of 2024.
Niagara-on-the-Lake held a Special Council meeting Monday morning to receive Cluckie’s resignation.
Hamilton City Council held a Special Council meeting later Monday morning to confirm Cluckie as the new City Manager.
Cluckie will begin in Hamilton on January 15, 2024.
Both municipalities are expected to issue formal statements later on Monday.
The following are the official statements issued by Mayor Andrea Horwath’s office:
“On behalf of Council, I am excited to welcome Marnie Cluckie as our new City Manager. I want someone in this role who knows Hamilton and is passionate about its success. I want someone who understands the positive role government can play in people’s lives and who is effective and experienced in inspiring operational excellence and innovation on behalf of Council and residents. Marnie brings all of that and more to this role, and I’m looking forward to working with her.”
“I am honoured to accept the City Manager role with the City of Hamilton at this important time. There are many talented people who work for the city, and I look forward to supporting them to accelerate, enhance and advance their work on behalf of the Mayor, Council and Hamilton residents.”
The release by Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa can be read here.