It took over eight months for the City of Hamilton to find a qualified candidate to take on the job of City Clerk — Matthew Trennum has taken the job, coming to Hamilton from Thorold where he has been working as City Clerk.
He will take over a clerks department that had the worst management performance in Ontario’s 2022 municipal election, that is the only government agency in Ontario subject to multiple orders to respond to emails from Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commission, that is the only municipality in Ontario to argue the public is not entitled to know if individual councillors are present during video meetings and also argues public does not have a right to know how individual councillors vote in a timely manner.
In short, there is much work to be done.
Trennum’s appointment was announced to city council in a confidential email on May 17. The City of Hamilton is one of only a few municipalities in Ontario which does not disclose key appointments.
Trennum’s CV reveals a person committed to professional development, has taught other clerks about freedom of information and privacy processes, has administered elections, and is willing to make difficult decisions while explaining his reasoning.
He is active in The Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario. He will present a talk at their upcoming conference, “Managing the Privacy Portfolio from the Corner of Your Desk.”
Production Details v. 1.0.0 Published: May 26, 2024 Last updated: May 26, 2024 Author: Joey Coleman Update Record v. 1.0.0 original version