Susan Ney hosts guest James Ridge, author of Welcome to the Hall: A Practical Guide for Municipal Leaders as he shares his experiences and wisdom drawn from years of working in top formal leadership positions in local government, reporting to an elected Mayor and Council. This book is a “must-read” for anyone considering either a position on Council or a CAO/Municipal Manager’s job or if you are interested in attaining a better understanding of local and regional governments. James provides a candid overview of the roles, responsibilities, and realities. In the podcast, James also shares his own nuggets of learning about leadership.
About the Guest – James Ridge
James is the President of James Ridge Consulting. He has also been the: City Manager, City of Burlington; Principal of UBC Vantage College; Associate VP and Registrar, UBC; Deputy City Manager, City of Vancouver; Chief Administrative Officer, District of North Vancouver; Executive Director of IT and of Municipal Licensing and Standards, City of Toronto; Director of Ontario Crime Control Commission and Manager of Policing Standards, Ontario Provincial Government; and a Lieutenant, Captain, Major with the Canadian Armed Forces. He completed an Executive program in Corporate Finance with the London School of Economics, his Masters’ of Public Administration with Queens, his Masters’ of Philosophy at the University of Manitoba and his Bachelor of Philosophy at McMaster.
Now the owner of a thriving consulting firm, he works with clients in all three levels of government and higher education. His areas of focus include government relations, organization reviews, IT service delivery models, IT strategy, executive coaching, and helping clean up IT projects that have gone a bit sideways.
His recent clients include the First Nations Tax Commission, The City of Burnaby, The City of Burnaby IT Department, EComm911, the Justice Institute of BC, and the District of Squamish.
He spent much of 2019 writing Welcome to the Hall: A Practical Guide for Municipal Leaders which can be purchased at the Municipal World website. It is a superb book for members of council, municipal staff, people interested in municipal government, people who live in municipalities, people who live in rural areas but drive to municipalities to shop, friends, family, small children, and pets. It is only $29.95, less than the price of a movie.
James is an avid global birder. He has had the good fortune to see 1102 species in 39 countries. He calls it a geeky hobby, but shares that it gets him to some of the planet's glorious wild places.
He is currently serving as a board member of the Greater Victoria Police Victims Services, a wonderful organization supporting victims of crime and trauma in Victoria, B.C. He is also an occasional faculty with the LGMA/Capilano University Municipal Administrator Training Institute.
James contributes articles to the Municipal World Magazine. The most recent ones are why the golf course in your community is a ticking time bomb, and "Is Your Climate Change Declaration Real, or Just a Sham? Take the Test"
He notes that he and his wonderful wife Donna live in the Bear Mountain community in Langford B.C. He recently saw a pod of Orcas while on a bike ride in Victoria, which sums up why he lives there.
If you wish to contact James Ridge, he can be reached through any of the following:
Website:https://www.jamesridgeconsultinginc.com
Email: jridgecanada@gmail.com
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-ridge-111386197/
Phone: 236-464-3059
If you wish to order a copy of the book Welcome to the Hall: A Practical Guide for Municipal Leaders https://www.municipalworld.com/product/welcome-to-the-hall-a-practical-guide-for-municipal-leaders/
And if you are interested in exploring Municipal World, the website is www.municipalworld.com
About the Host:
Susan has worked with people all her life. As a human resource professional, she has specialized in all aspects of employment, from hiring to retirement. She got her start as a national representative for a large Canadian union. After pursuing an undergrad degree in business administration, Susan transitioned to HR management, where she aspired to bring both employee and management perspectives to her work. She retired from her multi-decade career in HR to pursue writing and consulting, and to be able, in her words, to “colour outside the lines.” She promises some fun and lots of learning through this podcast series. Susan holds a Master of Arts degree in Leadership and Training.
Susan is also the author of the book Leadership Inside Out: Effecting Change from Within available on Amazon. https://www.amazon.ca
If you wish to contact Susan, she can be reached through any of the following:
Website: www.effectingchangefromwithin.com
Email: susangney@gmail.com
Linked In: www.linkedin.com/in/susan-ney-197494
Facebook: www.facebook.com/susan.ney.5/
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