City Clerk named new AMCTO President

Stephane (Steph) Palmateer, AMCT, Clerk for the City of Timmins, was sworn in as President of AMCTO (the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario) during the Closing Ceremonies of the Association’s 78^th Annual Conference and Annual General Meeting, held in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Founded in 1938, AMCTO is Ontario’s largest municipal professional association, and the leading professional development organization for Ontario local government managers.

Steph Palmateer started his 23 year municipal career in the Township of Evanturel in 1993. He assumed the City Clerk position in Timmins in August of 2013, following 14-plus years as the Chief Administrative Officer for the Town of Cobalt. Palmateer was elected to town council in Englehart in 2006, serving until he stepped down in 2013. Steph brings to his role as AMCTO President, this unique perspective from having represented both sides of the leadership aisle.

In his inaugural address, Steph Palmateer praised AMCTO and its network of active, committed members, who are always willing to share their knowledge and experience with colleagues, and to mentor new municipal professionals. Steph spoke fondly of his personal experience as a 20 year old attending his first AMCTO Zone 8 meeting, and how a group of long time AMCTO members made him feel welcome, and then encouraged and guided him throughout his municipal career.

Palmateer outlined the tremendous succession planning challenge facing the municipal sector, with 30% of  local government professionals eligible to retire in the next 2 to 5 years. He challenged AMCTO members to recruit and mentor the next generation of qualified municipal leaders to serve Ontario’s communities. He further challenged AMCTO’s new and young professionals to step into the pending leadership void and to become involved in the Association, to ensure it continues to be the most respected municipal professional administrative association in Ontario.

Said City of Timmins Mayor Steven Black: “On behalf of myself and Council we would like to extend our congratulations to Steph Palmateer, at being newly appointed the President of AMCTO. We are proud of Steph and happy to have another strong representative from Northern Ontario. This is an excellent professional development opportunity, that will benefit his career as well as bring a wealth of knowledge to the City of Timmins with his access to leading edge information, legislative updates, policy development and an expanded network.”

Steph has been a volunteer coach in minor baseball. He is also a volunteer board member for the Cochrane Temiskaming Native Housing board and the Co-Tem non-Profit Native Housing, which provides affordable housing for off-reserves Natives as well as for low income people. Palmateer is also  long-time volunteer at both the Federal and Provincial Riding Association levels, and is the CFO at the Provincial Riding Association.

At the Board of Director’s meeting on June 11^th, 2016, Yvonne Robert, CMO, AMCT, Clerk/ Administrator for the Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley, was named as AMCTO Vice President for the 2016 – 2017 term.