Alumni Association of Lakehead University

Alumni Profile: Tim Commisso

By Maureen Arges Nadin

BRINGING HIS VISION OF MUNICIPAL ADMINISTRATION TO HIS HOMETOWN

Lakehead University Business graduate Tim Commisso may well understand the term “baptism by fire” better than most.  At an age when young adults in today’s world are often still testing the waters to determine their ultimate career path, he was managing a department that over was ultimately responsible for City Council’s approval of a 200 million dollar budget for the City of Thunder Bay.  That was in 1986 when at the tender age of 27 Tim was appointed the Manager of Budgets and Planning.  He’s done some travelling since then and has been immersed in all aspects of municipal government while living in Southern Ontario since 1988. And the good news is that he’s back—this time at the helm of the Corporation of the City of Thunder Bay---once again overseeing the budget as well as everything else that goes on in the major urban center that is the hub of Northwestern Ontario.  And for City Manager Tim Commisso, it’s good to be home.

Tim was born in Thunder Bay in 1958 and although he spent his first 8 years living in the small northern community of Pickle Lake, his family moved back to Thunder Bay in 1967.  He graduated from Churchill High School in 1977 and took advantage of the opportunity to attend Lake head University in his home town, enrolling in the Honours Bachelor of Commerce Program, despite his initial interest in studying Geography.  Instead, he followed what turned out to be the very wise counsel of friends who encouraged him to go into the field of business and accounting and he never looked back.
 
Tim was first introduced to the wild and wonderful world of municipal administration while working as a summer student at the Canada Games Complex, a position which he enjoyed immensely.  His commitment to the facility saw him not only becoming involved with helping with the Jeux Canada Games in 1981 but he stayed on during the Fall/Winter months including opening the facility on weekends.   After graduation, Tim was quickly accepted for an accounting position in Toronto, but found himself diverted when a permanent position for Financial and Services Coordinator became vacant at the Games Complex.

 “ I still had a lot of affection for the Complex”, he readily admits and he decided to throw his hat in the ring, a decision which set in motion his long journey into the deep waters of municipal government.  He landed the position, which kept him busy from 1982 to 1986 coordinating the financial services as well as all customer services activities at the facility.   In 1986, he moved over to City Hall to become the Manager of Budgets and Planning.  His education in the inner workings of the Corporation now advanced to a whole new level.   Dealing with a diversity of departments all vying for the same tax dollars gave him an appreciation of the breadth of the organization and he totally embraced this new opportunity from a learning perspective.  He tells me that he was pleased and satisfied with his work and might have stayed with the City but for a decision that would once again take him to new and exciting places.

Tim completed his Certified Management Accountant designation in 1987.  In 1987, Tim’s wife, Mary (McGeown) had an opportunity to pursue her doctorate in Waterloo and he didn’t hesitate to support her in that decision.  He remained in Thunder Bay for another year but applied for the position of Manager of Budgets in Burlington, a similar size city and moved there in 1988.  Tim and Mary’s first child, daughter Kathleen, was born in Burlington in 1990 and it was around this time that Tim decided to pursue his MBA at Wilfred Laurier.  Life became rather intense for his family for this period.  While Mary commuted during the day from Burlington to Waterloo for her PhD studies, Tim commuted twice a week for his MBA classes at night.

And  although being the Manager of Budgets during the recession of the early 90’s presented some obvious challenges ,  Tim is proud of what he was able to implement in Burlington during those difficult times, including a new budget system and innovative policies in such areas as multi year  financial planning and performance measures.

Between 1993, when Tim was appointed Deputy City Treasurer, and 1998, he had an opportunity to oversee a number of exciting projects that included overseeing the city’s strategic plan and developing a new performance management system.  And in 1999, Tim found himself propelled into a brand new world where he would continue to enhance his knowledge of City departments.  He worked as the Director of Parks and Recreation for an 18 month period from 1999 to December 2000 and it is during the time, he says that he “gained an appreciation of the fact that we really do work for the people of the community.” He thoroughly enjoyed the shift of focus from corporate work to community work and was able to utilize his background and skills in finance in particular to secure the dollars needed for various capital projects.

By 2000, Tim and Mary now had a second daughter, Jennifer, who was born in 1994, and Tim was continuing his rise up the rungs of the corporate ladder.  In 2000, he assumed the position of General Manager of Corporate Services, which included Fire, Public Works,  Transit and Parks and Recreation—all large areas with unique characteristics and issues. But his interest in special projects kept him involved in a variety of initiatives such as downtown waterfront development, Team Burlington concept for economic and tourism development and bringing a McMaster campus to Burlington.

In 2004, Tim’s exposure to all facets of municipal administration would accelerate again as the result of the City Manager’s decision to rotate the General Managers – a kind of cross training strategy for the upper levels.  He was appointed as the General Manager of Development and Infrastructure (overseeing the Engineering, Planning and Building departments)  initially for 25 years and then served 1 year as the General Manager of Corporate Services before accepting the City Manager’s position in Thunder Bay in 2008.  Tim brings the culmination of a wealth of municipal experience at every level with him to his new role and with that, a unique vision and openness to a collaborative and multi disciplinary  approach.

“As the only employee reporting to City Council, a City Manager is only as good as his team,” he observes philosophically. “I have to listen closely to both Council and staff in order to succeed.”

 And Tim’s concepts of leadership show an insight honed over decades of dealing with people.  “My concept of leadership is very much a concept of “followship”.  What does it take to have people follow you is a question that I constantly need to ask?”

As Tim familiarizes himself with the issues of his new organization and cements those critical working relationships with City Council and his staff, he takes time to reflect on being back in his home community.  And back in the city of his old alma mater.  “Lakehead University is one of the jewels of Thunder Bay,” he says.   And he has particularly fond memories of the Commerce Program which he feels “forced you to think for yourself and gave you skills that would last for the rest of your life.”

And as he appreciates the particular joys of being back in the city where his parents and siblings still reside, Tim says that his leisure time usually focuses on being with his family.  Although he chuckles when he admits that he “needs to spend a lot more time exercising”, his favourite leisure activities include reading (mostly periodicals with a particular fondness for Scientific American) and finding quiet time with his wife and daughters.  He enjoys golf as well as engaging his creative juices to design and plan renovations to the family camp at Hawkeye Lake. “I enjoy envisioning what projects are going to look like, “he says.

LU Alumni Tim Commisso has come full circle in his career path and it is the citizens and employees of the City of Thunder Bay who will truly benefit from the depth of skill and experience that he brings back to the community where he was born.  And his choice of a quote that best reflects his personal philosophy shows that he will face the challenges of his new position with a positive attitude and without fear: “Never fear criticism- the gallery is full of critics.” (Author Unknown)  

Maureen Arges Nadin