In 2023, Kate and partner Jesse Helmer wrote a paper called Lonely at the Top which identified a steady decline in the tenure of municipal CAOs in Alberta over a 20-year period, driven by changes in council governance dynamics. This paper led to multiple speaking engagements and research interests, and ultimately led to the launch of a boutique research firm focused on local governance in Canada: Local Matters.

Local Matters helps local governments improve their governance. We start with data analytics: we examine every public meeting (yes, all of them) over a council term to find key patterns in how decisions are made, to assess key dynamics like civility and trust, and identify opportunities to improve the local decision-making process.