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Kincardine council rejects recommended consultant in search for new CAO By Liz Dadson |
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Kincardine council has rejected the recommended consultant in favour of another one with more municipal experience, as the process begins to search for a new chief administrative officer (CAO). In committee-of-the-whole Wednesday night (Aug. 10), clerk Donna MacDougall presented the recommendation. She and current CAO John deRosenroll (who leaves Aug. 19) were joined by mayor Larry Kraemer and deputy mayor Anne Eadie in reviewing and interviewing four prospective consultants. The candidates included Garth Johns, N.G. Bellchamber and Associates (Nigel Bellchamber), The Performance Group (Maureen O'Leary-Pickard), and Hayhurst Consulting Inc. (Steve Hayhurst). MacDougall said the criteria used in the selection process involved work plan, experience, cost, and municipal-fit. The recommended consultant was The Performance Group (Maureen O'Leary-Pickard), at a rate of $995 per day, plus expenses (such as printing, testing, travel, etc.), with an estimated time frame of five to six days based on the process as set out by the municipality. Eadie said the recommended consultant is very qualified. However, her vote was for Bellchamber who was a CAO and treasurer, has extensive municipal experience, is highly respected across many municipalities, chaired the Public Sector Accounting Board (PSAB), and is specifically trained in hiring CAOs. "We need to hire the best CAO to meet the needs of Kincardine," said Eadie. Councillor Ron Coristine said he rated the consultants, himself, including how each candidate would approach this recruitment process, and he favoured Bellchamber as well. "We need to spread the net further than that inadvertent posting that went out prematurely," he said, referring to the advertisement for a CAO which has already been posted. Kraemer said the process for selecting a consultant was fair. "I didn't get my first choice," he said. "We should support the recommendation that was brought to council. That consultant has more experience in the field of recruiting." Coristine voiced concerns about the interview process. "We need a more rigorous approach to asking questions," he said. "I don't believe the questions were probing enough. They were general and vague. "Someone with municipal experience understands local government, the provincial government, the whole culture of government. And it's important to have a background in political science - Nigel (Bellchamber) has these."
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Councillor Candy Hewitt agreed, saying she was
surprised at the recommended consultant. "Despite this person's
recruiting skills, this requires a specific skill set," she said, "and
Nigel Bellchamber brings a certain integrity to the process." "What sort of pool of candidates would each of these consultants have access to?" asked councillor Kenneth Craig. "Some would fish further from home than others," said Kraemer. In the final analysis, committee-of-the-whole refused to support the recommended consultant, preferring to hire Bellchamber. At the end of the meeting, in council session, Bellchamber received the nod in a recorded vote of 8-1 in favour, with Kraemer the only dissenting voice. Council will now meet with Bellchamber at a special meeting to discuss the process of hiring a new CAO. As this was his last meeting, deRosenroll thanked the municipality for a great 14-and-a-half years, and he and his family will miss the many friends they made in Kincardine. Council held a farewell party for him following the meeting. Scrolling stops when you move your mouse inside the scroll area. You can click on the ads for more
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