 B.C. municipalities spending millions to get rid of their top bureaucrats
| | |  | | | “It costs quite a bit of money. It can be extremely disruptive to the operation … and it might not solve the problems.”
You could say this about any number of things done in local government.
However, municipal management consultant Randy Diehl was talking specifically about what he sees as a growing trend: a city’s top bureaucrat (commonly known as a chief administrative officer) being fired or resigning due to a hostile dynamic with a new mayor and council.
They’re the people in charge of taking all the direction from the mayor and council and overseeing all the municipal staff that put it into action.
But Metro Matters crunched the numbers, and in the last six months, 13 different municipal CAOs in B.C. have been fired, resigned or retired.
Most of them did so in abrupt or mysterious circumstances, and most of it happened in communities with a new mayor.
When we talk about dysfunctional municipalities, it may be the hijinks of mayors that get the attention. Yet it’s the departure of senior staff that causes the biggest issues — both in terms of delays to projects and money out the door.
Diehl estimates that in the last seven years, up to $20 million has been spent by municipalities getting rid of CAOs or fighting wrongful dismissal lawsuits that can arise.
This month, North Saanich’s CAO was offered about $300,000 to leave his post following conflicts with a new mayor and council.
Councils kicking out senior staff they perceive as hostile — or senior staff leaving because of hostility — has become common enough that many municipal administrators now negotiate large severance packages into their contracts, such is the growing instability of the job.
“If a community says we want change … you have to be prepared to run with it,” said Union of B.C. Municipalities president Jen Ford, who acknowledged there can always be tensions between politicians who run on change and bureaucrats who put a premium on process.
“But it's important for a community to recognize that there are certain jobs that have to be done and can't be politicized.”
Allison Habkirk, a former Central Saanich mayor who has become a municipal consultant, advised new councils to understand they have plenty of time to enact their agenda.
“If you plan your objectives over those four years, you'll probably be able to get most of the things done that you want … so I would just try to lower the temperature,” she said.
Of course, lowering the temperature is easier said than done.
After all, Diehl himself was recently hired by the province to be a municipal adviser in Lions Bay after months of dysfunction.
One of the things the village is currently dealing with? The new mayor and council dismissed the former CAO late last year.
He’s now suing the village for an additional $85,000 in severance. | | |  | | | 1. Kamloops | | | Which brings us to Kamloops, where the relationship between Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson and the rest of council has further deteriorated after the mayor sued Coun. Katie Neustaeter and council responded by voting to pay the legal fees for Neustaeter but not Hamer-Jackson. In the midst of this, it was revealed that Hamer-Jackson had been investigated for allegations of workplace bullying and harassment. At this point, councillors can credibly say the business of the city is going ahead as planned because of stability with staff and the rest of council, but what happens if that changes?
Read more | | |  | | | 2. Surrey | Meanwhile, the Surrey Police Service vs. RCMP saga saw its 71st and 72nd twists this week: first when Mayor Brenda Locke suggested Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth has been misogynistic in his dealings with her, and next when the city’s ethics commission ruled a pro-RCMP councillor was in a conflict of interest when voting to retain the RCMP in a 5-4 vote.
Read more | | | |  | | | 3. New Westminster | As a general rule, politicians shouldn’t run burner social accounts to mock other politicians and constituents they disagree with. But that’s exactly what New Westminster school trustee Dee Beattie did, and now the board finds itself in a common situation: virtually everyone close to the situation calling for a resignation … but the person in the middle refusing to do so, leaving an awkward situation for everyone.
Read more | | | | | |  | | | 4. White Rock | In other news around elected officials and social media use, can a councillor post on Facebook that a local restaurant has gone downhill? Technically the answer is yes, but after the owner of Moby Dick Restaurant made an ethics complaint to White Rock’s CAO, Coun. David Chesney issued a public apology for his hot take on the … checks notes … ”British Columbia Photos” group page.
Read more in the Peace Arch News | | | |  | | | 5. Lytton | As we approach the two-year mark of the fire that burned down most of Lytton, costs to rebuild the village have ballooned by over $100 million, and frustration continues to mount over delays. Now, the municipality and regional district have filed a lawsuit against CN Rail, CP Rail and Transport Canada, accusing them of being negligent in the lead-up to the fire. Read more | | | | | | Share this newsletter | | or subscribe if this was
forwarded to you. | | | | That's it for this this week! In the meantime, check out the latest headlines at cbc.ca/bc and follow our municipal affairs reporter Justin McElroy on Twitter. And if you have any questions you might want answered in a future mailbag, drop Justin a line at metromatters@cbc.ca. | | | |
