Region steps up recruitment for permanent CAO
Initially opted to temporarily delay the search in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
The hunt for the next chief administrative officer at Niagara Region headquarters is underway.
The CAO is Niagara’s top bureaucrat and the primary member of municipal staff who interacts with council while acting as a municipality manager. He or she reports directly to council, and is required to implement plans, policies and projects for council.
“It is probably the most important function for the governance of an elected council,” said Niagara- on- the- Lake Coun. Gary Zalepa.
“We have had an unfortunate set of circumstances that have delayed our ability to (do a search). We have come to a point where it is in our council’s best interest to move the process forward. I would not be supportive of waiting any longer.”
Ron Tripp will continue in his current role as temporary CAO — in addition to his job as public works commissioner — until the recruitment committee completes its work and council votes on the selection.
Council had opted to temporarily delay the CAO recruitment process in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tripp was called on to fill in after former chief administrative officer Carmen D’Angelo left the Region under a cloud and an Ontario ombudsman’s investigation sparked by St. Catharines Standard reporter Grant LaFleche’s award-winning expose, All the Chair’s Men.
The ombudsman’s investigation found the activities surrounding the hiring of D’Angelo “unjust and wrong” and that the conspiracy was orchestrated from within former regional chair Alan Caslin’s office.
Caslin tried to run for office again in 2018 but finished 20th among 23 candidates with just 1,928 votes, a preposterously low total for an incumbent. The vote leader among St. Catharines regional council candidates was current Chair Jim Bradley, with 18,954 votes.
“We are in the middle of something that needs all hands on deck,” said St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik. “I am torn between extending the acting chief administrative officer for a period until we get through what is, arguably, a challenging six months even if a vaccine is provided in early 2021, (with) the ramp-up to vaccinate the public and the coordination it is going to require.
“I think having the institutional knowledge, and the continuity at the top of the corporation, is paramount.”
The Region also announced a timeline, in a media release. At its Dec. 17 meeting, council will appoint a recruitment committee composed of the regional chair and four council members.
“The vote to hire a permanent chief administrative officer signals Regional Council’s desire to solidify the bureaucratic leadership of the corporation after nearly two years of external delays,” Regional Chair Jim Bradley said.
“Given the circumstances surrounding the previous CAO’s recruitment, I want to assure the public that Ron Tripp has been filling the role in an acting capacity since late 2018.”