Brampton to ‘part ways’ with top bureaucrat

Harry Schlange was hired by the former mayor during the previous council term.

Brampton council will begin searching for a new chief administrative officer in the new year after Mayor Patrick Brown announced Thursday the city has decided to “part ways” with current CAO Harry Schlange so the municipality can take the next step forward.

“At our December 12 meeting, City Council determined that we require a new leader to help us take Brampton to the next stage in our community’s fu- ture,” wrote Brown in a news release.

“As a result of this decision we have decided to part ways with our Chief Administrative Officer, Harry Schlange, effective immediately.”

The city has appointed Joe Pittari as interim CAO and has already begun the search for a permanent replacement.

Schlange was hired by Brampton’s previous council under former mayor Linda Jeffrey in April 2016. He was tabbed for the job after a yearlong search in the wake of his predecessor John Corbett’s controversial departure in 2015. Schlange had previously worked as chief administrative officer for Niagara Region.

“We would like to acknowledge the contributions that Harry has made to our organization, and our community, and wish him every success in the future. We are thankful for the important initiatives he has helped to build and for the incredible staff team that is in place as a result of his leadership,” added the mayor. When asked by the Brampton Guardian, Brown wouldn’t say if council is considering any further managerial or senior staff personnel changes in either the CAO’s office or other departments.