Jackson retiring from City Hall soon

Wayne Jackson, the city’s commissioner of infrastructure and planning services, is retiring on Dec. 31 — this time for real.

Jackson had previously announced his retirement in June 2015.

He said then he would retire by the end of that month, but then changed his mind and announced he would stay on for another four years.

Three-and-a-half years later, a new city staff report says Jackson’s retiring on the last day of 2018.

The report states that the city is currently recruiting for another commissioner of infrastructure and planning services to replace him.

Jackson was on the Sunshine List: in 2017, his salary was $158,037.

Meanwhile Jackson also served as the city engineer and his replacement has already been selected.

As part of a staff restructuring in the spring, it was decided that Blair Nelson, the manager of design and construction for the city, would become city engineer upon Jackson’s retirement.

The restructuring of the top administration jobs at City Hall was adopted in April.

It involved consolidating city services under three commissioners at City Hall who would report to the CAO. Previously, five directors reported to the CAO; this new system is meant to streamline services at City Hall.

Part of the rationale for the restructuring was that it would make it easier to accommodate a series of impending retirements among top bureaucrats at City Hall.

City community services director Ken Doherty was the last to retire in May after 30 years working for the city.

Jackson had been the city’s director of utility services for nearly 11 years when he was made a commissioner in the spring.

Prior to working for the City of Peterborough, he worked in the GTA.