Although in-person council hasn’t yet summarized, Chatham-Kent’s new top boss was getting familiarized with his surroundings in the chambers.
Michael Duben officially began as chief administrative officer on Sept. 8, joining a number of people gathered at the Civic Center for a meet-and-greet.
However, he said he still has many more staff to meet, as well as corners of the vast municipality to travel to, and looks forward to continuing to learn.
“You’ve got some really hard-working people here who really know what they’re doing,” Duben said. “To be able to lead those individuals is really kind of rewarding because every day you learn something.
“It’s a big organization, and while I have a lot of knowledge about municipal government, Chatham-Kent has its own unique opportunities and challenges. … It’s also geographically a big area, so I plan to get out and visit as many of the work stations as I can.”
Previously, Duben served as Oxford County’s top administrator. He replaces Don Shrosphire, who retired earlier this year but still remains to assist with the Wheatley file after last year’s gas leaks and explosion.
Tony Haddad, a veteran administrator, was serving in the interim.
Duben, who still lives in Oxford, has purchased a home in Chatham and will be relocating with his wife in the fall.
“I like the community. I spent a lot of time here about 25, 30 years ago,” he said, noting he worked then in Windsor. “There’s a lot more development. There are neighborhoods that exist now that weren’t here when I was more familiar with the area.”
Duben’s experience as a CAO includes serving the District Municipality of Muskoka for seven years, beginning in 2013, before taking the top job in Oxford County in 2020.
He also brings 10 years of experience as a senior corporate law partner at Miller Canfield LLP in Windsor.
After moving to the municipal sector, Duben served more than five years as a general manager with the City of Windsor responsible for various departments, including parks, licensing and enforcement, planning, building, recreation, fire services and cultural affairs.
He also served as vice-president for EnWin Utilities from 2009 to 2013.
Noting there are several challenges in Chatham-Kent like any other community, Duben believes amalgamation is also still continuing to gain acceptance.
“It’s going to take a couple of generations for people to, hopefully, finally buy into the idea that it’s one single organization now,” he said.
The future of where to house municipal services is also coming to the forefront, given the recent proposal, still in the early stages, to use space at the Downtown Chatham Center as part of an overall revitalization of the property.
With the prevalence of working from home, Duben called it the perfect opportunity for the municipality to determine exactly how much space it needs.
“There are many municipalities that probably wish that they were at this stage of the life of their building,” he said. “We have that benefit now of knowing that we probably don’t need the same footprint that we would have needed pre-COVID.”
The new CAO also touted the efforts of municipal staff during the pandemic to ensure that basic services were able to continue in an uncertain world.
He said there will always be a need for such staff, who will be especially in demand in the current job market.
“I hope there’s an increased amount of respect for municipal staff,” Duben said. “One, is because I think they deserve it. Two, is because we need to continue to encourage people to join us.”