With the prior successful candidate no longer working in the organization, the Municipality of Chatham-Kent will begin a new search for its next chief administrative officer.
With the prior successful candidate no longer working in the organization, the Municipality of Chatham-Kent will begin a new search for its next chief administrative officer.
The municipality has retained Waterhouse to facilitate the hiring for the top position, according to a media release Tuesday.
The process is expected to take approximately three months.
Chris Thibert has been named interim general manager of infrastructure engineering services (IES). Thibert, who has most recently served as the director of engineering and transportation, has been employed by the municipality since 2016.
Ryan Brown, director of public works, will be accepting increased responsibility with respect to the Wheatley gas emission investigation.
“I have every belief that the citizens of Chatham-Kent will be well served by Chris and Ryan during this time of transition,” said CAO Don Shropshire. “The search for a general manager in IES will begin once we are further along in the CAO search process.”
Shropshire, who announced his retirement last year, remains in the role.
Mayor Darrin Canniff said in the release that Waterhouse is a “well-regarded firm with a proven track record in executive recruitment.”
Municipal leaders said last November that Thomas Kelly, the longtime general manager of infrastructure and engineering, would be replacing Shropshire.
However, last week it was announced that Kelly had departed.
This came in the wake of confirmation late last week that Ontario’s Ministry of Labor was in the midst of a harassment complaint investigation involving a high-ranking municipal employee.
The ministry indicated in an email it was notified of a harassment complaint on Nov. 23 of last year.
Shropshire had declined to confirm if Kelly was the subject of the investigation, citing privacy reasons.
In mid-February, Chatham-Kent officials said Shropshire would be staying in the position for a little longer, noting the leadership transition was being delayed while the municipality grappled with a number of challenges, including the aftermath of the mid-August explosion in downtown Wheatley, and the ongoing pandemic.
– With Ellwood Shreve files