New CAO starts work

Article content

There’s a new face at the helm of local government, piloting the ship from the RancheHouse (or temporarily from home).

Michael Derricott, the town’s new chief administrative officer, officially began his post on January 4.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser.

New CAO starts work Back to video

The CAO is the highest-level position of town administration, with a salary considerably larger than the mayor’s. They’re similar to what some other municipalities might call a town or city manager.

The town’s previous full-time CAO, Dave Devana, announced his departure in February after a little over two years. He took up his current position running the Nanaimo Airport Commission later in the spring.

Since that time, general manager of development services Drew Hyndman had been filling the role on an interim basis. A decision on a permanent hire was delayed for a while as the town’s focus turned toward the pandemic.

By the end of October, the town had landed on Derricott. Since early 2015, he’d held the same CAO role in Edson, Alta..

Article content continued

“We have Mr. Derricott coming in and certainly he may have some opportunity as well to be a champion [of various community services],” said Hyndman.

“I know he’s eager to roll up his sleeves and be working with the team so we’re going to have another person here that will bring a lot of expertise to the table.”

According to the Town of Cochrane memo announcing the hire, Derricott holds a Master’s of Business Administration from Royal Roads University and a background in banking.

He’s got his work cut out for him, joining the town amidst a pandemic and as they implement a brand new financial plan.

“There is an opportunity in the spring to make adjustments, so if Mr. Derricott comes in, council also has a chance to re-look at strategic planning come the new year,” noted corporate services manager Katherine Van Keimpema last month.

“The other thing I would say is, Mr. Dericott when he gets here, he will be doing his evaluation and certainly looking at what the [town’s] needs are,” Hyndman added.

“He’ll have his input coming into the budget next year as well.”