The township has a new acting chief administrative officer (CAO).
Murray Clarke, who commenced his duties with the township on Nov. 7, was officially appointed CAO through a bylaw passed by Mapleton council on Nov. 14.
Clarke, who previously held CAO positions in several communities, retired from his position as CAO of Kincardine in June, after more than five years with that municipality.
The Nov. 14 meeting was also the last for outgoing CAO Brad McRoberts. The township announced on Oct. 13 that McRoberts was resigning to take a position as CAO of the Town of South Bruce Peninsula, where he formerly worked as manager of public works.
McRoberts was originally hired by Mapleton as public works director in July of 2014. He became CAO in November of 2015.
Clarke was engaged as acting CAO with the assistance of consultants Ward and Uptigrove, who have been hired to assist with the process of replacing McRoberts.
“Thank you Murray for stepping in and assisting council through this process,” said McRoberts.
“I think you’ll enjoy your time here. I certainly did.”
Citing colder temperatures to be expected in his new municipality, Mayor Neil Driscoll presented McRoberts with a Mapleton toque as a parting gift.
“Thank you again for all that you have done for Mapleton. We had this tendency to kind of put you in a position and you handled them all very well,” said Driscoll.
Councillor Michael Martin said, “Council gets to sit here and meet and then walk away and you have to do the hard part of implementation.
“I really appreciated the time and the effort you put in here.”
McRoberts stated he is “really proud” of the staff he worked with in Mapleton.
“I can sit back and say, ‘You know what, you guys are in great hands.’
“So I’m proud of that.”
In a Nov. 27 press release, Driscoll stated Clarke was selected as interim CAO because of his wealth of municipal experience.
“As interim CAO, he will play a pivotal role in helping to ensure the continued commitment to our township’s community.”
Clarke has over 30 years experience in senior municipal management positions. Prior to serving as CAO of Kincardine, he worked as CAO of the Town of Bracebridge, Muskoka and the Town of Sidney, on Vancouver Island.
Clarke will serve in the interim position until a new CAO is appointed.
“I am pleased to be joining the Township of Mapleton in the role of interim CAO,” said Clarke. “I look forward to working closely with the mayor, council and staff for the next few months.”
It is anticipated a permanent CAO will be hired at the end of December.
