PUSLINCH – Roughly a month after appointing a new acting clerk, the township again has a new interim clerk.
On Aug. 14, council officially appointed Patrick Moyle as the new interim clerk/CAO.
Last month, Puslinch council had appointed deputy clerk Nina Lecic as acting clerk following the departure of township CAO Karen Landry.
Since then, Lecic has taken a position as a deputy clerk for the Town of Milton, necessitating the township bringing in a new person for the clerk position.
Prior to going into closed session councillors offered a number of accolades.
Mayor James Seeley stated “our deputy clerk, now acting clerk is leaving us. She is moving to her home town of Milton to progress her career. We are very sad to see her leave.”
Seeley told Lecic, “I am very happy for you. Congratulations.”
He quipped “I wish you the best at the second best municipality.”
Councillor Ken Roth started, “Well Nina, you will be missed. I’ve enjoyed working with you for the past several years. It’s very sad to see you go, but I know it is the best choice for you and I wish you all the best.”
Councillor Matthew Bulmer quipped that he came to understand that Lecic was one of the fastest talking deputy-clerk but is used to fast talking individuals.
On a more personal level, Bulmer appreciated Lecic’s experience with a blind individual at a previous job.
He spoke of her “level of understanding and willingness to be patient with me as I dealt with certain challenges, and helping me to overcome those challenges made me feel like part of the team.”
“(Lecic) made it more possible for me to participate.”
Bulmer said that same spirit applied to Lecic’s job overall.
“It is something which is going to be missed around here.”
Councillor Jessica Goyda added she too would miss Lecic’s smile and welcoming attitude.
“I think the residents coming in will miss you as well. You provide that sense of care and making people feel good.”
At the same time Goyda understood Lecic’s new position would allow her to be much closer to home and allow much more time with family.
Councillor John Sepulis offered his congratulations as well, both for her smile and the conversations at the council table prior to meetings.
New interim CAO Patrick Moyle stated “I’ve known Nina for 14 days, but I’ve known her also by reputation.”
Moyle stated Lecic was groomed and recruited by the current acting CAO of Milton.
“Nina was one of his first hires and he speaks very highly of her. Now that he’s been put in the position of being the ‘King in Milton’, he took advantage of that and decided to staff up with good people. Unfortunately for us, it meant Nina would be returning to the fold.”
Moyle said during his limited time working with Lecic he had observed how she had handled people and problems and dealt with the public.
“It is is the benchmark of how a public servant should behave. She cares, she’s smart, she understands and she finds solutions to problems.”
Moyle added “I’ve been very impressed with Nina and all of the staff. I’ve worked in large, medium and small municipalities. What I’ve been reminded of in smaller places is that people must be jack-of-all trades.”
He added “In the short time I’ve been here, I’ve just marvelled at how the place works and how the team works together.”
Director of finance Mary Hasan added “I really wanted to thank Nina for her efforts prior to Pat starting and during that month where Nina and I had to take care of everything.”
“You definitely are going to be missed and Milton is lucky to have you.”
Lecic thanked everyone for their kind words.
“This place has taught me so much and I want to thank council past and present for every single opportunity you have given me.”
“It has truly been a pleasure and honour to work with you. The team here is probably the hardest working I’ve ever, ever worked with. The people here all do so much and they do it with honesty, integrity, and care for our residents.”
