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Nanaimo Council hires interim CAO

Jul 3, 2018 | 4:59 PM

NANAIMO — The City of Nanaimo has new leadership, as councillors have agreed on an interim chief administrative officer.

Jake Rudolph will join the City on July 16 after being chosen from the three candidates Council interviewed out of 37 applicants for the job. Rudolph was most recently the deputy city manager in Abbotsford for more than four years. Prior to that he spent almost 13 years as the CAO for the City of Pitt Meadows.

Mayor Bill McKay said Rudolph’s 35 years of experience in planning and municipal governance stood out, as well as his work on several “files of interest.”

“Including First Nations relations, homelessness, housing, and harm reduction…He’s got a very broad base of knowledge and skill sets. He came with excellent references and he’s very well-respected in municipal governance.”

McKay said Rudolph’s mandate from Council will be to focus on immediately providing an atmosphere where staff can turn to him for guidance and leadership.

“We also want him to focus on the homelessness issue, tent city and the affordable housing file as top priorities,” McKay said.

Rudolph will earn around $212,000 annually, in line with previous CAO Tracy Samra. His contract will run until March 31, 2019.

McKay said the term was chosen to give flexibility to the incoming Council “To either go into a new process or to affirm a full-time hire on their own grounds.”

McKay was asked if the recent strife between Council and Samra was discussed during the interview and hiring process.

“Not really. He has a very calming way about him, he’s got a personality that is very modest. He prefers to work in the background to support mayor and council.”

McKay said the hire was “very strongly supported” by Council.

The search for an interim CAO began in April after Samra was arrested for allegedly uttering threats at City Hall. Council fired Samra with cause at the end of May.

 

dom@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @domabassi