South Glengarry residents, taxpayers left with questions as yet another CAO departs
Doug Robertson didn't even last a year, hired last fall
Once again, the township of South Glengarry is without a chief administrative officer (CAO), the top staff position which oversees and coordinates “the day-to-day administration of the Township of South Glengarry, through its senior management team.” Doug Robertson (not to be confused with fire chief Dave Robertson) held the job for less than eight months.
According to the Standard-Freeholder in Cornwall, “On May 27, South Glengarry council rescinded its bylaw appointing Doug Robertson as CAO. Robertson was hired in September 2023, coming from working for five years as CAO/clerk/director of economic development at the Village of Merrickville-Wolford.”
The news article went on to say that a special council meeting was convened “where Robertson’s appointment was rescinded.” The minutes “show all of council present, along with South Glengarry acting GM of corporate services / clerk Kayce Dixon, and SDG director of human resources Kristin Sommers. Council also rescinded a second bylaw that day, one passed earlier this year appointing a deputy clerk.”
Looking at the township’s contact page today, there are a lot of empty spaces. So what’s going on at township hall?
Still, as of posting this article here, there is no news item posted to the township’s news page about the senior staff departures. In fact, the last news item posted is nearly two months old, dated April 17.
In looking at the official Facebook page for the township, there are again no explanations, only a single post promoting the search for a new CAA who “will be a proven leader with a demonstrated ability to embrace change and guide the municipality, as directed by Council.” There is no link to any job posting or further details.
It’s also curious that the township has blocked comments on most of its Facebook posts, including the one that announced the hunt for a new CAO.
While the lack of explanation from council for the departure of the most recent CAO is concerning, it’s important to note that this has become a pattern over recent years.
Derik Brandt was dismissed in 2014. At the time, sources indicated the reason for this was that council believed Brandt exceeded his authority as CAO in his dealings with the city of Cornwall and failed to follow the directions of council.
Next up was Bryan Brown who lasted until he was dumped in 2019. At the time, the Freeholder reported, “Brown was at the helm as the township hired a number of senior staff members, some of whom have come into council’s crosshairs in the last several years,” but there was no clear explanation from council.
Then we went with Tim Mills. He had no experience managing a municipality, instead coming from many years with the Upper Canada District School Board, including, as its board chair. This was during the time that the UCDSB attempted to shutter both high schools in the county, Char-Lan and Glengarry, amongst other threatened school closures. The board did subsequently go ahead with shutting down the K-12 school in Ingleside, Rothwell-Osnabruck, but community outcry here in our county managed to save our two high schools.
Mills lasted about three years. During this stretch, the township created numerous new staff positions and spent taxpayer money renovating the municipal hall in Lancaster. As well, council meetings were relocated to the hall at the arena in Williamstown. His department from the SG CAO role was described as a “resignation” to pursue a new opportunity. Here is the Freeholder story from the time.
In a September 23, 2023 announcement on its website, South Glengarry indicated that “a comprehensive recruitment process” led to the hiring of Doug Robertson as the township’s new CAO.
Mayor Lachlan McDonald stated, “Council conducted a robust search to fill the CAO position, and we are happy with the outcome.” Robertson was to start in his new role on November 6, 2023.
Much of the content of the May 27 special meeting that ended with the CAO’s departure was conducted in camera, which means there were no minutes taken nor were the proceedings accessible or reported to the public. The only available details are as follows:
BE IT RESOLVED THAT Council convene to Closed Session to discuss the following item(s) under Section 239 (2) of The Municipal Act S.O. 2001
(b) personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees;
Specifically: Staffing Matter
Following the in camera session, the minutes only include these notes:
BE IT RESOLVED THAT Council rise and reconvene at __6:20___ pm into open session without reporting.
BE IT RESOLVED that Administration be directed to carry out all actions as specified in the Closed Session minutes.
Back to the Freeholder article, there was a short quote from Mayor McDonald
“Council and the CAO agreed to a mutual parting of ways and rescinding the bylaws formalized that decision. Dave Robertson (fire chief) will be the (acting) CAO while we conduct our CAO search with the support of the SDG Counties’ HR team.”
~ South Glengarry mayor Lachlan McDonald as quoted by the Standard-Freeholder on June 4, 2024
I have reached out to senior staff and members of council for more information and will update this story when/if I hear back.
If you live in South Glengarry, I am wondering what you think about the latest bombshell and lack of announcement. Do you believe recruiting a qualified CAO will be a challenge considering that we have seen four CAOs come and go for various reasons and with little explanation in less that 10 years? Feel free to leave your comment here.
If you have more information on this story (or any other), please reach out to me.