City waffles on interim CAO

By NUNATSIAQ NEWS

Iqaluit’s city council had second thoughts about who should become its interim chief administrative officer during a meeting this past Tuesday.

Last week city council approved of the idea of making Mark Hall, the city’s public works director, their interim CAO. During a special meeting on April 5, councillors pushed a motion through first and second readings that would appoint Hall to the position.

But when time came for the motion’s third and final reading this week, no councilor either moved or seconded the motion, and it died.

The motion was discussed in camera, so whatever reservations city councillors had about Hall’s appointment were not made public.

What’s more, when a motion dies this way, it cannot be re-introduced again for several months, according to the city clerk.

That leaves finance director John Hussey as acting CAO in the meantime, while the city begins its search for someone to fill the seat permanently. Iqaluit’s former CAO, Ian Fremantle, left his job in mid-March, after he and city council could not agree on the terms of a new contract.

The designation of “interim” CAO, rather than “acting” CAO, would give the position more authority to represent the city and sign official documents.

As the most senior city director, Hussey replaced lands director Michele Bertol as acting CAO when he returned from vacation several weeks ago.

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