‘Tidal wave of craziness’: Iqaluit council starts work to recruit new CAO
Council hires recruitment firm, forms committee to review applications after Amy Elgersma’s resignation
Amy Elgersma speaks during Tuesday’s Iqaluit city council meeting. Elgersma will leave her post as chief administrative officer on Nov. 11. (Photo by David Venn)
Iqaluit city councillors have accepted chief administrative officer Amy Elgersma’s resignation and appointed her temporary fill-in.
“It is going to be a tidal wave of craziness here for the next little while,” said Mayor Kenny Bell prior to handing Elgersma a Mayor’s Local Hero award during city council’s Tuesday evening meeting.
“I really respect you as a person and as a leader of our community and I’m going to be sad to see you go.”
Iqaluit chief administrative officer Amy Elgersma and Mayor Kenny Bell pose for a photo after Bell hands Elgersma a Mayor’s Local Hero award Tuesday evening. (Photo by David Venn)
Elgersma worked for the City of Iqaluit for 23 years, starting her career as a senior lifeguard and working her way up to becoming acting chief administrative officer in February 2018, which became a permanent position a year later.
She resigned in a Sept. 13 letter to council, stating her last day would be Nov. 11.
Elgersma told Nunatsiaq News in an interview that she will be leaving Iqaluit to work for another municipality in Ontario.
Coun. Kimberly Smith said she appreciates the work Elgersma did for the city.
“Amy was my swim team coach when I was like 12 years old,” Smith said with a laugh. “We’ve known each other for a very long time, so I wish you the best.”
Bell said the city has hired a recruiting firm to gather applications for the vacant position.
Councillors chose deputy Mayor Solomon Awa, Smith and Coun. Kyle Sheppard to form the committee that will choose their next chief administrator.
Bell then nominated the city’s chief enforcement officer, Rod Mugford, to be acting chief administrative officer.
Councillors voted unanimously in support.
Mugford could not be reached immediately for comment.
Why of the majority of municipalities in Nunavut does Iqaluit not have an Assistant CAO? The entire purpose of this role is continuity and to mentor/shadow someone to do that type of work. Is the City of Iqaluit just that short sighted? It would have avoided the “tidal wave of craziness” as per Mayor Bell.
“chief enforcement officer, Rod Mugford, to be acting chief administrative officer.”
Oh boy! I hope they find someone with experience and the capability to do this job.
So the newly appointed CAO was previously a municipal enforcement officer?
Thank you for your service Amy.
The work you initiated and saw through to completion will last for many many years.
Did I miss the Calm Waves of Sanity that preceded it?
Nothing bad to say about Amy, she wasn’t the one going out there swinging fists and running her mouth online. The lack of information during the water crisis was damaging though, but who knows if that was her fault or not.
If you can’t swim, try the stanky leg. Hopefully it will keep you afloat.
Appointing the Chief Enforcement Officer to be the acting CAO is recipe for disaster. Just remember the old adage “to a hammer everything looks like a nail”.
You mean a ‘continuation of a tidal wave of crazy’? From drinking contaminated water, to stanky legs , to taxing churches…there doesn’t seem to be a time in during this term that there wasn’t a tidal waved
Tidal wave of craziness? This mayor sure has a way with words and the impact on public perception. Really makes you have confidence in the functioning of the city…lol. I guess we should all get a life jacket and make sure we don’t drink from the tidal wave…or wait maybe it’s safe to drink?
The ‘Tidal wave of craziness’ is the inner workings of his own psyche.