City manager Saint John is one of many communities looking for a chief administrative officer

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John Chilibeck
Telegraph-Journal

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SAINT JOHN - If the example set by Moncton is any indication, Saint John could be in a long wait for a new city manager.

More than a year after Al Strang retired as Moncton city manager, his former employer is still looking for someone to fill the top post.

"There's competition out there," Saint John Mayor Ivan Court said in an interview. "I heard as many as five areas of the province are looking for city managers."

Complicating matters for Saint John is Moncton's choice of an executive search firm. It hired Robertson Surrette of Halifax, the same company the Port City plans on using, to find suitable candidates across the country.

City of Moncton spokesman Paul Thomson said he didn't think Saint John's joining the job search would make the task more difficult for his employer. The two cities are about the same size with only a 90-minute drive separating them.

"We're further along in our process," Thomson said. "We've been out there for a while, and we're pretty comfortable and confident that we're going to have a qualified, excellent candidate in place by October of this year."

Thomson said it's an arm's-length process and he really has no idea who the search firm has lined up so far for Moncton city council's consideration.

In Saint John, Court said common council hasn't had a chance to sit down and discuss what it is looking for in a new city manager, nor has it met with Robertson Surrette officials to tell them what qualities they want to see in a new city manager.

That should happen soon. Court said council wants to have a new city manager in place within six months to a year. "I expect this is someone who will be able to work with the administrative staff, with the various managers in the departments and work in a team spirit," said the mayor, who added that council would be open to any candidate suggesting changes to the way city hall is run.

Former city manager Terry Totten resigned from the post recently after being in the role for 15 years. He was responsible for almost 700 employees, an annual operating budget of $127 million and services for 68,000 residents.

Council and Totten negotiated an early retirement and severance package after it became clear the city's politicians wanted new blood.

Former deputy city manager Pat Woods has been named acting city manager until council finds someone to fill the position longer term. The mayor said he would encourage Woods to apply for the permanent position, keeping in mind that he would be in a national competition for the job, which pays up to $160,000 and includes the use of a car, all expenses paid.

"The last three premiers have sought him as a deputy minister, and his work with the Finn report (on behalf of the province) and so on would give him a good shot at this," Court said.

Chris MacPherson, the president of the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators, suggested the position of city manager is a tough job because there are essentially three groups to satisfy - employees, the politicians and the public.

"A lot of people don't necessarily want that position. Every city only has one and it can be a fairly lonely position at times, especially when you have to deal in an operational setting and a political environment. You need the technical expertise but some astuteness politically as well and some people aren't comfortable with that," he said. "It can be a stressful occupation."

In his day job, MacPherson is the number two employee at the City of Fredericton, the assistant city administrator.

He said in the Maritimes, city managers, or chief administrative officers, as they are officially called, typically stay on the job for a long time, closing out their career in the position. Fredericton's Paul Stapleton has been city administrator for about 15 years, and Strang in Moncton was city manager for 20 years before retiring.

The story is different in Ontario and the western provinces, where turnover is much higher.

"There are a lot of positions available the further west you go, and a lot of opportunities," MacPherson said.

He said it was up to common council to decide exactly what it wanted in a new top executive, but he added there was no real school for a city manager. Most cities hire someone who was previously a municipal planner, solicitor, accountant or engineer.

"Usually they're people with good interpersonal skills, working with senior managers, public and politicians, with the ability to get along with people and to communicate well and to motivate people to be good at staying on your plan," MacPherson said. "It can take some time to find the right person. It's probably prudent for council to take their time looking for the right person."

Court said Saint John should fare well in its search because the city is becoming a more attractive place to live and work.

"It's the place to be right now. A lot of people believe that, and I hear it everywhere I go. People are interested in setting up shop here now. We're back to where we were in the early history of Saint John, and that's a good thing."