It could be more than a month before it’s clear what will happen in the upper echelons of St. Albert administration.
Following the termination of chief financial officer Mike Dion last month, interim city manager Chris Jardine was saying little about his plans until he’s finalized them and presented them to council.
“I’ve got a vision, which I’m not yet ready to share publicly, but I have a vision of how the upper end of our organization needs to be structured,” he said.
The Gazette learned last week Jardine terminated Dion July 19 as part of the restructuring. Jardine was unavailable to comment at the time, but acting city manager Glenn Tompolski explained that it may include general managers and the directors under them taking on a broader range of responsibilities.
Jardine confirmed this week the move is part of a broader restructuring plan in the organization, which he won’t discuss publicly until he’s informed council. He said he expects to do that by the end of September.
He said he’s not looking to hire someone to take on the CFO position at this time, but rather is looking at delegating the role to someone already in the organization.
“We’re having a talking about who is responsible for those functions and where do they land,” he said.
He said the change would have no impact whatsoever on the budgeting process, and said the change would make things easier for the incoming city manager when he or she comes on board.
“I’m trying to set a structure that’s strong and stable, so the incoming person has a strong, stable organization to commence working with,” he said.
Council is currently in the process of working with recruiting firm Conroy Ross to find a new city manager. The firm is expected to present a short list of candidates for council consideration in September.
For his part, Dion said he wasn’t given a clear reason for his dismissal, but doesn’t bear any ill will about the decision.
“It’s too bad it ended the way it did, but I certainly understand,” he said. “Those are the perils, right?”
He said he was proud of what he had accomplished in the role, including increasing engagement in a “demoralized” staff, putting more of a focus on long-term planning and having more robust internal controls.
Dion credited his success with having good staff working under his leadership.
“I would say I left the division in a far better position than when I got there,” he said. “The team did a lot of good work.”
