Morinville has fired its chief administrative officer for the second time in five years.
Town council voted 4-2 to end its contract with Edie Doepker, the town's CAO, at a special meeting on July 13, almost all of which was held in-camera. Councillors did not discuss the reasons for Doepker's dismissal during the public part of the meeting.
Councillors Nicole Boutestein, Gordon Boddez, Lisa Holmes and Ben Van De Walle voted in favour of the dismissal. Coun. Paul Krauskopf and Mayor Lloyd Bertschi opposed it. Coun. David Pattison was not at the meeting. Doepker's last day at work was Thursday.
Council had privately raised concerns about Doepker's performance during previous meetings, Bertschi said in an interview. "There was a feeling amongst council that the direction the community was going was not the direction council wished to go," so council moved to dismiss her.
Council voted on two motions, Bertschi explained. The first, moved by Van De Walle, contained the details of Doepker's dismissal and compensation. The second, moved by Holmes, made the contents of the first confidential under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
Bertschi said he was disappointed by the decision, but accepted it. "Sometimes the decisions we have to make at council are difficult to make."
High turnover
Doepker joined the Town of Morinville in 2009 after a long career in public service, which included stints with the City of Regina and the University of British Colombia. She had previously served as general manager for leisure and parks services in Coquitlam, B.C., a city with a population of 120,000.
Doepker had been hired to replace Milad Asdaghi, who had been fired in June 2009 for reasons that were not made public. Asdaghi had replaced long-time town employee Cathy Clarke, who quit suddenly in 2006.
Deputy CAO Debbie Oyarzun will serve as the town's acting CAO until a replacement is found, Bertschi said. That replacement will be the town's fourth CAO in five years.
There's some loss of corporate knowledge and continuity whenever this happens, he said, but the town's other officers should be able to make up for it. "It'll bump us back a little bit."
Bertschi praised Doepker for her work on the municipal sustainability plan and the budget. "She implemented a number of great initiatives that will hold us in very good stead going forward. She's certainly laid a great foundation for her successor."
Pattison said that he had no issues with Doepker's time with council and that she had supported the town well. "Personally, I will miss her."
Krauskopf declined to discuss the reasons for his vote. The other councillors and Doepker could not be reached for comment.
