St. Albert City Council has decided to inject fresh blood into its operations with the hiring of Torontonian Patrick Draper as the new city manager.
This move is in stark contrast to the last time council hired its city manager. In 2001 council decided to hire from within and promoted Bill Holtby, who was the city’s general manager of Community and Protective Services. Holtby certainly had his detractors over his 10-year tenure, but there is no denying his fair share of accomplishments.
Unfortunately, over that 10-year period (particularly in the latter years), city hall became known for its business-unfriendly culture. In the last couple of years, we’ve seen an inordinate amount of turnover in senior administrative positions. These are not the elements of a healthy municipal organization. Something had to change.
There is no doubt Chris Jardine, who also was the general manager of Community and Protective Services before taking on the acting city manager’s role when Holtby was dismissed in early October, would have made a fine choice as the city’s new CAO.
Jardine is a thoughtful, well-spoken individual who is respected. However, he is a part of city hall’s culture, and in order for culture to change, new people with new ideas need to be introduced. Enter Patrick Draper.
In a document obtained by the Gazette that shows the potential shortlist interview questions for the CAO, as outlined by Davies Park (the headhunting firm charged with finding city manager candidates for council to consider), council was looking for a very specific set of skills.
One of the interview questions was, “What can the Chief Administrative Officer do to promote economic activity and growth? What innovative ways are available to help increase assessment?” Although we don’t have Draper’s answer, his resume speaks volumes. Most recently, he was president and CEO of the Toronto Region Research Alliance, an economic development organization promoting increased investment in research and innovation to further economic prosperity. Chances are, Draper nailed that question.
Another potential interview question asks, “How would you deal with a proposal or an argument put forward by a councillor if you knew it was ill thought out or could get the city into trouble?”
There’s a zinger. What’s the likelihood of that ever happening? Chances are, Draper nailed that one too. In his role with the Toronto Region Research Alliance, Draper dealt with the complexities of the Greater Toronto region governance, with 29 upper and lower tier municipalities. It appears Draper is well versed in navigating political minefields.
Council should be commended for three things: placing economic development as a major priority, hiring someone who clearly has the qualifications to make that happen, and hiring someone from outside who can bring a fresh perspective to city hall.
