I read the City of St. Albert Strategic Plan 2015 several times. The one that leaps out at me is "Outcome: Cultivate Excellence in Government."
"A responsive, accountable government that delivers value to the community."
No. 3 states: "Maintain the City of St. Albert as an employer of choice."
"Hmm,” I thought. "If you are a masochist" or have friends in high places. Administration does an end run on employees that may think they have a long-term career with the city. Then they look at the appointment of an ex-city councillor to a senior position to begin polishing their resumes. Word of mouth travels very quickly from St. Albert to many cities and communities across the province and country, i.e. "Mental note: skip St. Albert for a municipal government career."
No. 4 states, "Maintain fiscal responsibility and transparency." The word "transparency" really intrigued me. The word "maintain" means that administration sees this "transparency" as already in place.
No. 6 states, "Create positive customer service experiences with the community." I am also anxiously waiting for some "transparency" and a "positive customer service experience" from the HR manager in the form of a policy and procedures on Recruiting and Staffing. I requested this to determine if the appointment of the ex-city councillor followed a policy and procedure or whimsy.
Michael Balaski, St. Albert
