Dan McDougall photo from LinkedIn

A temporary replacement has been found to step in as the Region of Queens looks for a new Chief Administrative Officer.

The former CAO of the Municipality of the District of Chester Dan McDougall will assume the role until a permanent replacement is found for the outgoing CAO of Queens, Chris McNeill.

McNeill gave notice in March that he would be resigning to take up the same position for Annapolis County.

McNeill has been the CAO for Queens since January 9, 2019.

Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman is excited to land an interim CAO with McDougall’s experience to fill in while the Region continues their search.

“When a CAO is needed, it’s often CAOs who have retired because they can slip in the role and they have a sense of understanding of the Municipal Government Act, etc,” said Norman.

In addition to his time in Chester, MacDougall also served as CAO for Colchester, the CEO of Housing Nova Scotia and was Deputy Minister of Municipal Affairs.

The Chief Administrative Officer oversees all employees in the Region and is the only employee a municipal council can directly hire or fire.

At the latest meeting, Region of Queens Council decided the search for a permanent CAO will be conducted by Gerald Walsh Associates.

Interim CAO McDougall will start May 8 and McNeill’s last day is May 12.

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Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman. Photo Ed Halverson

How many councillors are elected and the area each will cover dominated conversation at the last Region of Queens council meeting.

The Municipal Government Act requires all 49 municipalities across Nova Scotia to review the number of representatives on each council every 10 years to ensure there aren’t too many or too few elected officials.

The municipal boundary review also looks at the size and area they represent to ensure each resident in the municipality has an equal and effective voice at the council table.

Mayor Darlene Norman says region staff will review three options: keeping the number of councillors at seven, reducing to six or increasing to eight.

“Staff also have to consult the public. Questions such as: are you able to contact your councillor readily? Is your councillor able to get back to you and look after your matters that are municipal in matter? It’s about providing good governance to people,” said Norman.

Currently, the Region of Queens 8,900 electors are divided into seven districts representing 1,273 citizens, on average.

The mayor’s position makes up the eighth spot on council.

Council rules dictate in the event of a tie vote, the motion is defeated.

Part of staff analysis will be to explore the pros and cons of creating an uneven number of voting members to allow a tie-breaking vote.

Norman expects staff will bring recommendations forward by June to be presented for public consultation.

Those results will be compiled and presented to the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board for consideration in the fall.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

To listen to the broadcast of this story, press play below.