Ucluelet is on the hunt for two key administrators.
Chief Financial Officer Jeanette O’Connor is retiring in April and Chief Administrative Officer Andrew Yeates is moving out of town as well, with his last day in Ucluelet landing on March 31.
Ucluelet mayor Dianne St. Jacques said the CFO search is well underway with several interviews already done, but there is no timeline in place yet to replace Yeates, whose resignation was announced on Feb. 23.
“It depends on the candidates that we like and who like us, because it’s as much that these days as us interviewing them. It’s also the candidates interviewing the community,” she said.
She said the district is currently conducting its own search for a new CAO but could look to outside help if the right candidate isn’t found.
“The options we have are to advertise it ourselves, or to hire a recruitment company to find us someone and with recruitment companies there’s a certain cost to those; anywhere from $10,000-$40,000 probably one could spend on these things,” she said.
She said the district has advertised the CAO position and been pleased with the results so far.
“We have had some really good response,” she said. “We have a matrix and we run all the applicants through that and then the ones that are best suited for us float to the top and we will arrange interviews for those folks.”
She said interviews are being scheduled this week.
“If it turns out at the end of the day that there’s no one that we feel is suitable then we’ll consider going and hiring a recruitment company,” she said.
“Probably, by mid-April, if we haven’t been successful we’ll be looking at other avenues.”
She added it’s important to find a good fit because the CAO is a crucial position within the district.
“The CAO is council’s one direct employee and he or she sets the tone in the district, in the office, and on the streets. Communication skills are really important, the ability to lead and to organize and to motivate is all really important to us. They are a key person, no two ways about it,” she said.
“Andrew’s been here for eight years so, I think, folks are pretty used to having him around, but change is always an opportunity to bring fresh eyes in and a bit of new energy.”