Callander council is looking to run the municipality more efficiently, and part of that is to eliminate its Chief Administrative Officer position.
Council passed a by-law at its meeting on November 24, to eliminate the CAO position and instead create a new position – Senior Municipal Director.
At the same time, Council appointed Ashley Bilodeau to that position as the new leader of the "Municipality’s Management Team" effective December 7.
Bilodeau was born and raised in North Bay, and says she is excited to move back to the area with her husband and two daughters after being away for over 15 years.
"This position is a natural step up from her current role as Director of Development Services in Kirkland Lake and years of municipal sector experience," said Mayor Robb Noon in a news release. "Additionally, her status as a Professional Planner with the Ontario Professional Planners Institute and Canadian Institute of Planners will surely assist Council in achieving their identified goals and objectives related to growth in Callander."
She brings with her an undergraduate degree from Laurentian in Geography, a Master’s Degree from Queen’s University in Urban and Regional Planning, and is currently working on a Master’s Degree from Western University in Public Administration.
Over the past year, Council has been working with Expertise for Municipalities Non-Profit Association (E4m) on a Modernization Strategy.
"Part of this strategy saw council adopt a 'Council Term Plan', evaluate the skills and talents of the management team and change the organizational structure to better align with the direction that Council has chosen to take.," explained Noon. "This included a departure from the CAO model and the creation of a new senior management position."
To fill the position Council, working with E4m, sought “Expressions of Interest” as a recruitment tool instead of the traditional approach of reviewing resumes.
"This approach allowed Council to assess and select a candidate more efficiently.," said Noon.“This is an important time for Callander, as we have been working for months along with E4m to make us more efficient and effective in the way we run the municipality.
