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Interim CAO “truly excited” to join Athabasca County

Pat Vincent counts 50 years of experience in municipal government
ath-vincent-straight-on
Pat Vincent, seen here at his desk at the Athabasca County offices April 20, is no stranger to the job, despite the new surroundings. Despite having done this for 50 years, Vincent still remains as eager for the work as he ever was and is sure to bring his considerable experience to the front as the county continues its search for a permanent CAO.

ATHABASCA – Fifty years ago Pierre Trudeau was Canada’s prime minister, there were 29 fewer countries in the world and the United States had just pulled out of the Vietnam War.

So, when Pat Vincent, the new interim CAO for Athabasca County, celebrated 50 years of experience working in municipal politics April 8, he reached a milestone that few others achieve. And as to why he’s remained in the game so long, the answer is simple.

“It’s the passion for local government, it’s working with people, solving problems, and at the end of the day, having the satisfaction that you’ve made a one per cent change,” he said during an April 17 interview. “It’s certainly that kind of inspiration that I get, I’m surrounded by great people who are very dedicated, and are really looking out for the public interest, and looking to serve the public.”

Vincent met with councillors for the first time during the April 11 county meeting, taking the time to introduce himself personally to everyone present before it started. During his formal introduction, he said he was, “ … truly excited to be here today, for my first meeting with council. I’m excited, to the verge of being nervous, which is hard to believe after all these years.”

Vincent’s passion for the work that he does is clear, but so is his expertise. He says that the freedom and flexibility to say what needs to be said is what he enjoys most about the interim roles that he now specializes in.

“It’s always delivered in a polite mindful way, but oftentimes there’s things that they’ve either shied away from or haven’t been told before. Being told by someone who isn’t worried about their career anymore, or isn’t worried about a family, or their mortgage provides that freedom and flexibility.”

Like many, Vincent has his own tried and true lines that he can resort to if need be.

“If you don’t like what I’m telling you, guess what? WestJet has a flight to Phoenix tomorrow morning, and I can be on it with my golf clubs. So far, not a single council has taken me up on the offer.,” he said with a chuckle.

“It’s just getting up in the morning, going into the office, knowing that you’re working with great people, you’re going to accomplish something, but it’s not without the fear or the threat that if I have to be honest or forthright you won’t get nailed for it.”

A respected career

Vincent started with the Town of Elk Point in 1981, where he stayed until 1991. He also served as CAO for the towns of Slave Lake and Beaumont, before becoming the CAO of Parkland County in August 2007, where he worked until his ‘official retirement’ Jan. 1, 2015.

Since then, he’s been operating a municipal consulting business, specializing in Interim CAO positions. His first gig was as the interim CAO for Thorhild County, but he has also served in the same role for Westlock County twice, plus stints with the Town of Olds, and the City of Chestermere among eight others. Most recently, Vincent was the interim CAO for the County of Minburn, from September 2022 until January 2023.

Vincent’s contract

Unlike some of his prior contracts, Vincent’s current agreement with the county doesn’t have an end date and he’s made the commitment to stay on until a full-time CAO is found, a process that has already been started. Invitations went out April 13 to four recruitment firms to submit proposals, which are due by May 1.

Those will be presented to council during the closed portion of their May 9 meeting and from there, he says he expects it will take between 90-120 days for a replacement to be found, which would put his end date around Aug. 1. 

A key part of the process is going to be the two-day orientation and onboarding between Vincent and the new CAO, where he’ll walk them through the open files, introduce them to the systems and the people, and do his best to set the new hire up for success.

In the meantime, Vincent’s agreement with the county has him being paid by the hour; he didn’t disclose the exact amount, since he hadn’t yet cleared it with council, but felt comfortable saying it in the range of what he received when he filled in at Westlock County in 2022, when he received $159 an hour. He also is being compensated for accommodation and meals and has been provided with a county vehicle for travel.

How we got here

Following the contentious departure of CAO Ryan Maier in June 2021, the position was filled on interim basis by then-agriculture and community services manager Dawn Phillips until the hiring of Rod Risling in early 2022 — Phillips ultimately left the county in the late 2022 to become CAO of the Town of Smoky Lake.

Following Risling’s seven-week tenure, Frank Coutney, who has over 30 years of municipal government experience, including 28 years as the CAO for the County of Wetaskiwin, took over on an interim basis until Parker was installed as the permanent CAO.

Incidentally, Maier became Athabasca County CAO in August 2014 after spending two years in the same role with the Town of Athabasca and has served as the permanent CAO of Thorhild County since Jan. 1, 2022 — Maier was initially appointed as Thorhild’s interim CAO starting Aug. 5, 2021, with a fixed-term contract ending Dec. 31, 2021.

Cole Brennan, TownandCountryToday.com


Cole Brennan

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