WESTLOCK – Rick McDonald has stepped in as interim CAO for Westlock County May 12, replacing Leo Ludwig for up to three months, who has taken a personal leave of absence.
“I’ve been in the executive-level management for 40 years and I have done a considerable number of interim roles in the last 20 years. I managed the cities of Lloydminister and Cold Lake, I’ve managed large rural municipalities (like) Rocky View County, Yellowhead County, and I’ve managed some towns,” said McDonald.
“I bring, I would suggest, some experience, some wisdom.”
This is McDonald’s second stint as three-month interim CAO with the county. He held the job in 2014, after the departure of then-CAO Edward LeBlanc, who has since signed on as CAO for the Town of Barrhead.
Although on council, only Coun. Dennis Primeau remains from his last stint, “most of the staff are the same, there’s a couple of different people,” said McDonald.
One of the priorities for council is service levels, and McDonald is stepping into the role right as they were debating what they would look like in a committee of the whole meeting.
“We’re in rocky times in terms of economics, three levels of governments are all going to be struggling in terms of resources available. We’ll take a look at service levels to see if there’s some savings, to see if there’s ways and means of funding current programs and services without having to reduce too much. In the three-month period, I’ll have a look at that,” he said.
But it takes time to analyze stakeholder expectations like ratepayers, businesses and industry.
“Any service level adjustment, you need to get a sense of where those folks are at and what their expectations are in addition to looking at your operations and looking for efficiencies. Our biggest budget area is infrastructure, so of course you take a look at that. Roads, bridges, utilities are vitals, they’re essentials. Can we do them more efficiently, can we find ways? Those will be questions that we’ll ask.”
In springtime, the quality of road networks across the county is typically at the forefront of ratepayer agitation (see page XX).
To McDonald, it’s citizen engagement that will play an important part in determining priority levels.
“In terms of road services, the citizens will have some say in that. I think council will want to have a say. We’ll provide as much information as we can. That’s sort of the mantra that I use: we’re there to serve, that’s the only reason we’re there. Are services acceptable, are they not acceptable? Could we do less to reduce costs? What are the expectations?”
Reeve Lou Hall did not respond to a May 22 request for comment.
Andreea Resmerita, TownandCountryToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @andreea_res
