Boyle village council members are remaining tight-lipped about the departure last week of chief administrative officer Ken Gwozdz, and rightly so. As Mayor Don Radmanovich noted, it’s a personnel matter and it would be inappropriate for council members to discuss it openly.
So it’s not known at this point — and it may never be known — whether village council chose to relieve Gwozdz of his duties or if he resigned willingly. And frankly, it doesn’t matter.
The only part of this decision that ought to be publicly disclosed is how much, if anything, Gwozdz’s departure may cost Boyle taxpayers, and that will certainly come to light in due course.
Meanwhile, regardless of the reasons behind Gwozdz’s departure, hopefully the Village the Boyle has now moved beyond the turmoil that has plagued it for the last couple of years.
The litany of controversies that have circulated through Boyle since 2008 have been well documented. The previous council and administration’s battles with the village’s fire department led to Alberta Municipal Affairs ordering an inspection of the village’s operations, the final report of which recommended that Gwozdz’s employment be terminated.
The former council, to their credit, stood by their CAO. Then-mayor Bob Clark was not shy about stating council’s belief that the inspection report was unfairly skewed and that Gwozdz’s dismissal was not warranted.
Nevertheless, it’s fair to say that the impact of the inspection report may have lead to both Clark and deputy mayor Jim Giancola being defeated in the Oct. 18 municipal election. And now, for one reason or another, Gwozdz is gone, too.
Overshadowed throughout these many months is the fact that Boyle is a vibrant, active and growing community; even the Municipal Inspection Report noted that. For example, you’ll notice within this issue of the Advocate that local businesses have developed their own pre-Christmas local shopping promotion. It’s positive events like this that help to promote the community and push the unfortunate controversies of the past towards the dustbin of history, where they belong.
Boyle is, and always has been, a great community. Hopefully that’s where the focus can remain.
