With news the Town of Westlock’s chief administrative officer Darrell Garceau is leaving the town and moving to British Columbia for the second time, it’s time to look back at what he has done for the community.
Garceau served two tours of duty as town manager, the first from 2002 until 2006, and the second from 2008 until June 21, 2013.
In that time the town has undergone many changes, with the new Westlock Rotary Spirit Centre being the biggest.
As manager, Garceau had a large hand in those changes, guiding town staff towards achieving the goals councillors set for the community.
Yet, for all the good he did, there are several points that bear repeating in recognizing who and what Garceau was, warts and all.
The Spirit Centre may be a jewel of a facility, but we can’t forget the problems that plagued the project. There was the entire Balon and Brenex fiasco, where Balon went into receivership and Brenex had to come in and take over the project.
Then there were the delays in construction caused by the entire Balon/Brenex fiasco.
Finally, there’s the issue of the project’s cost, which escalated above and beyond the original budget.
This is not to denigrate Garceau.
Instead, it’s to point out there were things that happened on his watch that played out, and continue to play out, in ways that can only be described as imperfect.
Eight years is a long time in municipal politics. And while there is obviously something to be said for continuity and familiarity with how things work, perhaps now is the time to pump some new blood into the Westlock town office.
Garceau has served Westlock admirably for many years, bringing a wealth of experience to the position of chief administrative officer, and doing his best to improve the town based on what councillors wanted.
Did everything work out as planned? No.
It is reasonable to expect perfection and a 100-per-cent success rate? Probably not.
Is Garceau leaving Westlock in better shape than when he arrived? Yes.
Let’s hope the next town manager can fill his shoes.
