As the sun finally peaked out from behind the clouds Sunday bringing some relief to area farmers anxious to get their crops off, the same can finally be said for Westlock County councillors.
Following a relatively brief search from a thick stack of resumes, Leo Ludwig was hired by council Aug. 31. Granted he’s the sixth CAO under the watch of this current group, and fourth since the start of 2016, but the hope is Ludwig will provide some consistency and occupy the chair for more than a cup of coffee.
Admittedly this council, which is in the third year of its four-year term, hasn’t had much luck with CAOs. First there was the falling out with Ed LeBlanc back in 2014. His successor, Peter Kelly, got a passing grade from us when he left in February of this year, but we’re inclined to use our red pen to revise that rating following the Horizon North fiasco, among other revelations.
His successor, Duane Coleman, seemed like a great hire, but he swiftly left for greener pastures before he could make any meaningful impact.
And Pat Vincent’s experience as an interim CAO has helped the county begin the Municipal Affairs review process and help diffuse what seemed like never-ending controversy in council chambers.
As for Ludwig, his vast experience in the administrative ranks of rural municipalities looks to be a positive to help get the county back on the right track.
The negative? Among the limited information we do have is that Ludwig’s been fired from his last two jobs at the Town of Coaldale and, most recently, Vulcan County — Google hides no secrets. So, is that a red flag? Maybe.
Remember that CAOs are like coaches or general managers in pro sports — when things go sideways, they’re among the first casualties whether they’re at fault or not.
And just like we said about Kelly, or any CAO for that matter, we’ll reserve judgment until we see what he accomplishes here.
Ultimately ratepayers should take some solace that council has hired a competent CAO versed in the MGA (something lacking from the resume of at least one past CAO), which is a small ray of sunshine for a bunch who have been under a dark cloud for months.
