Retired Chief Administrative Officer/Clerk
Township of Chatsworth
"Knowing that I could make a difference in the community in which I worked, was always satisfying, and was usually done without much fanfare, which was just fine by me."
About Me:
In addition to my full time career, I am also a Licensed Lay Worship Leader with the United Church of Canada, providing pulpit supply across midwestern Ontario. I am married with three children, all of whom are also married and enjoy spending time with our seven grandchildren (six boys and one girl). We spend a lot of time at arenas, either watching hockey or lacrosse in the winter, and at ball diamonds in the summer months. When I do have time to myself, I am usually quilting or working on family genealogy. We also love to travel and have been blessed to visit numerous countries in the UK, Europe and Caribbean. Now that I'm retired, we also spend more time at our cottage near Severn Bridge.
Why did you get involved with/pursue a career in local government?
Many years ago I worked in a law office that had several municipal clients. Working from the legal end of things (development agreements, tax sale proceedings, encroachments, planning applications, etc.) gave me a pretty good overview of what a municipality does. In fact, I had considered going back to school and study law. There was a vacancy for an administrative assistant with the former Village of Drayton, right at the time of amalgamation. I left a full-time law clerk position that I loved for a three month contract with the Village. Upon amalgamation I was offered full time employment and the following year became the deputy clerk. Within six months of that promotion, I was offered the acting CAO position... and the rest is history!
What is one thing members of the public would be surprised to learn about your role?
As a CAO/clerk in a small, rural municipality, I often wore several hats. My role also included responsibility for human resources and economic development. When there were vacancies in treasury or public works, I stepped into those roles as well. Some days I wasn't sure what hat I was wearing. But, with the support of an excellent staff, we managed through those vacancies.
What do you enjoy most about working in local government?
I have always enjoyed working with people, but mostly in helping them sort through problems or steering them in the right direction or to assist in navigating through the sometimes complex system that we operate in. Knowing that I could make a difference in the community in which I worked, was always satisfying, and was usually done without much fanfare, which was just fine by me.