With the Clerk/Deputy Treasurer and Treasurer/Deputy Clerk leaving the Township, Wollaston’s Reeve Barb Shaw says it gives them a chance to restrcutre.
Jennifer Cohen, the Clerk/Deputy Treasurer, and Verna Brundage, the Treasurer/Deputy Clerk, will be leaving the Township after giving their respective notices last week. When asked if these changes have anything to do with the controversy surrounding last year’s municipal election, Shaw says the decision to leave the Township was completely theirs to make.Â
She says that this now gives the opportunity a good chance at restructuring. It’s something Shaw says was suggested in the past. The “Fournier Report” was commissioned by the previous council in 2017. The consultant, Stephen Fournier, spoke with all members of council and staff to figure out what the root cause of the division was at the Township. In that report, an organizational restructure was suggested.
“It’s an opportunity to look at restructuring the municipality in a way that will support the decision that we’re moving into,” Shaw says. She adds that it could mean the creation of a Clerk/Administrator position or a Clerk/CAO position. “We’re hoping to find some really great people to join our team,” Shaw continues.
Wollaston’s election results were delayed because of what Acting Clerk Verna Brundage called “unethical practices.” Shaw says that despite the controversial beginning to council’s term, the relationship between staff and council has been good. ” I think everyone needed time to get past rumours,” Shaw says about the election. She adds that while the police report she filed in October 2018 has posed a challenge at the Township, she is happy with the relationship that has been built between council and staff.
Shaw says that while bringing on new staff may pose a challenge, she is ready to make the Township a welcoming environment for the new staff members. She adds that she’s happy this is happening at the start of council’s term because it gives them a chance to build a strong relationship over four years instead of having less time to do so.