by CONNIE TABBERT
Editor
COBDEN — Whitewater Region’s new chief administrative officer/clerk chose this municipality as his next step in his career for various reasons, and not all work related.
Rob Tremblay is looking forward to building on his clerk experience, ensuring the municipality is well-run and wants to make a difference. However, he also noted with family in the Petawawa/Pembroke area as well as in the Kanata area, it’s much easier to visit with them.
CAO Tremblay said the chief administrative officer is management of the corporation while the clerk’s position is the administrative part, such as knowing the bylaws, running the municipal election, corporate records, etc. He noted many larger municipalities and cities have both a CAO and a clerk. A clerk’s position is important to the operation of a well-run municipality, CAO Tremblay said.
“Where I came from, I was a clerk director of legislative and protective services,” he said. “In a smaller place, you don’t separate them out.”
Prior to arriving in Whitewater Region, CAO Tremblay worked for the Municipality of Meaford for three-and-a-half years. He has worked in municipal government for 15 years, including many years with the City of Ottawa, a clerk in Tay Valley in Lanark County, then Mississippi Mills, Meaford and now here.
CAO sees Whitewater Region as the next step in his municipal career.
“As a senior manager, being CAO was the next step and I can build on my clerk experience,” he said.
He has also built a rapport with many clerks and CAOs in the area through networking in his previous positions.
“I thought I could make a difference here,” he said. “Just like every organization, when there’s a change in leadership, there’s some team building that needs to happen, and every municipality is facing challenges in terms of keeping good staff, paying for infrastructure and ensuring that programs and services are sustainable.
“I thought I could help with that just based on my experience and background,” CAO Tremblay said.
When deciding to apply for the position, the factors that helped prompt him to apply for the position included the geographic location in proximity to family; the size of the staff team and wanting to work with a team; and the beauty of the area.
“Being able to locate here and be close to family is something you appreciate when you’ve been away for four years,” he said.
CAO Tremblay and partner Blaine Sack will be selling their home and relocating to Whitewater Region. Growing up in Navan, he said relocating to any area in Whitewater Region would be a favourable location.
Starting his job in mid-December 2016, CAO Tremblay has been spending time meeting with staff and developed a workplan for the next year. He’s presenting the workplan to council at next Wednesday’s council meeting.
The plan’s focus is on a strategic alignment of the organization. He knows there is a strategic plan for the municipality, and the alignment is one step further to ensure what needs to be done gets done.
There’s also compliance issues that need to be dealt with, such as health and safety and accessibility; and then building on the “great volunteer engagement we have here and how the township can support the volunteers it has and all the important work they do, from recreation to the tourism booth to the library to the museum.
“We are very dependent on our volunteers to keep a lot of our services going,” he explained.
Another important area is communication, CAO Tremblay said, which includes the township’s website, which provides information to the municipality’s residents.
There are also a few “big ticket items” which need attention right away, such as the asset management plan, the 2017 budget and the wastewater treatment plant.
CAO Tremblay has only been in Whitewater Region for less than a month, but knows there are many strengths in the municipality. He noted there is a great staff team, council is engaged in the community and there are a good number of volunteers.
“It’s really just ensuring we solidify that and support those things that are there,” he said.
There is also good infrastructure in terms of roads, water and wastewater facilities; arenas and firehalls.
The first big ticket item is to get the budget out, and there’s hopes it will be sooner rather than later. The budget is the “cornerstone of everything we do,” CAO Tremblay said, and the sooner finalized the sooner the key items can be worked on.
There will also be minor adjustments to the way committee and council meetings are run, he said.
“Being a clerk, and working in a clerk’s office for 15 years, there’s some small things we can improve to save time,” he said.
CAO Tremblay is also working on completing his Masters in Public Administration. He currently has a diploma in municipal administration and an undergrad in social sciences/political sciences.
He was drawn into municipal administration while earning his undergraduate degree in political science. While doing his degree, he began working as a committee assistant’s position with the City of Ottawa. So, it took him 12 years to get his degree, because he remained working throughout that time.
A clerk helps a community decide what it wants in terms of services and programs.
“That’s why I like municipal government,” he said, adding, “There’s an immediate impact on the day-to-day lives of people.”
From the clerk’s side, meetings, governance and elections, and open and transparent decision making, all that is pretty important.
“As a CAO, working with others and motivating them and working on initiatives and projects, together, you can always achieve more if you do it as a group, and that’s why I was drawn to that,” he explained.
The Masters of Public Administration he is working on out of Western University, is a specific program for people already working in the field. There are some full-time students, who are not working, and then students who are working full-time, he said.
When not working, he enjoys camping and curling. While he’s sitting out this curling season, CAO Tremblay is looking forward to getting on the ice next season.
Currently, he and Mr. Sack are looking for property to purchase. While they have no children, they are close to their families to the east and west. They have two dogs, Peller, a yellow lab/labradoodle cross, and Arthur, a German shepherd/black lab cross.
“Family is pretty important to me,” he said.
He noted he and Mr. Sack recently upgraded from tent camping to tent-trailer camping.
“The beauty of Whitewater Region is that it’s like life and camping rolled all into one,” he said. “As we look for property, we’re seeing what’s out there. If we get property on the water, that would be great, but if not…”
Looking back on his short time in Whitewater Region, CAO Tremblay said, “So far so good,” adding, “I’m looking forward to getting some stuff done. I’m a results-oriented kind of person and relationships are important to me as well, so I’m meeting different groups. I’m slowly but surely getting invites to different things and getting to know people in the area.”
