ENTERPRISE
The Hamlet of Enterprise now has an interim senior administrative officer (SAO), another step toward community government operations running more smoothly.

John McKee, left, the newly-appointed interim senior administrative officer for the Hamlet of Enterprise, stands next to Mayor John Leskiw II following the March 3 meeting of council. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

John McKee was, until recently, the long-time SAO with the Hamlet of Fort Liard, where he served for nearly 20 years.

"I'm looking forward to getting everything up and rolling," he said of his new role in Enterprise.

On Feb. 12, a co-management agreement was announced between the hamlet and the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA) to ensure the orderly management of the community, after months of persistent disagreements and dysfunction within the local government.

The previous SAO, Terry Testart, left that position on Feb. 7. Since Feb. 20, Melinda Lenoir, the hamlet's finance officer, had served as acting senior administrative officer.

McKee started working in Enterprise on March 3, after retiring as SAO in Fort Liard about three weeks ago.

"MACA approached me on helping out the Hamlet of Enterprise for three months," he explained. "And I said, 'Sure.''

McKee noted he was looking for short-term contracts following his retirement, rather than a long-term commitment.

The interim SAO said there are 10 objectives in the co-management agreement.

"The biggest one is to get an operational budget in place by March 31," he said.

"It could be a challenge. What we might have to look at is getting an interim budget in place to carry us for a while, if we can't succeed in getting a permanent one, and work through it."

Council could then update the budget at a later date.

In addition, McKee will help with long-range capital planning.

Another big objective will be to find a permanent SAO, but McKee said he will not be a candidate for that position.

"The whole objective is to get this co-management agreement in place and get a permanent SAO," he said of his role in Enterprise.

Another of his goals under the co-management agreement is to get the council to work together as a team for the betterment of the community.

Mayor John Leskiw II said Enterprise is very lucky to have McKee as interim SAO.

"This is the type of experience we need," Leskiw said. "We've never really had somebody who would work with the council and for the council as much as the experience he has tends to show that he will do."

The mayor said it would be beneficial for Enterprise to have somebody with as much experience as McKee to become the permanent SAO, but he noted those type of people are in demand by many communities. "So I'm not keeping my hopes too high up, but with his help we'll be able to find at least what we need for now."