New man on the job
SAO brings experience, determination to Naujaat
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
NAUJAAT
Naujaat found its new head administrator when Rob Hedley of Rankin Inlet took over the position of senior administrative officer (SAO) on Aug. 1.
Rob Hedley of Rankin Inlet searches for some background information after starting his new job as senior administrative officer in Naujaat on Aug. 1. - photo courtesy of Julia MacPherson |
Hedley, 45, brings a wealth of experience to the position, having worked as a finance officer in Rankin and SAO in Coral Harbour at the municipal level, as well as holding the manager of community operations position for the Government of Nunavut in Rankin most recently.
There was no disparaging of his former employer for Hedley in making the move to Naujaat.
He said when all is said and done, working at the municipal level has always been his preference.
"I always knew I'd go back to this, due to a combination of my personality and educational background," said Hedley.
"I really enjoy municipal politics and administration because, as far as I'm concerned, you see the tangible results of your work, both good and bad.
"If you screw up you know it, and if you do well you can tell almost immediately.
"When it comes to territorial or federal governments, which both do important work, a lot of times you're trying to move things through the bureaucracy."
The move to Naujaat has led to Hedley temporarily living apart from wife, Kelly, and eight-year-old son, Ethan, who are living in Ontario.
Hedley said both his wife and son are attending school in the south.
He said if everything goes according to plan, he'll go down to visit with his family every couple of months.
"It is a tough road for a family, but they're going to come up to Naujaat for a few weeks in March.
"We'll make the best of the situation and find a way to make it work."
Hedley said he had no agenda going to Naujaat.
He said he's going to be open-minded and listen to what the community wants.
"What Naujaat needs is really not unlike what a lot of communities need and that's infrastructure.
"Naujaat's been blessed in a lot of ways with a new high school, relatively new health centre and new community hall.
"Now it's a matter of getting the finances in order so we can run programming.
"You want to have the kids engaged, especially, so they're doing positive things in the community."
Hedley said one of the keys in Naujaat is to have more people volunteering to help out so the community can host more regional events.
He said having more events hosted and enjoyed by the community is a big priority.
"As far as hamlet infrastructure goes, we need a new water truck and a new sewage truck because the community is growing.
"They're building 17 new housing units here, so talks have to be held with the power corp. to make sure the generators can hold up with all this new infrastructure.
"We also need to ensure we have the internal infrastructure to ensure the water-and-sewage services are able to keep up with the growing demand.
"There's nothing here that comes as a surprise to me, but it's a matter of trying to make sure everything works effectively."
Hedley said he has absolutely no time frame in mind for how long he plans to hold Naujaat's SAO position.
He said he realizes the community has suffered from a lack of continuity at the position, but having local people trained for positions when they become available is, in his opinion, a big key to success.
"Everywhere I've ever been, we taught and had people ready to move into positions so there's succession in the community.
"People have health problems, find other jobs or reach retirement, and having to always hire from outside is a real weakness in a lot of communities.
"There's a lot of very bright people in Naujaat, so it's a matter of making sure they have the proper skills and want to move up.
"The people who are most invested in the community are the people who live here, so if you train and mentor them into these positions you address the issue of continuity to everyone's advantage."
